Houzz Tours
Modern Architecture
Houzz Tour: Cascades Retreat Blends In and Stands Out
A mountain getaway’s simple design echoes the landscape, while green polycarbonate cladding adds drama
Several years ago this couple purchased a 20-acre piece of land deep in the remote reaches of the Cascade Range, about two hours north of their Seattle home. The idea was to build a simple, small retreat where the two of them — she’s a healthcare administrator, he’s a furniture maker and musician — could peel away from city life for long periods of time and enjoy the spectacular landscape.
They asked Seattle architect David Coleman to design a modern home that would be linked to the land yet stand out in bold relief against sky, mountains and forest. Locating the building site on a gentle slope in a clearing, Coleman mapped out a rectangular perimeter and placed two buildings — the main cabin and the studio, linked by an outdoor staircase — yin-yang style within the rectangle. The cabin includes a loft bedroom and a great room, while the studio houses guest quarters, a workshop and a music room.
The design? Both simple and dramatic, meant to foster an indoor-outdoor lifestyle whether it’s raining or shining.
They asked Seattle architect David Coleman to design a modern home that would be linked to the land yet stand out in bold relief against sky, mountains and forest. Locating the building site on a gentle slope in a clearing, Coleman mapped out a rectangular perimeter and placed two buildings — the main cabin and the studio, linked by an outdoor staircase — yin-yang style within the rectangle. The cabin includes a loft bedroom and a great room, while the studio houses guest quarters, a workshop and a music room.
The design? Both simple and dramatic, meant to foster an indoor-outdoor lifestyle whether it’s raining or shining.
The owners hired a professional to build the home’s foundation and superstructure, then the husband handled the exterior and interior finishes himself, operating out of the lower-level workshop in the studio building, shown here.
The workshop’s garage-style door pivots up and out, and is clad in translucent polycarbonate. A guest bedroom is located above the workshop.
Window systems: Milgard Windows & Doors
The workshop’s garage-style door pivots up and out, and is clad in translucent polycarbonate. A guest bedroom is located above the workshop.
Window systems: Milgard Windows & Doors
The cabin at the rear is clad in cedar, while one side of the studio (left) is clad in green polycarbonate. By night the polycarbonate glows like a lantern, greeting visitors as they approach the house.
“The use of the natural and manmade materials on the exterior plays with the ideas of both receding the house and giving it a presence on the site,” says Coleman. “The cedar siding mimics the patterns of surrounding trees’ bark, while the polycarbonate skin is dramatic and modern.”
Polycarbonate panels: Polygal
“The use of the natural and manmade materials on the exterior plays with the ideas of both receding the house and giving it a presence on the site,” says Coleman. “The cedar siding mimics the patterns of surrounding trees’ bark, while the polycarbonate skin is dramatic and modern.”
Polycarbonate panels: Polygal
Coleman angled the rooflines to mimic the lines of the nearby mountains. In the foreground, concrete forms create a terrace, planted with a native ground cover, which steps down to the cabin’s lower level.
Geothermal heating, insulation and passive solar siting keep the buildings warm in this cool, rainy climate. The house draws water from a well and taps into the power grid for electricity.
Geothermal heating, insulation and passive solar siting keep the buildings warm in this cool, rainy climate. The house draws water from a well and taps into the power grid for electricity.
A gravel path leads past the green-walled studio around to the cabin’s entry door, located on the deck. The deck’s roof angles up to capture views.
Off the entrance and great room, a sheltered deck allows the homeowners to enjoy the outdoors in sunshine or during the frequent rains. The deck material is plantation mahogany.
In the cabin, the bedroom and a sitting area are located in a loft that hovers above the efficient kitchen and adjacent great room. Frameless glass panels, spaced apart with a 1-inch gap and floated out from the floor base, give the loft a gentle sense of enclosure.
The husband designed and built all of the birch cabinetry, including the kitchen cupboards and the freestanding closet in the loft that hides a television in the sitting area.
To the right of the kitchen, a short flight of stairs leads down to the bathroom.
Countertops: PaperStone, refrigerator: Summit Appliance, sink: Artisan Manufacturing, faucet: Danze, kitchen light fixture: George Kovacs
The husband designed and built all of the birch cabinetry, including the kitchen cupboards and the freestanding closet in the loft that hides a television in the sitting area.
To the right of the kitchen, a short flight of stairs leads down to the bathroom.
Countertops: PaperStone, refrigerator: Summit Appliance, sink: Artisan Manufacturing, faucet: Danze, kitchen light fixture: George Kovacs
A few pieces of furniture, in modern lines and neutral hues, are all that were needed to furnish the cabin. The husband designed and built the coffee and dining tables. The flooring is plantation mahogany.
Sofa: Kasala Furniture
Sofa: Kasala Furniture
The cabin’s glass walls and expansive deck blur the line between indoors and out.
A staircase leads from the great room to the loft. The architect placed a small window at the bottom of the stairs. “It creates a nice pool of light there, which bounces off to other surfaces,” he says.
Another small window frames views of the mountain from the loft’s sitting area.
Womb chair: Eero Saarinen
Womb chair: Eero Saarinen
The cabin’s bedroom overlooks the terraced garden and the studio. The freestanding birch closet also serves as the bed’s headboard and a bookcase.
The cabin’s lower-level bathroom opens to the terraced garden with a door from the shower and windows that pivot open above the soaking tub.
Shower fixtures: Aquabrass; tub: Duravit
Shower fixtures: Aquabrass; tub: Duravit
A back view of the property shows the exterior connection between the cabin on the left and the studio on the right.
A wide staircase, made of plantation mahogany, descends from the cabin’s main level to the studio. The railings are made of welded galvanized wire mesh, set into wood frames.
“The staircase between the cabin and the studio was designed as a grand gesture,” says Coleman. “It celebrates the procession between the two buildings. On sunny days, the steps are wide enough so you can sit down, have coffee and enjoy the views.”
A point where the cabin (left) and the studio come together highlights the building materials, including V-groove vertical cedar siding on the cabin, mahogany on the pathway, concrete, glass and, on the back of the studio, fiber cement siding. The architect calls this the “interstitial space, where rainwater flows from the roofs into the ground below.”
The door on the left leads to a storage space.
The door on the left leads to a storage space.
In the studio the green polycarbonate wall illuminates the guest bedroom.
Light fixtures: George Kovacs
Light fixtures: George Kovacs
A birch-clad wall in the studio separates the husband’s music room from the guest bedroom up the stairs.
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Houzz at a Glance
Location: North Cascades, Washington
Size: Main cabin: 890 square feet (83 square meters); 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom; studio: 1,000 square feet (93 square meters); 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
“The homeowners wanted a spirited building with impact,” says Coleman, “but they also wanted it to be compatible with the site.” He responded with simple forms and angled rooflines. The sloping site allowed him to play with the buildings’ two levels, letting the main cabin in the rear rise above grade while the studio in the foreground descends below grade.