Built in 1987 in Medina, WA on the shores of Lake Washington, this transitional two-story 5,600 square foot NW Asian styled home was designed for a family that had spent the last 10 years in Japan and wanted to emphasis that style. Its style is indigenous of the NW or Japan with a lot of Asian influence in it. The home incorporates long overhangs and a lot of wood. It's heavy on horizontal lines and the detailing of wood joinery with a lot of natural materials exposed throughout the home. The home features Shoji screens, doors, or sliding panels generously throughout with details that are borrowed from the orient but modified. This project was designed down to the detail of the lanterns and Shoji screens. These items are fairly common today, but were difficult to locate at the time the home was built.
When you came down the nicely detailed fieldstone driveway you can only see the home and have to turn your head to see the garage. The detached garage was built into the hill with a breezeway going to the home to keep the owners dry. The driveway and walkway have Japanese lanterns with copper tops on both sides to guide you to the home. There was a very nice sized auto court so you could park a lot of guests. Guests could use the breezeway as well to stay dry.
The home is very comfortable in its natural flow and the way it opens up to the view. Everything is located on the main level with some extra bedrooms and a recreation room on the lower level. The kitchen opens up to the family room for entertaining. The shower in the master bath is glassed in to form a steam room and contains a built-in bench long enough to lie down on. The home has a pool built out on a huge lawn going 300 feet down to the water. The owners have Asian gardeners that trim and keep the grounds immaculate.
One of the design challenges for the site was due to changed building codes. To be grand fathered with the original codes, some of the old foundation had to be worked into the design of the home. - Courtesy Reid Morgan
