How This Washington Home Took Inspiration From Its Locale
This San Juan Island home was remodeled with new decks and patios that give it a better relationship with the dramatic landscape. The rocky hillside ends at a rugged beach and stunning water and island views.
The beauty of Washington’s San Juan Island is wild and muscular, with lush old-growth forests populated by tall Douglas firs; wide grassy vistas overlooking the Salish Sea; and rugged hillsides that roll down into rocky beaches strewn with substantial driftwood logs. Perched on a promontory, this abode has a front-row seat to those water views and other, not-too-distant islands. “We knew immediately that this was a special house,” says interior designer Andy Beers, who collaborated on the dwelling’s remodel with architects Dan Wickline, Philip Burkhardt and Christine Dennett. “The site is wrapped by the sea, and it’s not uncommon to see pods of orcas swimming by. It’s majestic and otherworldly.”
When reimagining a house in a setting like this, it’s important to keep the relationship to the site at the forefront. “It was well situated when it was built in the 1980s, but some dubious decisions had been made inside,” Burkhardt says, recalling a chopped-up floor plan, a poor connection to the dramatic landscape and a discordant barrel-vaulted ceiling in the bedroom. “The clients wanted us to provide architectural clarity, make the spaces flow together and strengthen the bond to the exterior.”
Those desires became the core mission for the team, which included senior designer Laura Cariaso and general contractor Doug Guard. “We removed walls that made the living room, dining area and kitchen discrete spaces,” Burkhardt notes. “The home, which is shaped like a boomerang, had just one sliding door and several high-silled windows on the view side. By replacing all those with a series of floor-toceiling glass doors and windows, we were able to create a space that allows the interior to seamlessly join the landscape.”
One notable feature that was left in place is the large fieldstone fireplace that stands between the living room and the kitchen and dining spaces. “That material was a hallmark of a regional modernist style popular at the time this home was built. Before the remodel, it was surrounded by dark tongue-and-groove cedar, which made the rooms feel too cabin-like,” Beers says. “Now, the backdrop is light, clean and more contemporary. This house could have easily veered into a place that felt too modern or inhospitable, but the stone warms the rooms and references the view.”
Home Details
Architecture
Dan Wickline, Philip Burkhardt and Christine Dennett, Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects
Interior Design
Andy Beers and Laura Cariaso, Ore Studios
Home Builder
Doug Guard, Doug Guard Construction
In one window-lined corner of the living room, designers Andy Beers and Laura Cariaso surrounded a table from Room & Board with Crump & Kwash’s Lloyd chairs. The resulting space is perfect for playing games while soaking in the views. Lariat pendants by Apparatus hang above.
Centered around the home’s original fireplace, the living room pairs sofas (Cobb at right, Sofia at left) by Room with a Charlotte Perriand for Cassina bench that serves as a coffee table. Architect Philip Burkhardt specified new Marvin windows and doors to connect with the site.
The dramatic screen was one of the few items the homeowners brought with them, so the designers gave it pride of place in the living room and illuminated the piece with a Juniper picture light. Just in front is Oscar Tusquets’ Gaulino chair.
Aside from Arto tile on the island and Caesarstone countertops, the kitchen is clad almost entirely in white oak. Tom Dixon dining chairs surround a custom table lit by Norm Architects for Audo Copenhagen pendants. The stools are by Tirto Furniture.
Christopher Burke Furniture & Architectural Woodwork crafted the primary bath’s rift-sawn white oak vanity, adorned with Emtek hardware and a Caesarstone countertop. Bower Studios’ Egg mirror and a Juniper sconce hang beside the shower, featuring Villeroy & Bosch wall tiles and Statements floor tiles.
In the primary bedroom, a Lawson-Fenning bed dressed in a Parachute quilt faces lounge chairs by EOOS for Carl Hansen & Søn and custom drapes by Penthouse Drapery in a Coraggio fabric. The white oak closet was fabricated by Christopher Burke Furniture & Architectural Woodwork.
The desire for a comfortable, relaxing aesthetic fueled eclectic furniture selections that give the rooms the solidity and confidence of interiors that were collected over time. But, in fact, the designers started with a near clean slate. “The couple had been living in a Victorian home with a distinct period style,” Beers notes. “But they were game to do something new. They brought only gilded screens, a large dining table with sentimental value and a couple of rugs to the project.”
These are pieces with a narrative , and they were chosen with an understanding of who made them and why they are special and important in this interior.
–ANDY BEERS
Beers and Cariaso responded with carefully considered—think quality, not quantity—soulful pieces that have strong profiles and stories to tell. “Laura and I didn’t have a specific look or recipe for this home,” Beers notes. “We responded to the people who live here and let the site and the architecture come forward.” To hit the right notes, the designers scoured a wide variety of sources. The living room serves as a showcase for the resulting mix of modern classics (such as the Charlotte Perriand bench), statement makers (see Oscar Tusquets’ ash-and-hide chair) and handcrafted items (like the petite white oak chairs surrounding the game table). “These are pieces with a narrative, and they were chosen with an understanding of who made them and why they are special and important in this interior,” Beers says.
Comfort and ease also guided the design decisions. Seating options are extra deep, allowing residents to relax and look at the water or stretch out with a book. Finishes are warm, natural and soft to the touch. “Cozy was the main thing for our clients. Everything here is geared toward a feeling of being sheltered and creating a quiet, timeless quality,” Beers says. “This was a talented team,” Burkhardt adds. “We worked together to make a restful home that is as beautiful as its location.”