Outside Living

The L-shaped Nook House creates private courtyards on the 7,600-square-foot Seattle lot, now home to three structures built over 27 years. AEP Span Nu Wave corrugated siding in black requires zero maintenance, while Loewen aluminum-clad mixed grain fir windows and doors anchor the high-performance envelope.

Paul and Rachel Vanden Bout recently left Virginia to join their son and daughter-in-law—NV Design Architecture principals Tom Vanden Bout and Brenda Nelson—in Oaxaca, Mexico.

The 1x6 Ipe decking is from Crosscut Lumber, and delineates the dining area from the lounge area. Concrete pavers from Mutual Materials mark the lounge area, also with a built-in bench and concrete fireplace.

The view from the courtyard at the Casita, added in 2020.

The new steel-and-glass rear facade expands views and daylight for the ground floor living areas and the primary bedroom above. The sliding glass doors are by Otiima Windows.

The courtyards are similar in size, form, and materials to the rooms of the house.

A long table acts as an easy gathering place for friends and family, a few steps from the kitchen.

The centerpiece of this indoor/outdoor space is a "dry garden," providing some green space in place of an exterior yard. Sliding doors partition the space from the outside.

The home essentially comprises two structures that are unified by a double-height, courtyard-like space with clerestory windows allowing for ample natural light.

Greg and Nancy lounge on outdoor furniture from Design Within Reach’s Terassi collection with their daughter, Adrienne, her husband, Jonathan, and their son, Ben, on their patio, which is just steps away from Adrienne’s home.

Floor plan of Casa Elena by La Base

Elena gardens on the terrace, accessed by the stair at the entry.

The back patio is one of several outdoor spaces figured into Elena’s new home.