The early ’60S house in the Edgemoor Neighborhood had been the client’s family home—it was built for his father’s aunt and her sister, and later the client’s parents had moved in and raised their children there. Now the client was moving back in, along with his wife, and they were ready for a remodel.
“They wanted this house to reflect their lifestyle,” says Architect Ric Peterson, of reachDESIGN llc. “It’s a different generation. They both work, and they’re both very social.”
Photograph by Benjamin Benschneider
Peterson had been the architect on a project for the client’s father a number of years before, so when the client began thinking about a remodel his father recommended Peterson. The house had been remodeled in pieces in the past, but it was time for a larger, more cohesive update.
“It was already opened up, but it was opened up differently than I would have liked,” Peterson notes. “It needed to connect to the view a little bit better, and it needed some outdoor spaces that connected with the indoor space. There’d been a deck added on at some point […but] it was down a level and felt disconnected.”
Photograph by Benjamin Benschneider
The clients also wanted more morning light in the master bedroom, which was in an area that had been closed off and only had a window on one side. The windows weren’t large enough on the west side of the house, and the foliage on that side blocked what light could have otherwise gotten in. Peterson wanted to maintain the home’s privacy while opening it up to the light and making it more compelling.
“I wanted more of a sense of intrigue,” he says. “I wanted to mix the privacy with the sense of intrigue […] and just modernize, bring it up to modern day living.”
Peterson, who grew up on Lummi Island and recently moved back north to Fidalgo Island from Seattle, also felt strongly about designing a home that would still fit with the neighboring houses and community. He wanted to retain its mid-century modern style, while updating the functionality to the client’s needs.
Photograph by Benjamin Benschneider
“If you truly look at what modern design means, it’s timeless because it’s not looking for a style […] if you are a style, you’re gonna go out of style. And more importantly, the modern design theory really roots itself in what the criteria is and how it should function, not how it should look. And even more important is how the spaces relate and how they work in human scale and how they connect with the outside.”
Photograph by Benjamin Benschneider
The resulting home, remodeled in around two years despite unexpected challenges with the wiring, HVAC, and roof, is an airy, light-filled space full of functional and beautiful rooms that better fit the client’s family’s lifestyle. The design also incorporates a number of artistic metal fabrications made by the client and his father, including the entry canopy, gate, and staircases both inside and outside. The downstairs level, which once felt like a basement, is now open and inviting thanks to a new deck and large sliding glass panel doors that harmonize the interior and exterior and make the most of the stunning view.
Bellingham Residence | Project Details
Architect: Ric Peterson at reachDESIGN llc
Owners: Private
Project Location: Edgemoor Neighborhood, Bellingham
