#washingtonstate
Olson Kundig creates floating Water Cabin in Seattle's Portage Bay
Knotty cedar and galvanised steel were used to form a two-storey, floating home by US firm Olson Kundig that draws upon cabin architecture.
The Water Cabin is located in Seattle's Portage Bay, just south of the University of Washington. It serves as a full-time residence for a client who previously rented a floating house in the area and decided to build his own home there when a lot became available.
The Water Cabin floats on Seattle's Portage Bay
Designed by local firm Olson Kundig, the building is intended to offer "a cabin sensibility in an urban environment".
In particular, it draws upon design principal Jim Olson's personal cabin in rural Washington, which features rectilinear volumes, overhanging roofs and a subdued colour palette.
Its living space opens onto a terrace
The floating home is also designed to provide a strong connection to the bay, which is part of a canal connecting the Puget Sound to Lake Washington.
"Small in stature, the home creates a platform from which to enjoy and engage with the surrounding waterway," the team said.
The home has a horizontal stature
The building consists of two levels, with the upper one stepping back to create a "sense of refuge". The recess also allowed for a 100-square-foot (9.3-square-metre) terrace.
Flat, overhanging roofs shade patios and large stretches of glass. Visually speaking, the roofs contribute to the home's low, horizontal stature.
Olson Kundig added glass windows with sweeping views
"The horizontal lines of the building echo the flat plane of the lake in an effort to make it one with the site," said Olson.
Given the home's location, the team chose exterior materials that are low-maintenance and can hold up in a marine environment.
Warm wooden tones contrast with metal finishes in silver and black tones
The structural system is made of galvanized steel, and facades are clad in knotty western red cedar that was lightly stained.
"The siding's thin, vertical wood slats are arranged in an irregular articulated pattern, recalling the random composition of trees in a forest," the team said.
The floating home's cosy interior takes cues from forest cabins
Inside, the 1,580-square-foot (147-square-metre) home offers all the key living elements. "There are strict restrictions on the size and dimensions of floating homes," said Olson. "Our client wanted to make the best use of every inch."
The lower level encompasses an open space for lounging, dining, cooking and working. There also is a hidden Murphy bed for guests.
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A glazed corner and large, sliding doors enable the interior to flow onto a patio with ipe wood decking. A window-lined staircase – which serves as a light well – leads to the top floor, where the team placed a bedroom suite.
Like the lower level, floor-to-ceiling glass provides sweeping views of the watery terrain and diminishes the boundary between inside and out.
Floor-to-ceiling glass provides views of the watery terrain
Materials within the home include knotty cedar, oak and birch. Warm wooden tones are contrasted with metal finishes in silver and black tones.
Overall, the home is intended to feel cosy and intimately tied to its surroundings, similar to a cabin in the forest.
"This informal, low-contrast interior supports a sense of the home as an oasis, despite its location in a bustling community," the team said.
Flat, overhanging roofs shade patios and large stretches of glass
Other floating homes in Seattle's Portage Bay include a compact dwelling by Studio DIAA that features a dark exterior and a light-toned interior.
The photography is byAaron Leitz.
Project credits:
Architect: Olson Kundig
Project team: Jim Olson (design principal), Jason Roseler (project manager), Betty Huang, Christine Burkland, Eunice Kim and Hunter Van Bramer
General contractor: Dyna Contracting
Structural engineer: Voelker Engineering
Lighting design: Brian Hood
The post Olson Kundig creates floating Water Cabin in Seattle's Portage Bay appeared first on Dezeen.
#all #architecture #residential #instagram #usa #cedar #seattle #washingtonstate #olsonkundigarchitects #cabins #floatingarchitecture
SHED gives mid-century Golden House in Seattle an extensive update
American firm SHED Architecture and Design has transformed a 1950s building that formerly served as an adult living facility into a contemporary home for a family of five.
The Golden House is located in Shoreline, a community just north of Seattle, and sits on a large lot with views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound.
The Golden House sits on a large lot with views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound
Designed by an unknown architect in 1959, the 4,080-square-foot (379-square-metre) house was converted into an adult living facility years ago.
Local firm SHED Architecture and Design was charged with turning the two-storey building back into a single-family house for a couple and their three children.
SHED reconfigured the layout of the home's upper level
"Although the house had good bones, modifications adapting the original layout for use as an adult living facility – combined with deferred maintenance – had tarnished the structure inside and out," the team said.
The most extensive changes took place indoors. The upper level holds the public zone, an office and the main bedroom suite, while the lower floor holds sleeping areas.
The kitchen is organised around a central island
Working around the existing post-and-beam structure, the team reconfigured the upper level's layout by removing walls and built-in casework. An emphasis was placed on providing natural light and views.
"Although the structure is re-engineered to work with the revised floor plan, the post- and-beam structure was retained as a principle organising system and integrated into the design," the team said.
Dragon-themed wallpaper wraps the powder room
The kitchen was moved and enlarged, with the new space organised around a central island that overlooks the dining and living area.
Just off the kitchen is an office, pantry and coat closet, along with a powder room wrapped in dragon-themed wallpaper.
Bathroom tiles are formed from black and white terrazzo
In the living area, where casework had been removed, the team placed a wooden "soffit" that extends over a circulation area and helps proportion the room. The team also installed low-lying cabinetry with a built in DJ station.
An old fireplace was redesigned and faced with concrete masonry units (CMUs) with a ground-down surface. A new concrete bench surrounds the hearth.
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The team used a restrained palette of materials throughout the public area, including cork flooring, rift-sawn white oak paneling, and white sheetrock walls. Trim was painted black to create visual consistency.
"As a nod to the past, the original natural slate tile and metal railing were preserved in the entryway," the team added.
Downstairs, a storage room was made into a children's bedroom
In the main bedroom suite are elements such as a grasscloth wall panel and bathroom tile made of black-and-white terrazzo. A "connecting datum" made of white oak wraps behind the mirrors and the tub.
Downstairs, the team made changes to accommodate three children. A storage room was turned into a shared bedroom, and bed cubbies made of plywood were installed.
Golden House's trim was painted black to create visual consistency
A small bathroom was cleverly reconfigured to be more suitable for multiple users.
Outside of the house, a wheelchair-accessible entrance and driveway were removed to create a large lawn. The team also updated the building envelope by installing new windows and insulation, along with automated blinds on the west to cut down on solar heat gain.
An emphasis was placed on providing natural light and views during the renovation
Founded in 1998, SHED has completed a number of residential projects in Washington, including a home on a bluff clad in rough-sawn cedar, a compact dwelling in a backyard, and a sensitive renovation of a 1950s abode.
The photography is byRafael Soldi.
Project credits:
Architect: SHED Architecture and Design
Contractor: Ambrose Construction
Structural engineer: Todd Perbix
Landscape designer: Susan Papanikolas
Lighting designer: Sparklab Lighting Design
Casework: Beechtree Woodworks
The post SHED gives mid-century Golden House in Seattle an extensive update appeared first on Dezeen.
#all #architecture #residential #usa #houses #seattle #washingtonstate #renovations #americanhouses #midcenturyrenovations #shedarchitectureanddesign
Graypants converts slender space near Seattle into Tomo restaurant
Dark-toned wood and golden light are found in this Washington bar and eatery by design firm Graypants that alludes to a Japanese urban alleyway.
Tomo is located in the community of White Center, which lies just south of Seattle. The dining establishment – which specialises in eclectic, seasonal cuisine – is named after the owner's grandmother, Tomoko, and the Japanese word for friend, tomodachi.
Dark-toned wood and golden light define Tomo restaurant
Graypants, which has offices in Seattle and Amsterdam, was charged with creating a distinctive space on a limited budget.
"The brief was to create something handcrafted in a short amount of time, using a modest budget, offering room for as many guests as possible, while ensuring each seat felt like the best one in the house," the team said.
Graypants created the space on a minimal budget
Housed in a low-slung building along a main thoroughfare, the restaurant has a long and slender floor plan. The front facade features storefront-style glazing and charcoal-coloured brick.
Guests step into a dark-toned room with golden lighting and ample wood.
The design alludes to a Japanese urban alleyway
"Narrow and inviting, the experience references an evening in one the endless alleyways of Japanese cities," the studio said.
"The architecture aims to be demure and humble, letting the food be the centre of the experience," the team added.
Oak shingles arranged like fish scales line the wall with seating
Lining one side of the restaurant is seating, which stretches along a wall clad in oak shingles arranged like fish scales.
To the other side is a bar, along with a kitchen enclosed within slatted walls made of ebony-stained ash.
The bar features ebony-stained ash
"Wood is a centrepiece of the space," the team said. "The mingling of wood throughout the space creates an understated, monochrome texture."
Most of the lighting elements were integrated directly into wall panels, bench seating and bar shelves, enabling them to be "felt but not seen", the designers said.
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The exception is an 80-foot (24-metre) linear fixture that extends the length of the restaurant.
The team sought to save money wherever possible, without compromising on design quality.
Most of the furniture was designed by Graypants
Graypants, with help from the studio Fin, designed and fabricated most of the fixtures and furniture, including the lighting, seating and tabletops. This helped reduce costs and shorten the construction timeframe.
Each piece of furniture was finished with a zero-VOC topcoat.
The architecture aims to be demure and humble, according to its designers
The outdoor tables, kitchen cladding and bar-back were fabricated using Richlite, a durable and locally sourced material that is made of resin-infused paper.
"The team carefully chose their moves – like simply polishing existing concrete floors and investing in finishes that feel complex but are efficient to install, lowering construction cost," the studio said.
"The cost per square feet of this project is, conservatively, 35 per cent below the benchmark."
Low lighting is used throughout the restaurant
Other restaurants in the Seattle area include the Samara bistro by Mutuus Studio, which features rustic materials and earth tones that create a "sense of timelessness and comfort".
The photography is byAdam Joseph Wells.
Project credits:
Designer: Graypants
Design team: Seth Grizzle, Bryan Reed, Caleb Patterson, Alan Marrero
Furniture designer and manufacturer: Fin
Owner and chef: Brady Williams
Operations: Jessica Powers
General contractor: Shawn Landis
The post Graypants converts slender space near Seattle into Tomo restaurant appeared first on Dezeen.
#restaurantsandbars #all #interiors #usa #restaurants #washingtonstate #graypants
Spotted this weekend along the river bank this weekend... Lewis Monkeyflowers, named after the great American hero Captain Meriwether Lewis.
#hiking #backpacking #camping #WashingtonState #photography #myphoto
