Nestled atop a hill in the San Juan Islands, halfway between mainland Washington and Canada, is a contemporary home built to blend in with its natural surroundings. The property was designed for a young family who loves the great outdoors and wanted a vacation retreat that incorporated nature as much as possible. Large-format windows make up two sides of the one-story home, a feature that architect Joseph Herrin says is what makes the place stand out. “The family wanted easy, open spaces that flow together with a maximized connection to the site,” says Herrin, who co-owns the Seattle firm Heliotrope Architecture. The home’s unbelievable setting—overlooking a rocky shoreline and waters that are home to the southern resident orca whale—is what drove Herrin’s team to craft a getaway with eco-friendly materials, a green roof, and a footprint that didn’t detract from the raw landscape.
When designing the home’s layout, Herrin focused on maximizing the view each room would have. “The views and the home are strategically related to one another, and large rolling wood panels fully cover the window walls, providing protection from summer sun and winter storms,” he says. Most of the materials used in the home were locally sourced, including the cedar shingles and ceiling planks and the Douglas fir–clad window frames. Herrin’s team also added a green roof that replaced the ground that was lost by the construction of the home, minimizing its environmental impact.
To outfit the space, the family brought in designer Andy Beers, who quickly jumped on board with the natural inspiration for the space. “They wanted it to feel serene and simple but with a lot of artistry mixed in for fun,” says Beers, who owns Ore Studios in Seattle. “We assembled a collection of textures and colors to reference the landscape in a warm, cheerful way.”
The family’s requests were what one might expect for a home-away-from-home: cozy places to hang out, soft pillows, and enough room to seat a crowd for dinner. “The house communicates warmth, restraint, and happiness without superfluous elements,” says Beers. “It’s a very Pacific Northwest approach.” Some of the only accessories in the home come from the homeowners’ personal collection of felled wood bowls by local artist Laura Yeats. Beers says that although it was tempting to try to be clever with the decoration in such a beautiful location, he decided that accessories with simplicity and integrity were exactly what the home needed to feel complete.
