AIA Home of the Month: Mountain High

If the project’s exterior exudes seismic energy, the inside is both more peaceful and more playful. The 3,200-square-foot house is made up of three linked structures, a series of “rooms of their own” reflecting the family of artists that it shelters. (The Harveys have three equally creative children, two of whom have left for college.)

A central volume contains the kitchen, living and dining areas, and upstairs quarters for the kids. On the west flank, a guest suite and family room are stacked over an almost invisible buried garage. At the end of a tranquil breezeway floats a tower containing the master suite and an airy artist’s loft in which Donn practices his bass in preparation for gigs with the Hettle Street Blues band, and Deby finds inspiration for the curling tendrils and delicately veined leaves that figure in her copper hollowware sculptures.

The design vision included the uncommon use of common materials. Stone and cement are woven together in a way that blurs the boundaries between indoors and out. The same Montana slate flows from patio to entryway, while massive stucco fins pierce exterior walls, providing a visual anchor that knits the house to its site. Equally organic are the twisting steel vines and molten glass blooms of fantastical fixtures created by Jon Harvey, a glass-blower (and the Harveys’ middle son), and metalsmith Brandon Bowman, who were just 18 and 21, respectively, when they created the dwelling’s custom lighting.

Each room has access to the outdoors, whether it be a spacious patio, a petite crow’s nest or, in the case of the main living area, a large bi-fold airplane hangar door. When skies clear, the Harveys flip two levers, hit a switch and the door wings its way upward, letting in a pool of southern sun. Some clients might have balked at housing the system’s gears and pulleys in their living room, but the Harveys love the honest industrial feel of the exposed mechanics. It’s just one of the many ways in which their new home suits them perfectly.

“The house has always been about the site in a loose vernacular way but, as we moved through the design process and learned more and more about the client, it truly became a reflection of their spirit and sense of adventure,” says Shugart. “The process of discovery and collaboration in doing this house reminds me why I practice architecture.”

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Garden View PAGE 10 Landscape designer: Christine's Landscape Creations, 14711 148th Ave. NE, Woodinville; 425.481.6136. Light fixtures: Bloom pendant and Precious pendant, Resolute, 2101 Ninth Ave., Seattle; 206.343.9323; resoluteonline.com. Recessed step lighting: Bega; bega-us.com. Recessed ceiling lighting: Juno Lighting Group; junolightinggroup.com. Bench design: ZDS Architects. Cushion design: ZDS Architects and Henderson|Kelly in Great Outdoors Aqua Velvet and Chocolate fabric. Planter/bench site casting: Damian Howard, Celtic Concrete, 45108 SE 130th Pl., North Bend; 425.213.9822; damian@celticconcretewa.com. Bench/planter staining: David Cates, Maverick Contracting, 1132 NW 60th St., Seattle; 206.285.0703; maverickspecialty.com. Lounges: Summer House; summerhousepatio.com. Tiles: Natura by Mirage; mirage.it. Accent tiles: FAP Ceramiche; fapceramiche.com. Speakers: Definitive Audio, 6206 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle; 206.524.6633; definitive.com. Heating system: Thermofilm Heatstrip radiant heater, thermofilm.com.au. Cedar stain: “Teak,” Daly's Paint & Decorating, 3524 Stone Way N, Seattle; 800.735.7019; dalyspaint.com.

Taking Cover  PAGE 12 Architectural stone on fireplace/posts: Eldorado Stone, I-XL Masonry Supplies, 15135 NE 90th St., Redmond; 425.869.9214; ixlmasonry.com. Gas work: Top Notch Plumbing and Gas; 206.406.6000. Gas BBQ: Judd & Black; 425.258.2591; juddblack.com.

Home of the Month: Mountain High Page 15 Architect: William Charles Shugart, AIA, Shugart Bates, 911 Western Ave., Suite 406, Seattle; 206.264.7744; shugartbates.com. General contractor: High Country Contractors, 410 Williams Ave. S, Renton; 425.369.1190; highcountrycontractors.com. Landscape design /copper hollowware: Deby Harvey; debyharvey.com. Decorative steel fixtures/accents: Brandon Bowman; 206.440.5948; http://web.mac.com/phbowman. Hand-blown glass: Jon Harvey;  425.466.8092. Airplane hangar door: Schweiss Bi-Fold Doors; bifold.com. Kitchen cabinets: Savvy Cabinetry by Design, 3208 15th Ave. W, Seattle; 206.860.7600; savvycd.com. Copper countertops: Pacific Sheet Metal, Seattle; 206.682.5354. Custom kitchen cart: Pacific Sheet Metal. Poured concrete floors: Semco Seattle, 700 NW Gilman Blvd., Issaquah; 425.654.4444; hometechdesignandsupplyinc.com. Fractured-edge basalt columns/countertops: Marenakos Rock Center, 30250 SE High Point Way, Preston; 425.392.3313; marenakos.com. Flagstone: Montana Slate, Marenakos Rock Center. Tile setting: John Miller, Expert Tile Company, 470 Front St. N, Issaquah; 425.391.0275; experttilecompany.com.