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Lantern House
Lantern House
Seattle, WA, United States
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Other Projects by Syndicate Smith
Lantern House
Seattle, WA, United States
Along Puget Sound on a slender island—home to just 250 residences—Lantern House by Washington-based firm Syndicate Smith opens a new chapter for Joe and Kristie Berg and their two daughters. As a teenager, Kristie was introduced to the island through a friend’s family cabin, and years later, when the neighboring property came up for sale—a rare event in the tight-knit enclave—she and her husband, Joe, seized the opportunity. The 600-square-foot 1950s Pan-Abode structure became their family’s treasured retreat. Thirteen years later, with their daughters grown, they set out to preserve its spirit while creating space for the next chapter.
Reluctant to remodel the original cabin and risk losing the memories it held, the couple chose instead to preserve it as a guest house, relocating it to a lot across the street. In its place on the waterfront, they envisioned a modern retreat—open to family and friends, attuned to the landscape, and shaped by a blend of Pacific Northwest modernism and wabi-sabi sensibility. They turned to Syndicate Smith after coming across one of their projects in Leavenworth, WA, where the firm is located and coincidentally the Bergs spend the holidays.
Working closely with Kristie, Syndicate Smith designed a home defined by light, craft, and experience. Following the footprint of the original cabin, the new structure sits close to the shoreline. To accommodate the realities of a changing climate—and the exceptionally high King Tides that occur a few times each year when the sun, moon, and Earth align—the house was raised slightly on a porous foundation that allows water to move safely beneath.
Framed by the island’s oldest redwood tree, the entry announces the home with quiet drama. Kristie envisioned the lantern-like threshold as a gesture of light—a suspended constellation that guides visitors inside. The double-height space heightens the effect, while a perforated steel scrim diffuses the lanterns’ glow beyond. The double-height concept is mirrored inside, where a window skylight channels daylight deep into the home’s core.
Outdoor living was essential to the design—a reflection of the Bergs’ deep connection to the water. Expansive decks, terraces, and a covered fireplace blur the line between inside and out, creating a place to watch the sun rise over Puget Sound or gather with friends long after sunset. Inside, warm woods, textured surfaces, and carefully framed light bring the landscape’s character indoors. Every bedroom opens to the outdoors and frames views of the Sound, while discreet storage for bikes, paddleboards, and yard games supports the family’s love of movement and play.
Across the street, the relocated cabin endures as a beloved guesthouse—its cedar walls still carved with the names of Joe and Kristie’s daughters from their youth. It holds the memory of the family’s first chapter on the island, while the new home looks ahead, built for the next generation of gatherings, celebrations, and slow mornings by the water. Together, the two structures create a retreat rooted in memory and shaped by a lasting bond with place.
Team:
Principal Architect: Todd Smith, Syndicate Smith
Project Manager: Brian Hackworth, Syndicate Smith
Architectural Designer: Laurel Podlich, Syndicate Smith
Interior Designer: Hannah Hering, Syndicate Smith
Contractor: Phil Stuen, Dephiance Design-Build
Structural Engineer: BTL Engineering
Photographer: Will Austin
Reluctant to remodel the original cabin and risk losing the memories it held, the couple chose instead to preserve it as a guest house, relocating it to a lot across the street. In its place on the waterfront, they envisioned a modern retreat—open to family and friends, attuned to the landscape, and shaped by a blend of Pacific Northwest modernism and wabi-sabi sensibility. They turned to Syndicate Smith after coming across one of their projects in Leavenworth, WA, where the firm is located and coincidentally the Bergs spend the holidays.
Working closely with Kristie, Syndicate Smith designed a home defined by light, craft, and experience. Following the footprint of the original cabin, the new structure sits close to the shoreline. To accommodate the realities of a changing climate—and the exceptionally high King Tides that occur a few times each year when the sun, moon, and Earth align—the house was raised slightly on a porous foundation that allows water to move safely beneath.
Framed by the island’s oldest redwood tree, the entry announces the home with quiet drama. Kristie envisioned the lantern-like threshold as a gesture of light—a suspended constellation that guides visitors inside. The double-height space heightens the effect, while a perforated steel scrim diffuses the lanterns’ glow beyond. The double-height concept is mirrored inside, where a window skylight channels daylight deep into the home’s core.
Outdoor living was essential to the design—a reflection of the Bergs’ deep connection to the water. Expansive decks, terraces, and a covered fireplace blur the line between inside and out, creating a place to watch the sun rise over Puget Sound or gather with friends long after sunset. Inside, warm woods, textured surfaces, and carefully framed light bring the landscape’s character indoors. Every bedroom opens to the outdoors and frames views of the Sound, while discreet storage for bikes, paddleboards, and yard games supports the family’s love of movement and play.
Across the street, the relocated cabin endures as a beloved guesthouse—its cedar walls still carved with the names of Joe and Kristie’s daughters from their youth. It holds the memory of the family’s first chapter on the island, while the new home looks ahead, built for the next generation of gatherings, celebrations, and slow mornings by the water. Together, the two structures create a retreat rooted in memory and shaped by a lasting bond with place.
Team:
Principal Architect: Todd Smith, Syndicate Smith
Project Manager: Brian Hackworth, Syndicate Smith
Architectural Designer: Laurel Podlich, Syndicate Smith
Interior Designer: Hannah Hering, Syndicate Smith
Contractor: Phil Stuen, Dephiance Design-Build
Structural Engineer: BTL Engineering
Photographer: Will Austin
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