Rarely does a dream home emerge out of a single moment of inspiration. It’s a journey. A series of conversations, experiences, and magazine-page-flips woven into a single vision. A patient wait for the right moment and the right place. We’ve witnessed this story unfold countless times as we partner with clients to bring that perfect home to fruition, and it was certainly the case with Prairie House in the Virginia Woods.

A Dream

Bellevue home designer Curtis Gelotte first heard from Prairie House’s future occupants years before the project ever broke ground. The clients had seen Curtis’ other prairie style homes in a publication and decided to share their vision with him.

The caveat: they were then living out of the country, they didn’t have land, and they didn’t have a concrete timeline. But they knew they wanted a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home.

Over the next several years, these future homeowners contacted Curtis to talk through ideas and consider the possibilities. Until the right moment finally arrived.

A Design

After purchasing a plot of land in a quiet Virginia forest, concrete design work commenced. Curtis sketched concepts during his flight from Seattle to Charlottesville, and after exploring the proposed site and collaborating with the clients, those sketches became the building blocks for the final pinwheel design.

And thus construction began.

A Dwelling

Prairie House in the Virgina Woods evolved from a far-off dream to a tangible reality composed for the comfort and enjoyment of its occupants. Stained concrete floors, tray ceilings, wisteria-adorned tile, and Wright-inspired fireplaces converged in a single home.

From first dream-driven phone call to the final coat of gray paint on the brick exterior, we relished the opportunity to walk with our clients. It’s in this journey—and every home design journey like it—that we find the art of architecture.