Selvam Velmurugan self identifies as an introvert. “I just love being in quiet places,” he says as he recounts his ongoing journey with meditation practices. Having lived in Bellevue, a growing city just east of Seattle, for nearly 35 years, Selvam and his wife, Lakshmi Nidamarthi, decided they needed a space in a quieter place. “I remember talking to one of my colleagues who said every time he got in his car to drive out to his cabin, his blood pressure would immediately drop,” recalls Lakshmi. “The next thing I knew, we were driving around trying to find one for ourselves.”

So began the couple’s search for their own private retreat. “Initially we looked in the areas around Bellevue, but everything we found fell through,” recalls Selvam. Working within their requirement that the property be no more than 90 minutes from their home door-to-door, the couple expanded their search to nearby Whidbey Island, which is a short ferry ride from the mainland. “The island felt like it provided a nice gap from the city, without being too far,” says Selvam.

After discovering and purchasing a five-acre property on the south side of the island, the couple set out to find an architect. “We looked at a couple projects that Matt and Jody had done, and we liked that they had the dual focus of architecture and landscape,” Lakshmi says about their decision to work with Seattle firm Wittman Estes.

For their part, the firm’s principals were drawn to Selvam and Lakshmi’s brief to create a place for stillness. “They were looking for a quiet architecture that would be meditative,” says architect Matt Wittman. Along with his partner, landscape architect Jody Estes, Wittman was also keen to explore the possibilities for a structure that touched lightly on the land.

They settled on a foundation that relies on compact pin piles rather than traditional concrete spread footing. “Pin foundations are better for the land in that you’re not excavating and moving all this dirt around,” explains Wittman. “And it allowed the building to be lifted up off the ground, which felt right in the site’s big, wide meadow.” The architects estimate the pin pile approach reduced the carbon footprint of the home’s foundation by 77% compared to an equivalent traditional concrete foundation.

“We loved Matt’s idea to build on stilts, because it brought a Japanese-inspired aesthetic, which we liked, and it was more environmentally friendly in not disturbing the land so much,” says Selvam.

For the cabin’s interiors, a key requirement was to maintain a small footprint with spaces that flow naturally around an interior courtyard. “We always liked the idea of a courtyard, because in India, where we grew up, courtyard homes are a big thing,” explains Lakshmi. The plan also allowed the designers to create a seamless indoor/outdoor feel, which is enhanced by floor-to-ceiling glass walls throughout.

A minimal palette of wood, stainless steel, and porcelain tiles continues the emphasis on stillness. “The design became an essay in wood, allowing the furniture and art to be little punctuations within a neutral background,” says the architect.

The retreat’s restrained palette and close connection to nature encourage a sense of stillness—and not just in the dedicated meditation room. “We wanted a place that would wind down the senses and naturally allow you to go within,” says Lakshmi, who has come to appreciate the beauty found in silence, even though she describes herself as an extrovert. “It’s very easy to fall into meditation there.”

Today, the couple primarily visit the cabin with their family, but they envision inviting more friends to join them for meditation retreats in the future.

When it came time to name their new home, the couple had the perfect word. “We picked the name ‘Uparati,’ which is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘withdrawing from worldly distractions,’” explains Selvam, who plans to attach a name board to the cabin one day. “It captured the feeling we wanted to achieve when we go there, which is about going inward.”

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Project Credits:

Architectural, Interior, and Landscape Design: Wittman Estes / @wittman_estes

Builder: Jade Craftsman Builders

Structural Engineer: Josh Welch Engineering LLC

Fabricator of Custom Hardware: Helve House

Fabricator of Steel Counters: Metis Construction / @metis_construction

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