Houzz Tour: Rocky and Rugged on a Pacific Northwest Island
An architect creates a modern beachfront sanctuary for a Washington couple
The door swings open to reveal spectacular views of the water and mountains. The house has strong connections between inside and out, with the exterior materials continuing inside. For example, Western red cedar seamlessly extends from the overhang on the exterior to the ceilings on the interior.
“My clients were very into the idea of simple architecture and the use of a simple material palette,” Nelson says. On the exterior, the materials articulate different spaces on the interior. The architectural concrete on either side of the front door wraps a powder room, left, and utility room (right), and copper wraps the master shower and water closet.
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“My clients were very into the idea of simple architecture and the use of a simple material palette,” Nelson says. On the exterior, the materials articulate different spaces on the interior. The architectural concrete on either side of the front door wraps a powder room, left, and utility room (right), and copper wraps the master shower and water closet.
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The architectural concrete walls also continue from the exterior to the interior. There’s a compressed feeling in the entry before entering the open space and experiencing the expansive views.
The homeowners loved the idea of using pieces made by local and Yakima craftspeople and artists. Camano Island glassblower Stan O’Neil custom-made this light fixture for the house. “Its sea-urchin-like shape brings some sea life into the house,” Nelson says.
The homeowners loved the idea of using pieces made by local and Yakima craftspeople and artists. Camano Island glassblower Stan O’Neil custom-made this light fixture for the house. “Its sea-urchin-like shape brings some sea life into the house,” Nelson says.
An Open Studio Layout
Beyond the entry, the house opens up with floor-to-ceiling windows and doors all the way across the back. One open space contains this living room and the dining room and the kitchen behind it, while a large freestanding stone fireplace with a concrete base provides partial separation from the master bedroom.
Beyond the entry, the house opens up with floor-to-ceiling windows and doors all the way across the back. One open space contains this living room and the dining room and the kitchen behind it, while a large freestanding stone fireplace with a concrete base provides partial separation from the master bedroom.
The fireplace is made from the same stone seen on some of the exterior walls. It’s a stone from Yakima that the homeowners liked and wanted to bring to the island.
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The dining area and kitchen are behind the sitting area. Because the homeowners cook large meals for family gatherings across the street, the modest kitchen is sufficient for their needs here.
Clerestory windows on the sides of the house let in natural light while providing privacy. Nelson floated the ceiling boards below the headers of these windows so the glass goes all the way up to meet the ceiling uninterrupted.
The dining table was made by Yakima craftsman Nate Monick of Atlas & Cedar. The artwork on the wall is by the late Charles Smith, who was a prominent teacher in Yakima.
Clerestory windows on the sides of the house let in natural light while providing privacy. Nelson floated the ceiling boards below the headers of these windows so the glass goes all the way up to meet the ceiling uninterrupted.
The dining table was made by Yakima craftsman Nate Monick of Atlas & Cedar. The artwork on the wall is by the late Charles Smith, who was a prominent teacher in Yakima.
The master bedroom enjoys the same views of Port Susan and the Cascades. By leaving the bedroom partially open to the living area, Nelson kept the views open all the way across the back of the house.
The walnut chest of drawers under the hearth and the headboard are built in for a minimalist, cohesive look. The headboard incorporates shelves for books, glasses and water, and has reading sconces overhead. The painting is by Yakima artist Larry Petry.
The walnut chest of drawers under the hearth and the headboard are built in for a minimalist, cohesive look. The headboard incorporates shelves for books, glasses and water, and has reading sconces overhead. The painting is by Yakima artist Larry Petry.
An Open Feel, Even in the Bathroom
“The only enclosed spaces in the home are the master bathroom and the powder room. But we wanted to be able to keep that open studio feeling in the master bath,” Nelson says. So he designed oversize walnut sliding doors that can be opened wide to the bedroom.
The flooring throughout the house is large-format porcelain tile with a radiant heating system underneath.
“The only enclosed spaces in the home are the master bathroom and the powder room. But we wanted to be able to keep that open studio feeling in the master bath,” Nelson says. So he designed oversize walnut sliding doors that can be opened wide to the bedroom.
The flooring throughout the house is large-format porcelain tile with a radiant heating system underneath.
A homeowner must-have was a freestanding bathtub that would look out on the water. Motorized shades provide privacy when needed.
LED strip lighting under the vanity creates a soft glow. These lights are on motion sensors, so as soon as the homeowners step in here in the middle of the night, they turn on automatically.
LED strip lighting under the vanity creates a soft glow. These lights are on motion sensors, so as soon as the homeowners step in here in the middle of the night, they turn on automatically.
Translucent doors keep the water closet and shower private when the large sliding doors are open.
Architectural Details
The way the cedar of the ceiling continues outdoors to the overhang can be seen through this window in the shower.
The way the cedar of the ceiling continues outdoors to the overhang can be seen through this window in the shower.
Here’s the shower window as seen from the outside. It’s tucked into the side of the copper that clads the shower and water closet. Mondrian paintings inspired the composition of the copper pieces. Other details worth noting are the copper downpipes, which are attached to the concrete with copper drain leaders, and the stepped design of the standing-seam metal roof’s profile.
“Because of the span of this house, this roof had to be 14 inches deep and would have looked too heavy if we’d left it squared off,” Nelson says. “In order to mitigate this, we stepped the fascia boards [straight boards that run along the lower edge of a roof] in this arrangement, which has a layer cake effect.” The stepped design nods to some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s roof designs.
This photo also shows one of the FEMA-approved flood ports. The crawl space is outfitted with water-resistant materials, and the ports allow water to flow under the house and out the ports in the event of a flood.
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“Because of the span of this house, this roof had to be 14 inches deep and would have looked too heavy if we’d left it squared off,” Nelson says. “In order to mitigate this, we stepped the fascia boards [straight boards that run along the lower edge of a roof] in this arrangement, which has a layer cake effect.” The stepped design nods to some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s roof designs.
This photo also shows one of the FEMA-approved flood ports. The crawl space is outfitted with water-resistant materials, and the ports allow water to flow under the house and out the ports in the event of a flood.
Read Houzz stories about Frank Lloyd Wright homes
Another subtle minimalist detail is the use of reveals along the edges of the sheetrock — there’s a horizontal reveal that runs between the sheetrock and the walnut baseboards and a vertical reveal between the sheetrock and the concrete walls. This means the walnut baseboards are flush with the sheetrock rather than applied on top of it. The reveal is clad in off-the-shelf quarter-inch metal channels. “You need a really good builder to pull off details like this,” Nelson says. He collaborated with Justin Hamlin of Impel Construction, who’s always up for a challenge.
This side view of the house shows the gentle pitch of the simple modern shed roof. The stone on the exterior that wraps the master bathroom lends a sense that the building has somehow emerged from the rocky beach.
The deck is made of low-maintenance, durable ironwood. This wood is FSC-certified and will turn gray as it weathers. The galvanized steel handrails and cable rails match those on the front of the house. “It was important to the clients to minimize the number of trees taken down and to keep a naturalized landscape,” Nelson says. They saved as many trees as possible, and used rock gardens and gravel, including on the driveway and pathways.
Takeaways
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Takeaways
- Consider the entry experience when designing a front walkway, door, sidelights and views into and through the house.
- Using work by local artists and craftspeople creates a special connection to a place.
- A freestanding fireplace is a good way to delineate spaces within an open plan.
- Lights on a motion sensor are a great idea for nighttime visits to the bathroom. Use them on a dim light so as not to wake up too much.
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Vacation House at a Glance
Who lives here: This is the beach house of a couple from Yakima, Washington
Location: Camano Island, Washington
Size: 1,100 square feet (102 square meters); one bedroom, 1½ bathrooms
Designer: Designs Northwest Architects
The rocky and rugged beach on Washington State’s Camano Island is not your typical beach, and this home is not your typical beach house. The couple who commissioned it from architect Dan Nelson wanted a studio apartment layout — one large, open space that included the living, dining, kitchen and sleeping areas. They were inspired by a modern cabin constructed of stone and concrete in which they had stayed at Cave B, a winery and resort in the Columbia River wine country.
The beachfront lot had been in the family since the 1960s, when one of the homeowner’s parents bought several adjacent lots on the island and built a summer house. “They have big gatherings with extended family in that house across the street, but after they were given this beachfront lot, the couple wanted to build a quiet, romantic sanctuary where it would be just the two of them,” Nelson says. The home his firm designed reflects their desire for a quiet, minimalistic, modern design that takes full advantage of the spectacular views of Port Susan and the Cascade mountains.
A Dramatic Entry Sequence
Because of flood plain requirements, the home needed to be raised 4 feet above the ground. “We could have bermed up the earth to meet the front door, but we wanted to create the feeling of entering a little sanctuary by going up a few steps and crossing a bridge,” the architect says. After crossing the bridge, you land at a massive copper-clad front door flanked by floor-to-ceiling sidelights. The custom door is 4 feet wide by 9 feet high.
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