Whidbey Island, located 30 miles off the coast of Seattle, is an idyllic escape where Douglas firs flourish, farms dot the landscape, and a slower pace of life takes hold. For one family, it’s a place that holds many memories—fishing trips, summer barbecues, and numerous gatherings at their farm.

When the family outgrew the farm’s 100-year-old buildings, they reached out to Seattle-based mwworks to design a stylish part-time residence that would reflect the history of the site while disappearing into the pastoral context.

Architect Steve Mongillo quickly got to work drawing up plans. He received lots of feedback from the family, which made the process that much more enjoyable. “The owner has three grown children, and they have their own kids as well. So, the typical design meeting had five or six family members present,” he recalls.

They decided on a contemporary build tucked into the forest on a piece of land that opens up to a natural clearing. While mwworks projects are always designed with the landscape in mind, “this client was determined to take down as few trees as possible,” Mongillo says. “We tried to slip and slide around the trees, and it ended up being pretty challenging technical gymnastics to preserve the roots and keep the trees healthy long-term.”

The home spans three separate volumes that gracefully weave through the trees. The structures are made of stacked, locally sourced basalt stone, Western red cedar, concrete flooring, and plaster. Several of the interior doors and wall-mounted artworks were hand-carved from solid cedar by the patriarch of the family.

The home also features a tight envelope. “The insulation levels are heavy, and the envelope was sealed using a fluid-applied moisture protection system that is a great way to keep the building pretty airtight,” Mongillo says.

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The first volume, which holds the kitchen, living, and dining rooms, is meant to be the main gathering space. “We decided to separate the home into pavilions and keep the living areas split, because there can be many people staying there at once,” he says.

The bedroom wing is further off, and each room is designed as a master suite, so the adults can try different rooms when they visit. The bunkhouse, located above the garage, is the smallest volume. It features three sets of queen-sized bunkbeds, and it’s ideal for the teenagers in the family. “They have these large, wonderful parties every summer,” Mongillo says. “Some will still camp out, but now more can stay indoors.”

The home disappears among the trees, and it pays respect to the land and the architecture of the surrounding buildings. The serene residence has encouraged the large and continuously growing family to spend more and more time at their Whidbey Island retreat.

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Steve Mongillo, mwworks / @mw_works

Builder/General Contractor: Chad Rollins, Dovetail GC / @dovetail_gc

Structural Engineer: Jim Harris, PCS Structural Solutions

Civil Engineer: Quin Clements, Davido Consulting Group Inc.

Landscape Design Company: Kenneth Philip

Interior Design: mwworks

Cabinetry: design by mwworks, fabrication by Dovetail GC

Photographer: Kevin Scott / @k7scott

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