PROJECTS / RURAL RETREATS
Keystone Cottage
High Desert Modern
Orcas Island Retreat
Tree House
Orcas Island Community Space and Farm Kitchen
Brambles Golf Course
Periscope House
Sunset Point Retreat
Whidbey Farmhouse
Lake Michigan Modern
North Lake Wenatchee
Yew House
Yum Yum Farm
Modern Rural Architecture
Rural homes can be as diverse as the landscapes in which they are set. One common thread is that clients often come to us to help design a beautiful home that lives in harmony with, and showcases, a magnificent landscape site that is special to them. Our goal is to design a home that works together with the landscape to meet the clients’ needs – ideally transcending the ordinary to create a solution that is more than the sum of its parts.
We love the opportunity to design a home that takes into account topography, climate, orientation, solar access, and views – as well as all the intangible qualities that make each site special. Modern rural architecture might be a lake house, a vacation home, a contemporary farmhouse, a modern mountain cabin, a second home or a retirement retreat – custom architectural design is a chance to tailor your project to your specific needs. We’re excited to help make that a reality!
The Landscape of Modern Rural Architecture
Modern rural architecture provides a setting for activities closely tied to nature. Whether you are looking for a ski house or a tree house, we always start the design process by getting to know the site. From understanding the regional climate to appreciating the unique colors and textures of the vegetation, each site has unique qualities that can inform the design of your modern rural home.
Master planning can help organize larger properties, sometimes with multiple buildings, into a cohesive whole. Planning out a larger project can help create a framework for long-term decision-making, whether construction happens as one or multiple phases. Read our blog post about master planning and learn about tools we’ve collected for guiding complex projects and balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders. Maybe you are looking to modernize a family compound or plan an estate for multi-generational living – we can help.
If you prefer to build a home with a small environmental footprint, we can offer solutions that save energy, build in resilience, and otherwise align with your environmental priorities. This Island Retreat in the San Juans combined geothermal heat with advanced wall and roof assemblies to minimize energy consumption and restored a natural shoreline accounting for future sea level rise – all to ensure the resilience of the property for generations. Read more about designing a sustainable home here.
The Art of Modern Cabin Design: Our Approach to Designing Rural Retreats
Vacation home or cabin architecture can be different than designing a primary residence – maybe the home will only be used seasonally, or maybe it doesn’t need to offer all the functions of a full-time residence. On the other hand, sometimes a vacation cabin is a gathering place and needs to accommodate larger groups for special occasions. Maybe it is a summer beach retreat where indoor/outdoor living is a priority, or maybe it is a compact basecamp in a remote mountain valley – either way, the design needs to fit in its setting and serve the needs of its users.
And cabin architecture doesn’t necessarily need to be rustic – for example, this compact Port Townsend cottage is a glamorous jewel box of a waterfront cabin with all the finest modern amenities to accompany its epic western ocean and mountain views.
Building in snow country comes with its unique challenges. Modern mountain cabins can provide cozy home bases for snow-season activities, or just a perch for enjoying spectacular mountain views. Orientation, access, snow management, and roof forms are all important considerations, and no two mountain sites are the same – and we love them all! Read more here about how we can help design the right mountain home for you.
Rural Homes We Have Designed
This San Juan Islands modern cabin is a waterfront getaway and home-away-from-home. Compact in size and clutter-free, large windows and sliding doors expand its reach to the rocky landscape and the ocean beyond.
This Lake Wenatchee mountain cabin deftly manages snow while providing all-season views of its beautiful eastern Cascade lakefront setting.
Our Whidbey Island modern farmhouse takes advantage of high-bluff views of Puget Sound while providing a modern anchor to its rural farm setting.
And this modern desert cabin outside Bend, Oregon celebrates its expansive views while preserving an intimate relationship with the desert landscape.
Also, keep an eye on our On The Boards page for progress on new mountain cabins in Sun Valley and Ketchum, Idaho.
Our Rural Retreat Design Process
o Contact us to schedule a phone call or Zoom meeting.
o We’ll guide you in aligning expectations for scope, schedule, and budget with your goals.
o Successful projects start – and finish – with strong teams. We’ll help assemble and lead the team that’s the best fit for your project.
o Our variety of design tools, from hands-on to digital, will assist in visualizing and communicating throughout the design process.
Seattle-Based Architect for the San Juan Islands, the Cascades, the Olympic Peninsula, and beyond
Our Seattle Architecture firm is located on Portage Bay near the University of Washington. Visit our sunny over-water studio to learn more about how we can guide you through the design process for your dream cabin or house!
Lake Tahoe-Based Architect for California, Nevada and the West
Let us be your rural retreat architect! Visit our California location in Alpine Meadows near Lake Tahoe to discuss your modern cabin or rural architecture project.
FAQs for Rural Retreats
-
Sometimes regional landscapes have traditions of building that respond well to local climactic conditions – this could be large overhangs that defend against winter rains in the Pacific Northwest, or tight eaves that resist ice dams in snowy Sun Valley, or thermal mass walls that retain heat on cold nights in the desert of Palm Springs. We can help design architecture that plays well with local traditions, as well as architecture that puts a modern twist on these traditions. No matter what the aesthetic is right for your house, we’ll make sure it lives well in its landscape.
-
Natural light, views and flow between indoors and outdoors are some key ways to connect modern rural architecture to its surroundings. A rural home should be located with sensitivity to solar orientation, whether it needs to harvest sunlight and warmth as in a Pacific Northwest forest, or needs protection from overheating in the Southwest desert, or is tasked with guarding from glare facing the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Each site presents a unique balancing act, and that results in unique and varied design solutions.
-
Unlike when building in denser cities, rural architecture often has to factor in infrastructure needs, such as long access roads or driveways, potable water supplies and septic systems. We can help factor in some of these basic costs so you have a better sense of how much of of your budget might need to be used for these ‘basics’.
-
Beautiful landscape sites often come with environmental considerations, such as steep slopes, significant trees, landslide hazards and waterfront or riparian habitats. Additional regulations on sites with these features can trigger requirements beyond the typical permitting and construction process. We are experienced with navigating complex regulations so you have more time and energy to focus on the design features that are important to you. We can also help assemble a team of experts, such as geotechnical engineers and wildlife biologists if needed, to help your project run smoothly.