This 6,800 sq. ft home is a collaborative effort between by architect Jim Olson of Olson Kundig Architects, and interior designer/ furniture designer Garret Cord Werner. The home goes by a couple of names depending on with whom you speak. Olson Kundig refer to it as The Pavilion House, while Garret Cord Werner calls it The Lake Washington Shores Art House. Regardless of the name, the breathtaking structure merges the exterior & interior spaces to provide a seamless environment with the northwest landscape.
Outside spaces mimic the interior in function: living area with fireplace, kitchen, dining area, expansive lawn, long terrace.
The Lake Washington Shores home was designed for entertaining and especially displaying the client's extensive northwest art collection. Reclaimed Mahogany woods, nickel plated steel sections and cement were used throughout the whole house to create a unified atmosphere with an elegant yet comfortable finish.
The house showcases art from various Pacific Northwest artists such as Cris Bruch, Kenneth Callahan, Rob Snyder , Dennis Evans, Nancy Mee, Lino Tagliapietra, and Catherine Eaton Skinner to name a few.
Olson considers those who worked on the home also to be artists: interior designer Garret Cord Werner, lighting designer Brian Hood and landscape architect Charles Anderson.
"I lived near the water a long time, but I never felt it until here," says the homeowner of this Bellevue home designed by Jim Olson of Olson Kundig Architects. "It's all about floating and dreaming," says Olson.
The dramatic center pavilion is the focus of the architecture displaying a grand thirty-five foot long dining table by Garret Werner that floats on two pedestals. The table, which can seat 40 people, was engineered and constructed out of reclaimed mahogany wood and nickel plated steel sections and may be disassembled to provide a flexible party space.
Flanking the center pavilion is a floating living room over a reflecting pond and a media room family area at the opposite end with kitchen and bar. All the cabinets were designed by Garret Werner for the home. In the center console in the entertainment room, a projector comes up from inside to project across into the media room.
Custom furniture designer by Werner fills the comfortable living areas.
Working in collaboration with Jim Olson, the master bathroom floor plan was redesigned from initial floor plans and was transformed into an inside-out experience.
A custom designed sunken Japanese bath is the focus of the master bathroom and a Julie Speidel sculpture acts as a focal point.
Blurring the lines of the interior to the exterior is an element Werner believes is important for all architectural projects.
The nickel & fused glass powder rooms and custom lighting in the project are also by Garret Werner.
Relevant links:
Garret Cord Werner
Olson Kundig Architects
Brian Hood Lighting Design
Charles Anderson Landscape Design
photo credit: Benjamin Benschneider
Additional information from the Seattle Times
