{"id":679286,"date":"2026-03-24T22:12:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T22:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/679286\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T22:12:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T22:12:17","slug":"heliotrope-tucks-cedar-house-into-rocky-site-on-a-washington-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/679286\/","title":{"rendered":"Heliotrope tucks cedar house into rocky site on a Washington island"},"content":{"rendered":"

Architectural studio Heliotrope<\/a> took a “site-sensitive approach” while designing a vacation house in the Pacific Northwest, resulting in a bow tie-shaped plan and knotty cedar<\/a> cladding.<\/p>\n

The house is located on San Juan Island in the Salish Sea, situated about 90 miles (145 kilometers) from Seattle. Part of Washington State<\/a>, the island is reached by boat or seaplane.<\/p>\n

The clients are from Seattle and have friends with homes on the island. They wanted a family vacation home that would be suitable for entertaining guests and could shift to more frequent use as the clients age.<\/p>\n

\"FalseFalse Bay is a cedar-clad vacation home on an island in Washington<\/p>\n

Respecting the context and minimising energy consumption were key concerns for the clients.<\/p>\n

“They shared the firm’s interest in a site-sensitive approach to the design, as well as a commitment to net-zero energy,” said Seattle-based studio Heliotrope<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The site posed challenges, as the house is located on a rocky shoreline exposed to rain and wind that travels down the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n

\"FalseIt was nestled into the rocky landscape<\/p>\n

Moreover, the property has rocky outcrops that made “siting the home a bit of a puzzle”, the team said.<\/p>\n

The studio conceived a sculptural house with a bow-tie-shaped footprint, allowing the building to be tucked into the rocky site, informed\u00a0by the famed Sea Ranch<\/a> development in northern California, known for its “windswept building forms and weathered materials”.<\/p>\n

\"ExteriorThe home has a bow tie-shaped footprint<\/p>\n

Facades are clad in cedar with a semi-transparent stain, giving the wood a bleached appearance. Cedar is known for being highly resistant to insects and rot.<\/p>\n

The team used tight-knot cedar, which has small- to medium-sized knots that give the wood a more rustic appearance than “clear” cedar.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Buck<\/p>\n

Heliotrope perches Buck Mountain Cabin over forested site in Washington State\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Within the 2,474-square-foot (230-square-metre) house, there is a clear separation between public and private areas.<\/p>\n

One side of the plan holds the social zone \u2013\u00a0a kitchen, dining area and living room. The other contains a primary suite and guest suites on the ground level, and a loft and reading nook on the upper level.<\/p>\n

\"InteriorWarm-toned wood was used throughout the interior<\/p>\n

Interior finishes include an abundance of warm-toned wood, which helps create a cosy atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Pre-finished engineered oak<\/a> was used for the flooring, and cedar was used for certain walls and ceilings. Glazed-brick tile is found behind a wood stove in the living area.<\/p>\n

\"CornerA reading nook overlooks the surroundings<\/p>\n

Large windows offer immersive views of the landscape.<\/p>\n

The architects focused on providing views of the water to the south and a rocky outcrop to the north. The house was kept mostly opaque on the east and western sides, which face neighbouring homes.<\/p>\n

\"OutdoorThe kitchen opens onto an outdoor terrace<\/p>\n

Along the front elevation, a terrace sits within a gap formed between the house and rocky mound. The outdoor space is protected from the wind, which is “an important feature on such an exposed site”.<\/p>\n

Elements that help reduce energy consumption include an airtight building envelope, and a high-efficiency heating system with heat-recovery ventilation. An 8kW solar array<\/a> helps generate power for the home, which is also tied into the island’s electric grid.<\/p>\n

Other projects by Heliotrope include a sensitive extension to a 1930s home<\/a> that was originally built by a Norwegian ship captain and a house for art collectors<\/a> clad in dark metal and white stucco.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Sean Airhart<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Project credits:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Architect:<\/strong> Heliotrope
Heliotrope design team:<\/strong> Joe Herrin (principal in charge), Chris Wong (project manager), Rachel Belcher (designer)
Interiors:<\/strong> Heliotrope with owners
Contractor:<\/strong> DME Construction
Landscape:<\/strong> Garden Artisan Landscapes
Structural engineer:<\/strong> Swenson Say Faget
Mechanical engineer:<\/strong> Beyond Efficiency
Geotechnical engineer:<\/strong> Stratum Group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Architectural studio Heliotrope took a “site-sensitive approach” while designing a vacation house in the Pacific Northwest, resulting in…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":679287,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[32],"tags":[107744,648,1032,107747,1033,171,285862,107742,6029,25017,92915,92916,245024,121336,67,132,68,2969,9716],"class_list":["post-679286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-american-houses","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-cedar","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-heliotrope","tag-holiday-homes","tag-houses","tag-residential-architecture-and-interiors","tag-sectionall","tag-sectionarchitecture","tag-sectionexclusives","tag-timber-cladding","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-washington-state"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116286452573307863","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=679286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/679286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/679287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=679286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=679286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=679286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}