Framing existing conditions as opportunities, SHED Architecture & Design created a coherent family compound on the shores of Seattle’s Lake Washington in which an old and new structure speak to one another and the surrounding landscape via a design solution informed by restraint, material relationship, and attention to detail.

The primary design challenge was to inject new life into an old house suffering from deferred maintenance and additions that no longer made sense. Another challenge was to add a separate boathouse and guest quarters to integrate the home into its waterfront setting and create a family compound for years to come. Honoring the history and sound construction of the home, the owners decided to remodel rather than demolish, requesting an upgrade to the facade, reinforcement of retaining walls, and a general clean-up of the property’s dated design elements.

SHED positioned the remodeled main residence and new boathouse to be closed to the street and open to the water, from the layout of the windows to the interior finishes. The two forms are intentionally set apart to create a connection from the entry to the lake, with the landscape becoming a space that joins them together.

Black Pine House
At the primary residence, SHED’s initial design moves happened on the main level. Replacing a lanai with a dining room facing Mt. Rainier, the architects removed all interior walls to create an open living, kitchen, and dining area where the visual connection to the lake is emphasized. Organized around a large, central island aligned with the dining room, the main floor plan allows for free flow of circulation and living throughout. SHED added new decks to extend living space outdoors, an elevated perch from which to enjoy the view and survey the landscape.

Making small changes to existing walls and plumbing locations, SHED reconfigured the upper floors to accommodate en-suite bedrooms for both parents and kids. The basement is entertainment ready with a kitchenette, large living and TV room, laundry room, and a new bathroom—altogether serving as a portal to and from the lake. The architects incorporated a sauna into the design, as well as a family-sized, cedar hot tub overlooking the lake.

On the exterior of the home, SHED gave elemental relationships definition with a limited palette of materials: brick, burned Japanese cypress, concrete, and metal paneling. The house is formed on white brick walls, anchored to the site, holding up a darker volume clad in shou sugi ban siding—a material echoed on the boathouse that will gain patina with age, creating a beautiful home for years to come.

Black Pine Cabin
Black Pine Cabin, the boathouse, encompasses multiple programmatic elements in one structure, serving as guest quarters, a small refuge for reflection, writing, reading, or homework, boat storage, and a garage—all while anchoring the west side of the property to form the space through which a landscape path runs from the street to the water.

The design directive asked for a more exceptional space to occupy, minimal but rich in material relationships. The structure borrows its form from the idea of an upturned boat, clad with shou sugi ban siding, and given a white pine interior. Using a series of gussets bent to create a wood skeleton, the boathouse borrows structural elements from boatbuilding, with repetitive wood frames clad again with wood.

SHED used steel plate to define a hearth at the center of the boathouse, creating a divide behind which a bath finished in black milestone is located, opening up to a large skylight. In addition, the boathouse contains a kitchenette and a working area. The architects finished the interior with pine, custom lighting, and custom garage door brackets to make them less obtrusive in the space. Each necessary component, including the heat exchanger, was painted to match the walls, creating a cohesive, polished space.

The structure also features an outdoor shower and boat storage area beneath, housing several kayaks and a custom surfboard featuring graphics provided by the SHED team.