North-east of Seattle, on the site of a former animal sanctuary, stands a home thoughtfully integrated into its setting. The two-hectare property, bordering a wetland, provides songbirds, deer, frogs and hawks a place to roam and live in harmony.Architect Matt Wittman of Wittman Estes was approached to design a single-storey home and workshop for a couple nearing retirement – prioritising accessibility, space for their hobbies and full immersion in nature. By anchoring the workshop on the higher northern ridge and the house lower to the south, Wittman gracefully resolved the site’s 11-metre grade change. Sandblasted concrete terraces, sheltered walkways and gardens provide safe passage between the main home and the workshop, which includes dedicated areas for woodworking, metalworking, glassblowing and more. “Instead of working against the climate, we expressed it so the owners can engage with it,” says Wittman. “They really wanted a landscape house.”
