Livability on a tight urban lot is enhanced through creative, efficient and flexible use of space. The shed-roofed upper floor of the main house rests above an open ground floor living space while a detached accessory structure serves as garage, office, play space or guest quarters.
The full length of the site was designed as an alternating series of indoor and outdoor rooms with a continuous cedar clad wall visually connecting the spaces. The relationship between inside and out is blurred through the use of slide/fold doors that open the full width of the living space to the exterior at both ends. With the doors open, the living room becomes a porch to the street allowing the owners to interact with neighbors and passersby while the dining room extends to a private terrace and garden. Sheer curtains and opaque shades provide the desired level of privacy. Tall ceilings and north facing clerestories provide the upper floor rooms a sense of space that belies their modest dimensions.
Form, scale, material and color allow this decidedly modern residence to be at home among its traditional Queen Anne neighbors.