Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Japanese Influence for a New Home in Washington State
Inspired by the simple forms of Tadao Ando, an architect incorporates spaces for a Japanese tearoom and six cars
When Yumi Hacker first approached architect Dan Nelson to design a new home on a bluff overlooking Washington state’s Camano Island, she had three priorities. She wanted a very special Japanese tearoom, space to accommodate her husband’s car collection and a house style inspired by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Using simple volumes inspired by Ando, Nelson created a minimalist home that takes full advantage of the spectacular views and provides a feeling of zen.
“Early on, I had to explain to my client that Ando’s work is known for using beautiful architectural concrete, which is very expensive,” Nelson says. As that material proved cost-prohibitive, he found a suitable alternative. He clad the house in Nichiha cement board panels, a siding product from Japan. The panels lend a similar look to architectural concrete.
The team created a striped path to the front door by using stained concrete. The glass panels in the door echo that pattern.
The team created a striped path to the front door by using stained concrete. The glass panels in the door echo that pattern.
The large square window next to the front door provides light to the staircase. The flooring throughout the main level is porcelain tile planks that have a wood look. Yumi completed the interior design herself.
Browse benches in the Houzz Shop
Browse benches in the Houzz Shop
Entry through the front door immediately reveals the views through the great room to Port Susan and Camano Island. The opening on the right is a shortcut to the kitchen, which is part of the large, open-concept great room. The hallway to the right leads to the Japanese tearoom and a guest room, and the primary suite is down a hall to the left. Nelson placed rooms that didn’t need a view — like the laundry room, the mechanical room and some bathrooms — along the garage walls.
The architect custom-designed the staircase and railings. The stair treads are precast concrete. Downstairs are another guest suite and a flexible space that can be used as a home office, family room and gym.
The architect custom-designed the staircase and railings. The stair treads are precast concrete. Downstairs are another guest suite and a flexible space that can be used as a home office, family room and gym.
The great room contains the kitchen, living and dining areas. The architects bathed the high-ceilinged space in light. “Light is really important in our Pacific Northwest environment,” Nelson says.
“We used sliding doors instead of operable windows to get the biggest openings possible,” project architect Matt Radach says. A balcony railing provides safety when the doors are open to let in the breeze. And clerestory windows create more large openings for light.
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“We used sliding doors instead of operable windows to get the biggest openings possible,” project architect Matt Radach says. A balcony railing provides safety when the doors are open to let in the breeze. And clerestory windows create more large openings for light.
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“Yumi cooks and entertains a lot, so she wanted the island and sink to face the views through the great room,” Nelson says. A waterfall countertop suits the minimalist style. All the countertops in the kitchen are quartz.
The left corner provides a good spot for the piano. A door off this side of the room leads to a deck.
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The left corner provides a good spot for the piano. A door off this side of the room leads to a deck.
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To the right, the fireplace is clad in porcelain tiles that resemble concrete. In keeping with the home’s minimalism, the fireplace opening is a simple rectangle. The dining area and a second seating area enjoy its warmth.
“Yumi chose cabinets by Canyon Creek Cabinet Co. — their cabinets are made locally,” Nelson says. The flat-panel doors suit the minimalist aesthetic. The wall oven cabinetry, the glass upper cabinet to the left and the upper vent hood casing are three more simple box forms. The darker backsplash creates one long rectangle along the wall.
Here’s a look at the water-facing side of the house. “Cantilevered forms are a common way of expressing volumes in modern architecture,” Nelson says. Ando often uses this method to emphasize different volumes in his work.
The great room is in the center, with the Japanese tearoom to the left and the primary suite to the right. The balcony on the right, accessible from both the great room and the primary suite, provides weather protection for the grilling patio below.
The great room is in the center, with the Japanese tearoom to the left and the primary suite to the right. The balcony on the right, accessible from both the great room and the primary suite, provides weather protection for the grilling patio below.
Here’s the balcony entrance off the primary bedroom. The blinds throughout the house blend in seamlessly with the dark door and window frames.
“Whenever we plan a great view in a bathroom, we love to take advantage of it with the tub placement,” Nelson says. A floating vanity, clean-edged acrylic countertop and square mirrors create a minimalist aesthetic in the primary bath.
The mirrors’ reflections provide a peek at the door to the toilet room on the left and the large walk-in shower on the right.
A Japanese tansu cabinet fits nicely into a corner of the guest room.
While space to tinker with and store his classic American cars was Dan’s No. 1 must-have, Yumi’s was a place to practice chado, or “the way of tea.” This ritual of preparation and presentation, also known in English as Japanese tea ceremony, is meant to bring peace and serenity. The room at the left is Yumi’s tearoom.
Yumi was born and raised in Japan and moved to the United States as a young adult in 1993. Ironically, she didn’t start practicing chado until after she left Japan. “My journey of tea practice started in the U.S. when I saw many American students devoted their study of it in the Urasenke school in Seattle,” she says. “I was intrigued by the fact that people here seemed to value and have a great respect for Japanese culture — more than we Japanese do. I thought, ‘What am I not seeing that they see?’ ”
After she joined the school, she saw how the Japanese culture, history and philosophy embedded in the tea practice, along with its interconnectedness to Zen Buddhism, attracted people from all over the world in a way that transcended race and ethnicity. She wanted to be able to share it with people in her home.
Yumi was born and raised in Japan and moved to the United States as a young adult in 1993. Ironically, she didn’t start practicing chado until after she left Japan. “My journey of tea practice started in the U.S. when I saw many American students devoted their study of it in the Urasenke school in Seattle,” she says. “I was intrigued by the fact that people here seemed to value and have a great respect for Japanese culture — more than we Japanese do. I thought, ‘What am I not seeing that they see?’ ”
After she joined the school, she saw how the Japanese culture, history and philosophy embedded in the tea practice, along with its interconnectedness to Zen Buddhism, attracted people from all over the world in a way that transcended race and ethnicity. She wanted to be able to share it with people in her home.
Slatted sliding doors open to the tearoom. Yumi notes that this is not considered a traditional Japanese tearoom, even though it contains many of the usual elements. “I like to be unique — one of a kind — without losing my respect toward basic rules and historical philosophy,” she says. “The challenge was to make the door be very special as a clear division — the entrance to an extraordinary space from an everyday living space — yet be cohesive with the tearoom and with the rest of this house.”
Accordingly, she used doors with slats, called koshido doors, which are typically used in Japanese architecture on exteriors, not interiors. “I wanted to create the clear division of the tearoom from our living space, and the door style with slats seemed to have the perfect balance to me, even if it is unusual for an interior door,” Yumi says. The doors are made of Alaskan yellow cedar.
She notes that the agarigamachi, the facing on the tearoom’s platform, is an important element in traditional Japanese architecture. This facing is Kitayama cedar from Kyoto, Japan.
Accordingly, she used doors with slats, called koshido doors, which are typically used in Japanese architecture on exteriors, not interiors. “I wanted to create the clear division of the tearoom from our living space, and the door style with slats seemed to have the perfect balance to me, even if it is unusual for an interior door,” Yumi says. The doors are made of Alaskan yellow cedar.
She notes that the agarigamachi, the facing on the tearoom’s platform, is an important element in traditional Japanese architecture. This facing is Kitayama cedar from Kyoto, Japan.
Yumi worked closely with Koji Uchida of Wafu Builders, an expert in the design and building of these spaces, and followed specific rules to perform chado. But she took out a few of the traditional elements of a Japanese tearoom because she wanted to modernize it to her tastes. She also wanted it to be cohesive with the rest of the house. Uchida then built the room to her specifications.
The agarigamachi, the tatami mat flooring, a hand-brushed scroll, seasonal flowers and a square sunken hearth to boil water in the teakettle, called a ro, are traditional Japanese tea ceremony elements within the space.
Here’s a closer look at the ro, which has a burner at the bottom. The Japanese teakettle in the ro is called a kama. “The sunken hearth is for winter only. Ro season is from November to April. Ro will be closed off in summer and we will switch to furo, the standing brazier on the tatami mat, from May to October,” Yumi says.
Learning the way of tea has been a meaningful part of life in America for Yumi. “The attraction to the practice is beyond the cultural beauty and history of Japan. Now I understand why the way of tea is practiced in so many countries all over the world,” she says. “I was taught by tea practitioners in America not only what my origin was about, but how incredible teaching it is — to offer the universal philosophy of peace to anyone by simply serving a cup of tea with wholehearted preparation and friendship, with layers of Japanese aesthetic elements.”
Learning the way of tea has been a meaningful part of life in America for Yumi. “The attraction to the practice is beyond the cultural beauty and history of Japan. Now I understand why the way of tea is practiced in so many countries all over the world,” she says. “I was taught by tea practitioners in America not only what my origin was about, but how incredible teaching it is — to offer the universal philosophy of peace to anyone by simply serving a cup of tea with wholehearted preparation and friendship, with layers of Japanese aesthetic elements.”
This is the flex space on the lower level, which also contains a bedroom suite and Dan’s office. Currently, the couple use this room for exercising. But because it’s flexible, it can also serve as a more casual family room if they wish. The flooring on the lower level is stained concrete.
This drone shot of the house was taken from the water-facing side. Sustainable features of the home include a very tightly insulated envelope that includes double-paned fiberglass windows and doors.
The house truly represents a lifestyle and deeply reflects the homeowners. “When you practice the way of tea, you unfold something very special and magical every step you take and around every corner you turn,” Yumi says. “It’s like finding a little treasure in every step and corner and never leaves you bored.”
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The house truly represents a lifestyle and deeply reflects the homeowners. “When you practice the way of tea, you unfold something very special and magical every step you take and around every corner you turn,” Yumi says. “It’s like finding a little treasure in every step and corner and never leaves you bored.”
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Browse photos of modern homes
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Yumi and Dan Hacker. Yumi completed the interior design
Location: North of Seattle
Size: Three bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Architects: Dan Nelson and Matt Radach of Designs Northwest Architects
General contractor: Cody Sedgwick
The couple had land atop a bluff north of Seattle, with expansive views of Port Susan, the bay that separates the mainland from Camano Island. Nelson focused on maximizing the views on the bluff side and storing the cars on the street-facing side. “Yumi is Japanese and she had a deep love for modern Japanese architecture,” he says. “When she said she wanted a house inspired by Tadao Ando’s work, I said I’d love to — he’s a design hero of mine.”
Working with the simple blocky volumes that Ando’s work is known for, Nelson flanked the entry with two boxy garages. Each is a three-car space with plenty of room for Dan’s hobby, restoring classic American cars. The front entry courtyard doubles as the driveway entrance to them. The high form in the center represents the largest volume in the house: a great room with 14-foot ceilings.
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