In 2020, after having their first child, Callie and Nathan Angle were looking for their next move. The couple grew up in different parts of western Washington, but had spent the last several years living in Seattle. Now they were ready to go back to having a little more breathing room. “We weren’t finding anything on the market that we liked in Seattle, and we knew we wanted something we could make our own,” recalls Callie.

The couple decided to build, landing a dreamy property in Edmonds through a pocket listing. Enter Seattle firm Cast Architecture. “From the very first real estate photo Callie and Nate sent me, I fell in love with the site,” says one of Cast’s principal architects, Forrest Murphy, who led the design of the couple’s home. “There are so many different conditions on the site: it’s in a meadow, and the woods, and it has an amazing view.” Designing the house to fit in these surroundings, and with the surrounding neighborhood, was Murphy’s main agenda.

Rather than situating the house for full-frontal water views, Murphy did something less expected, orienting it towards the meadow. “That view is going to be amazing no matter where you experience it from,” explains the architect. “But the thing that’s really special about this site is the secluded meadow.”

Taking the form of two shed-roofed volumes facing north and south, the house has a staggered footprint that flows with the topography of the site. “Buildings that recognize and acknowledge the topography feel like they sit at home in that landscape, whether rural or urban,” says Murphy. At the corner of the home facing the meadow is a glazed dining area that opens onto a covered porch, which has the effect of softening the corner where it sits.

Inside, Callie and Nathan had a long list of needs for their young family, but also wanted to keep the footprint compact for both environmental and cost reasons. The plan is organized according to the shed roofs: Under the larger one to the east is a two-story plan with three bedrooms and two baths upstairs and living spaces below. Under the other to the west, closer to the water, is a double height space containing the dining room and a kitchen with a loft above. A separate garage has a play/workspace below and is connected to the main house via a green-roofed walkway.

While the couple appreciated the double-height living space for the sense of volume and expansive views, they wanted the kitchen to feel cozier. “Adding a loft above the kitchen gives it a lower ceiling,” explains Callie. Exposed wood beams from the loft floor above frame the kitchen area below. “When you enter the kitchen, suddenly you feel like you’re in a cabin.”

“The loft is a magnet for kids,” says Nate. “It has a playful draw—even adults want to climb that ladder.” Besides offering a sense of lighthearted fun, the loft also works hard as Nate’s office; he and Callie both work from home. “I love doing my commute up that ladder,” laughs Nate.

The loft also holds personal significance to the couple, since Callie’s dad fabricated the ladder and much of the casework in in his workshop on San Juan Island. “Truly one of the most memorable parts of this project was my dad being a part of it,” says Callie. “I grew up in the house that my parents built, and my dad was such a champion for this project.”

Now, the house has become a refuge for Callie and Nate, both during the work day when they can take breaks by stepping into the forest outside, and during their free time when they enjoy hosting family and friends. Often, they’re joined on the property by the local fauna. “Sometimes we’ll be eating at the dining table, and a mother deer and her two fawns will come right down into the meadow and eat next to us,” says Callie. “We feel so fortunate that they want to spend their time here—we truly are sharing this land.”

More from Cast Architecture:

Budget Breakdown: They DIYed a $212K ADU—and Loved It So Much That They Moved Right In

This Revamped Seattle Midcentury Is a “Riff on the Original Melody”

Project Credits:

Architect: Cast Architecture / @cast.arch

Builder: Volk Construction

Structural Engineer: Swenson Say Faget / @swensonsayfaget

Civil Engineer: LDC, Inc.

Arborist & Tree Replacement Plan: Hailey Mackay

Geotechnical Engineer: Geotech Consultants, Inc.

Planting Plan and Landscape Design: Cast Architecture

Green Roof: Etera Sedum, LLC

Also Appears In

Handbuilt Touches by Grandpa Complete This Waterside Family Home in Washington