Island Home + Studio

Located on a high, windswept clearing on Orcas Island, this modern artist residence frames the idyllic wilderness outside its front door. With design cues drawn from “workingman’s modernism,” the home is a serene, modern sanctuary crafted out of simple forms and modest materials. After a decade working in finance in New York City, the homeowner sought the perfect setting to return to his art practice. Having traveled all across the country working, teaching, and exhibiting his artwork, the owner discovered that Washington’s San Juan Islands offered his ideal balance of community and privacy. There, he envisioned a home that would serve as a private retreat, an exercise in sustainable living, and a site for future creative productivity.

The home is organized into two bar-shaped segments, connected by an entry gallery. One bar houses the owners’ artist studio, a guest bed and bathroom, and utilities. The other contains a flexible open-plan living-dining-kitchen space, as well as a primary bedroom and bath. A courtyard nestled between the two offers a sheltered space for introspection and connection with the natural world. The owner’s artistic practice is steeped in Cycladic, Shinto, and Shaker influences, and we worked closely with him to embed these philosophies into the design of the home. The resulting residence is functional, refined, and inspired, offering a site-sensitive and human-centered approach to modern dwelling.

The spaces are open-plan and absent of firm separation between private and public realms. Rooms are flexibly defined, and the circulation from work to living space can be adjusted at-will. The building itself is seated against the slope of the hill, oriented to face an incredible view of the valley and maximize light into the studio space. Instead of making the view fully visible at once, the design parcels it into glimpses, to be experienced sequentially as the occupant moves through the home. These thoughtfully-placed apertures are also easily maneuverable, to either embrace the outdoors or protect from the harsher elements.

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Sustainability is a central consideration for the home. Building practices were selected to ensure the longevity and efficiency of the structure, including geothermal wells and heat pumps, solar panels, and a sophisticated insulation system resulting in nearly zero energy usage. Radiant slabs, passive cooling through stack effect cross ventilation, high-efficiency wood stoves, and specially constructed glazing help make the home both comfortable for the occupants and low-impact on the environment.