We’ve officially entered the busiest travel season of the year. Family and friends traverse the country to celebrate the holidays. We want our guests to feel welcome, warm, and at home when they visit, and a custom guest house designed by a Seattle architect provides proximity and privacy for any visitor. Our Touch of Normandy guest house project imbues a sense home and permanence into a temporary residence.

France’s Norman coast inspired the home’s architectural design. It’s a region rich in cheese, scenic landscapes, and historic architecture. Old buildings continue to find life and care there, whether they’re quaint, thatched roof cottages to sprawling stone estates. So when it came time to design this project, we imbued whispers of Normandy into every element in this Seattle architect designed guest home. We’d love to walk you through a few of our favorite details.

Fireplace

In former days, the fireplace was the primary heat source and the natural centerpiece of the home. While advances in home heating have removed the necessity of fireplaces, we used the fireplace to impart elegance and comfort to the main living room. Above, dark beams hearken back to the Norman style’s rustic origins.

Upstairs

Upstairs, a luxury sitting area and bedroom invites guests to relax after a day of travel. Vaulted ceilings follow the pitch of the roof and draw directly from traditional Norman architecture. We left the richly stained structural beams visible and incorporated a second French-inspired fireplace.

Kitchen

A small but fully-equipped kitchen allows guests space for a private breakfast or a midnight snack. The farmhouse sink and country style cabinetry carry the French-country design. It’s a space set apart for guests to unwind after a potential flurry of holiday activity.

A Touch of Normandy is small but luxurious. And that’s what we love about it. We relish opportunities to customize small spaces with meticulous attention to style and design. After all, the art of architecture thrives not in size, but in the detail and craft infused into a space.