Natural Elements in Custom Home Architecture

“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.  

Forest

Home architecture in a cedar 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

Residential architecture in Bellevue

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.

Water

Residential architecture in Bellevue embraces natural elements
Residential architecture in Bellevue embraces natural elements at every angle.

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

Home architecture embraces natural beauty

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.

Gelotte Hommas Drivdahl Architecture is a dedicated custom home architecture firm that serves the Greater Seattle area and beyond. We specialize in designing luxury custom homes imbued with the art of architecture and uniquely suited to your lifestyle. Contact us to schedule a consultation.