This 5,200 square foot residence is located on a bluff in Magnolia, overlooking Puget Sound. Situated in a densely developed residential neighborhood with small lots, the design both responds to the 1950’s modernist houses in the neighborhood with the use of masonry exterior materials and creates open modernist spaces with its composition of geometrical volumes.
The house was conceived of as a bridge linking the program and site to the west-facing views. The bridge, which houses the public living spaces at the upper level, spans between two solid volumes that spatially and conceptually become part of the topography. These volumes grow out of the landscape and house the dense private program of the master and guest bedroom suites. The semi-public library and family room spaces are located under the bridge, in the void between the volumes. A landscape wall at the high side of the site provides privacy and further connects the house to the topography.
An existing large cedar tree at the lower yard is a significant part of the site composition, which was used to help define the exterior terrace spaces. All of the forms and spaces of the house lock into and redefine the topography of the site in a manner that enhances the experience of the bridge.
Interiors: Pamela Pearce Design
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