“When we build, let us think that we build forever.” John Ruskin
The Pacific Northwest inspires. Beauty exists at every turn. Dramatic peaks, alpine meadows, expansive forests, and teaming waters create a scene of endless intrigue. And for the Pacific Northwest native, “home” should embrace all of it.
Taking cues from natural surroundings is a hallmark of custom home architecture. Thoughtful design incorporates our region’s most abundant natural resource—beauty—into the core the home. Here’s a look at four different nature inspired homes.
Forest
Cedar Haven offers more than a mere nod to its environment. It brings the outdoors in and weaves it into the very structure of the home. Built in a cedar forest, the homeowners asked that the property’s cleared lumber would be recycled into the structure of the home. Cedar logs stand as sentinels at doorways and grace the edges of the great-room’s soaring windows.
Stone
Redmond Retreat uses rough-hewn stone to anchor the hillside home into its natural environment. Mixed with other natural materials, the stone pillars and walls create a sense of timelessness and stability in the secluded refuge, making it a favorite example of a nature inspired home.
Water
Wood, Stone, and Water, an example of residential architecture in Bellevue, fully embraces the vision for natural living. A trickling stream begins near the home’s front entrance and continues through the glass and into the home’s living room. Verdant foliage reinforces the illusion that the spacious home emerged from the forest.
Sky
Perched high atop the Puget Sound, Casa Del Sol uses windows at every opportunity to capture the breadth of sky and water that lies just outside the home. From patio to living room to master bathroom the clear Pacific Northwest sky beckons visitors to breathe in the home’s natural beauty.
Custom home architecture is not merely the task of building a house, it’s the art of creating a home that both highlights and mimics the existing beauty around it.
This is the art of architecture.