Architect | Garret Cord Werner Architects |
Location | Seattle, United States |
Area | 390 m2 (4200 sq.ft.) |
Photographs | Benjamin Benschneider |
This unique 4,200 square foot home was designed to be a spa-like retreat from the busy metropolis. The client sought a space that would embody tranquility and embrace a seamless transition between the built environment and nature. The architecture and interior design was a melding of water, sky and flora.
The cedar ceilings throughout the main level were stained a bespoke brown-grey, lessening the yellow-red tones of natural new cedar, giving the ceiling a tone and character that is aged and venerable. The walls of the living room, dining room and stairwell were clad in cedar planks to echo the exterior facade, furthering the harmony between inside and outside. The polished concrete floors on the main level parallel the repetition of concrete walls throughout the home. This industrial material is rich in depth and character, especially when polished and juxtaposed with luxurious wool and silk area rugs.
The living spaces envelope a spine of water, allowing dramatic views between spaces. This story of water greets you at the entrance with a reflection pond, then transitions under an interior boardwalk-like bridge, before continuing as a linear propulsion lap pool. At the end of the lap pool, there is a second exterior bridge where the water transitions again to bring you to an infinity edge spa that appears to spill into Lake Washington.
The experience of approaching and then crossing over water, while traveling through the interior and in the open, creates a dramatic and tranquil feeling that one rarely experiences within one’s home. The result is the sense that you are enclosed at a destination resort, yet able to step back into the middle of a vibrant metropolis by opening the front door.