Kirsten and Rick will be the first to admit that they’re not big entertainers. “If I had an avatar, she would be really into entertaining, but I only have me, and we really love our time alone,” Kirsten says. So, when the couple found this property on two waterfront acres in Silverdale, Washington, they planned to first remodel the existing 1930s brick house into a two-bedroom guesthouse for their family, and then add a separate primary residence for themselves, with a few extra bedrooms for good measure.

That way, in the off-chance that all 18 members of their family visit at once—including their five adult children, their children’s partners, and eight grandchildren between the ages of 6 and 23 (with another on the way)—the couple would be well-prepared.

The idea for the dual residences came from Prentis Hale, principal of SHED Architecture + Design, who suggested it as an alternative to demolishing and rebuilding (or remuddling) the original 1930s brick house to make it big enough for everyone. “I just hated the idea of tearing that house down,” says Kirsten. “Prentis talked about how the two houses would speak to one another instead.”

Kirsten and Rick’s property is a former oyster farm, and while the original house has some fancy brickwork, there are still several old, simply framed farmhouses in the area, says Kirsten. “We wanted something that would fit in with the neighborhood,” she says. To that end, Hale and the team drew up what they call a “strong gable shape” that was informed by their research into Scandinavian barn and farm buildings—an inspiration for Kirsten, who has grandparents from Sweden and Norway—with deep eaves to protect the house from inclement weather.

One of the gables roughly aligns with the roof of the brick house. “Our instinct was not to say, ‘Hey, this is a cool brick house with a gable. Now let’s put a round titanium sphere to the left of it,’” says Hale.

As for the home’s siting, even with two acres at play, there were constraints. “You show up and you’re like, ‘The world's my oyster. We’ll put it anywhere,’” says Hale—no pun intended—but regulatory compliance with setbacks and the shoreline were critical. “For practical reasons, flooding is an issue on their site. We kept it out of the flood plain and lifted it up quite a bit. Even though it’s on grade, it’s about nine feet above the FEMA flood level.”

For the layout, the team came up with three potential plans, then used spray paint and string lines in the grass to walk Kirsten and Rick through each of them. The winner was a T-shape configuration, with the long leg allotted primarily to bedrooms and bathrooms. The junction at the middle holds the foyer and the front and back entries, while the main living spaces occupy the shorter leg.

The T-shape allowed Hale to create an entry courtyard sheltered from wind on the North side, as well as a second courtyard on the water side, buffered from the neighbor’s views by the house itself. “Then we made adjustments to tune it into the site,” says Hale.

Inside, double-height volumes alternate with lower ceilings to create a rhythm that runs from the living room—which has a woodburning stove with a dramatic, 24-foot-tall chimney stack—to cozy, more standard heights in the foyer and kitchen. There’s also a lofted flex space over the foyer, where Kirsten has an office (Rick’s is back in the brick house) and a room for practicing yoga.

The house has a primary suite and two guest rooms—one with a loft for the grandkids, and a second Rick uses as a meditation room. Since the couple moved in, their lives have expanded into the spaces created for them. “It’s made our lives richer,” says Kirsten.

On quiet days, you’ll often find the couple pausing mid-action—whether making dinner in the kitchen, drinking morning coffee at the dining room table, or reading on the living room couch—to take in the view, which often includes a parade of bald eagle, herons, and migrating ducks. “There’s almost always something,” Kirsten says. “It’s more than a view, it’s cinematic.”

But the couple have also been surprised to find how much easier entertaining is, with groups flowing easily between the living and dining room, and the deck, which has an outdoor kitchen. “For people who don’t like to entertain a lot, there’s not that much we have to do because it’s just so pleasant being in the space,” says Kirsten. “That’s the gift. Then anything we manage to rustle up is icing on cake.”

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Project Credits:

Architecture: SHED Architecture & Design / @shedarchitecture

Builder: Joe Gates Construction

Structural Engineer: Todd Perbix

Civil Engineer: WNEK Engineering

Shoreline Consultant: The Watershed Company (now Facet)

Lighting Design: Sparklab

Interior Design / Furniture: Stephanie Blom

Energy Modeling and Mechanical Engineering: Positive Energy

Other: Artisan Electric