Project: Black Pine Cabin
Architects: SHED Architecture & Design
Contractor: Whelbilt Homes
Structural Engineer: Todd Perbix
Landscape Architect: Alchemie
Landscape Contractor: Ohashi Landscape Services
Interiors: Jennie Gruss
Location: Seattle, Washington
Square Footage: 404
Photography: Rafael Soldi
A DADU to complement a large home and connect the family compound.
Framing existing conditions as opportunities, the team created a coherent lot on which an old home and new DADU speak to one another, and to the landscape, via a design solution informed by restraint, material relationship, and attention to detail.
Site
The connection between the home and the lake was to be reinforced to encourage enjoyment of the shoreline and movement between the interior and exterior. 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.
Program
The DADU encompasses multiple programmatic elements in one structure, serving as guest quarters, a small refuge for reflection, writing, reading, or homework, boat storage, and 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.
Design
The design directive asked for a more exceptional space to occupy, minimal but rich in material relationships exemplified by the material choices, creating a warm and light interior. 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 DADU borrows structural elements from boatbuilding, with repetitive wood frames clad again with wood. The dark siding is anchored to the site through a concrete foundation.
Steel plate was used to define a hearth at the center of the boathouse, creating a divide behind which a bath finished in black milestone was located, opening up to a large skylight. In addition, the DADU contains a kitchenette and a working area. The interior was finished 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.
