I originally designed this neoclassical villa on Lake Washington for Richard and Diane Forman in 2002. A past client of mine recently purchased it for an unprecedented sum. They plan to update the home with modern conveniences and several architectural enhancements to personalize the project for themselves.
Jim Dearth will be the project architect, Susan Marinello will be the interior designer, Chip Ragen will become the landscape design/build, and Shultz Miller will be the general contractor. Construction is slated to begin early in 2022.
WHAT
Renovations and Alterations
WHERE
Enatai, WA
GC
WHO
Confidential
WHEN
Construction Start Date:
Fall 2002
(or thereabouts)
To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means a designer designs - for architects, it begins with the most fundamental graphic illustrations built upon or changed and evolve into complex theoretical thought as illustrated through numerous drawings that portray a vision for the clients' new home.
The modeling of a house, the contour of its walls and roofs, the selection of materials, the architectural character, and the condition of the site all play significant roles in the outcome of any project. These individual aspects as a collective give a project its expression of quality or lack thereof. If any one of the components falls out of alignment or order, then the project will be out of alignment and order.
Not only will the client be contributing to their worthy share of the development of their new neighborhood, but they will have the comforting knowledge that what they have built was built on a sound basis for their very own family. These are legacy buildings, not' turn and burn' real estate projects. Their value is in the pleasure they bring to their owners over long periods; some remain in the families for many lifetimes.
WHAT
A New Dutch Colonial Revival Home
WHERE
Medina Heights, WA
WHO
Confidential
GC
WHEN
Move in: Spring 2003
Villa Valya's architecture combines the grandeur of Bernini and the subtlety of Palladio with its rich limestone facing, symmetrical attributes, and formal landscaping. This is a design gesture, rare these days, that evokes an era of impeccably uniformed maids in the servant's wing, butlers in the pantry, Peter Pan in the nursery wing, and never-ending preparations in the kitchen[s] for an evening's gala.
This inner-city estate is comprised of 1.3 acres swathed in elegance on the shores of Lake Washington with views of Madison Park, Husky Stadium, and the peaks of the Olympic Mountains. The home was programmed with nine fully contained bedroom suites, a formal and informal dining room, multiple kitchens, and this list goes on and on. The formal dining room alone can easily accommodate 22 guests. Still, during those O-so-rare and beautiful, Seattle summer evenings, three sets of French doors open outwards within the dining room to two flanking open-air terraces achieving a garden-like dining atmosphere. It is, in a word, quite a spread.
WHAT
A Neoclassical French Manor
WHERE
Medina, WA
WHO
Confidential
GC
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WHEN
If there is one truth in architectural design, it’s that architects have a responsibility to be sensitive to the environment. A house that complements its environment does not offend it. A house should accord with the beauty and the fragility of nature and not try to dominate it. It should make every effort to blend into the existing topography as though it tiptoed in during the night to take its place quietly and gently in its rightful place. Its arrival need not be accompanied by vacuous cavities and scars permanently placed within the landscape. Respect Mother Earth and she will respect you.
Architecture that nourishes the human spirit will also act as a catalyst in initiating the healing process. Buildings have played a critical role in the evolution of human beings, and often their role was to make safe, to shelter, to preserve. If a building does not heal its inhabitants, then it is not doing anyone any good.
WHAT
Palladian Style
WHERE
Washington Park, WA
WHO
Confidential
GC
WHEN