A lake household in the Pacific Northwest has been given a complete overhaul by American studio Graham Baba Architects, generating a “tranquil refuge” that prioritises views of the h2o.
The Lakeside Home is nestled into a sloped web site on Mercer Island, surrounded by a freshwater lake just east of Seattle.
The undertaking concerned the total revamp of a 1960s beachfront cabin that underwent a sequence of piecemeal renovations over the a long time.
“By the time our customer acquired the home, its design and style integrity had lengthy ceased to exist,” reported Seattle business Graham Baba Architects.
“The forested assets, on the other hand, was ideally suited to the generation of a silent refuge with direct connections to character.”
The creating was stripped down to its studs, and the inside layout was totally rearranged. A essential target for the structure crew was to supply a robust visual connection to the lake, which the primary dwelling lacked.
The architects sought to make the most of a fairly difficult website, which slopes down toward Lake Washington. The terrain drops a full of 60 feet (18 metres).
Great attention was put on the entry procession, which commences with a driveway that winds by way of the woods and arrives at a carport found uphill from the household.
A walkway travels down through intimate gardens and terminates at the home’s entrance, which is marked with a double-top glass wall. Glimpses of the lake can be viewed through the glazed aperture.
“The passage from street to household is conceived as a journey, exactly where operate and general public everyday living provides way to character and private reflection,” the group explained.
Approximately rectangular in approach, the household is clad in dim-stained cedar that gives “refined dimension and shadow consequences.”
In certain pieces of the exterior, the group integrated Corten metal siding to enable articulate the home’s massing.
Substantial stretches of glass lend a sense of transparency to the dwelling and usher in sufficient daylight. On west-facing home windows, sunshades and fins help mitigate direct sunlight exposure. Roof plantings atop the house assistance the constructing blend with its verdant environment.
Inside the home – which has two levels and a basement – one finds rooms awash in neutral colors and earthy supplies. Quite a few of the areas are oriented to give expansive vistas of the h2o.
The ground floor incorporates the entrance, a galley kitchen with a breakfast nook, an open up-approach residing and eating spot, and a visitor space.
Rooms are equipped with up to date decor that is both equally streamlined and comfortable. In the main living space, bi-fold doors direct to a patio that pushes out towards the drinking water.
The second floor retains a generous learn suite and two bedrooms for young children. Particular characteristics in the master suite contain a Japanese soaking tub and sliding pocket doors with leather-based panelling.
“Concealed doorways and built-in handrails boost the negligible aesthetic without the need of sacrificing prosperous materiality,” the workforce reported.
A wide variety of areas are positioned in the home’s lowest stage, including a den, playroom, physical exercise place and wine cellar.
“Beforehand closed off from the waterfront, the basement now opens specifically to the waterfront, enabling actions to movement from within to exterior,” the architects explained.
All over the dwelling, the workforce aimed for “crisp and spare detailing.” Warm elements, this sort of as fumed white oak, are paired with industrial finishes like polished concrete and blackened steel. No element was neglected.
“Anything from doorway pulls to sink faucet levers were meticulously built, in depth and fabricated,” the workforce explained.
Started in 2006, Graham Baba Architects has finished a range of distinctive assignments in the Pacific Northwest, ranging from a moody speakeasy at Amazon’s Seattle campus to the rural headquarters for the Washington Fruit and Deliver Organization.
The business also created a Seattle hashish dispensary that capabilities dark metallic cladding, wooden decor and glass vitrines.
Images is by Kevin Scott.
Challenge credits:
Architect: Graham Baba Architects
Architecture workforce: Brett Baba, style principal Francesco Borghesi and Noreen Shinohara job crew
Interiors: Terry Hunziker
Civil engineer: CPL
Structural engineer: Carissa Farkas
Geotechnical engineer: Geotech Consultants
Landscape architecture: Wealthy Haag and Associates, Anne James Landscape Architect
Lighting layout: Brian Hood
Contractor: Lockhart Suver