Joe Herrin has designed a lot of homes in the San Juan Islands. As a principal of the Seattle-based firm, Heliotrope Architects, there’s been twenty-six to be exact, with eighteen of those houses built. Herrin even has an Orcas Island cabin of his own, and can frequently be seen cycling or boating out there on the weekends. Still, as familiar as he is with the terrain on and off the water, this particular stretch of coastline near False Bay stood out—literally. “This is the most exposed, windswept site that I’ve worked on,” says Herrin. “It’s totally exposed for fifty miles, with winds out of the Strait of Juan De Fuca and Pacific Ocean. Not a tree on the property, so it gets pounded.”
Herrin knew those winds could reach up to eighty miles an hour, with rain “falling sideways,” so any house built there would need to be able to withstand the weather. Additional challenges included two neighboring houses, one on either side of the site, which could create privacy issues, and several rock outcroppings. Many of the latter are clustered along the shore, but one was “as tall as a house,” says Herrin, and located on the street side of the lot, all of which served to hem in the available buildable area.
The resulting home took on a “bowtie shape” to accommodate the constraints, with a narrower “neck” at the middle, and two wide, triangular tips at opposing corners. “This is interesting,” Herrin remembers thinking. “We haven’t done a plan like this before. How do you make it into a cohesive whole? It became a fun design challenge.”
While sketching out a three-dimensional form, Herrin was inspired by Sea Ranch, a planned community on the California coast that started in the 1960s, and has since become notable for its distinct timber-framed homes. “The site immediately reminded me of the coast of northern California and Sea Ranch,” says Herrin. “The buildings there were all built as these shed roof structures with courtyards to protect you from the wind. That became a touch point for us.”
The resulting house was constructed with Bellevue-based builder DME Builds, and managed by contractor David Elwell. This was the first of three recent projects between his company and Heliotrope. “It was a good process,” says Herrin, who appreciated how quickly the builder was able to deliver the finished home, despite being based off-island. “They just kept the ball rolling.” As for Elwell, he appreciated the “niche” site. “There’s not very many lots anymore,” says Elwell. “So, you’re finding these little niches left to develop, which makes them pretty special.”
For the interior, the owners, who are a creative couple with two children, needed enough sleeping space for their family and guests, and areas for analog activities, like reading, doing puzzles and games, and nature watching. For that, the plan includes two en-suites on the main level, and a separate kid’s quarters upstairs, complete with built-in bunk beds, and its own reading nook that overlooks the rocks toward Vancouver Island. That way, “The kids get their own domain,” says Herrin.
The spaces are streamlined with a natural palette, including oxidized beach wood tones in the flooring and a bleached cedar paneled wall, and green backsplash tile in the kitchen. “We’re pulling colors from the landscape and trying to establish a very strong inside outside connection that way,” says Herrin. Black accents, like a stained cedar accent wall near the entry, granite counters, and the brick tile running behind the freestanding stove, punctuate the neutral tones, while the green apple color of the fireplace acts as a more playful focal point. The built-ins extend from the kids’ loft to the stair landing, which doubles as a table-height storage cabinet. “Heliotrope created a place for everything,” says Elwell. “It’s a perfect little jewel box.”
Serene spots abound, from “The Prow,” a pointy, wedge-shaped interior window seat that feels like lounging on the bow of a ship, to the primary bathroom’s sunken tub positioned beneath a tall window, capturing a slice of the view. The dining table, eleven feet long and made of carbonized-wood by Orcas Island artist Laura Yeats, sits below a custom lighting piece that casts the room in a mellow glow at night, which the owners commissioned from local artist Yuri Kinoshita.
As for what you can’t see, the house was also built to high performance standards, including advanced insulation and detailing, like the “hidden gutters” and rain screen that funnel the water away and keep the interior leak-free. With perfect southern exposure and no trees to shade the solar panels, the building generates more power than it uses, utilizing an electric heat pump and induction cooktop instead of gas appliances.
Regarding the exterior form of the “bowtie,” a gently sloped shed roof “follows the slope of the contours of the site,” says Herrin. That way, rather than “putting its face into the wind, we’re trying to do something that lets the wind come up over the top of the house.” On the other side, a scant gable roof intersects with the shed to create a dynamic North facade. There, Herrin tucked a protected entry underneath the meeting point, covered by the roof overhang. “Joe spent a lot of time on wind studies,” says Elwell, noting how such knowledge of the site lends itself to a singular design. “It’s pretty unique how Heliotrope chooses to manipulate the landscape and gets the homes to sit in their settings.”
By pulling the house away from the enormous rock outcropping, Herrin could use it for wind protection, and slot in a comfortable courtyard between it and the building. Wide glass doors at the front and back then allow for views of the water from the courtyard, and all through the house and its main living spaces. That means the owners can enjoy the sights whether inside or out, including Mount Rainier to the south, the Olympic Mountains to the southwest, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and no matter how much the wind kicks up. “There can be a 10 to 15 mile an hour off shore breeze blowing, and you wouldn’t be comfortable on the water side,” says Herrin. “But inside, or out in the courtyard, you can still enjoy the view.”
PROJECT SOURCES
ARCHITECT & INTERIOR DESIGN
Heliotrope Architects
heliotropearchitects.com
CONTRACTOR
DME Builds
dmeconstruction.com
WINDOWS & DOORS
Cherry Creek Windows & Doors
cherrycreekwindows.com
