Reframe Residence by Studio PHH Architects

Reframe Residence, nestled by Puget Sound, offers stunning views, sustainable craftsmanship and a tranquil retreat.

Flanked by a dense forest of fir trees on one side and prospects over Puget Sound on the other, Reframe Residence by Studio PHH Architects near Kingston in Washington state reflects the elementality of the Pacific Northwest.

Architect Pierre-Henri Hoppenot of Studio PHH Architects describes Kingston as “really low-touch, rugged and simple,” adding that the “ferry ride across Puget Sound is a magical way to disconnect from Seattle”.

Architect Pierre-Henri Hoppenot of Studio PHH Architects describes Kingston as “really low-touch, rugged and simple,” adding that the “ferry ride across Puget Sound is a magical way to disconnect from Seattle”. Sitting at the water’s edge on the outskirts of the township, Reframe Residence, which is accessed via a winding gravel road, is one step further removed. “Much of the excitement in the arrival sequence is embedded in the commute away from the centre of Seattle,” he says. “You feel so incredibly disconnected from it all because of the series of steps you take to get there.”

The clients, who have long retreated to Kingston as a peaceful and tranquil escape from their busy urban lives, approached Studio PHH Architects to renovate the existing 1990s structure on the site, which previously belonged to the client’s father. “They were very open – they came to us with no preconceived notions of what they wanted and empowered us to decide what would be unique and respectful,” says Hoppenot.

Though the existing home held little design merit, it was structurally sound, so the architects retained and restored as much of it as possible.

Though the existing home held little design merit, it was structurally sound, so the architects retained and restored as much of it as possible. Not only is this approach more environmentally sustainable, says Hoppenot, but it was also deeply fuelled by the clients’ personal connection to the home. “We take a lot of pride in leaning into the history of places, and for this project, the history was not just about the architecture, but there was also an emotional element for the clients having visited this place for years. We didn’t want to break away from that, but at the same, it needed to be reinvented.”

Aside from reframing the roof lines to create a rationalised exterior form, the architects focused on reorganising the internal layout and introducing a multiplicity and depth through spatial and sensory elements. “Something we think about on every project is changing the quality of a space across more than one dimension. If it looks different, great, but if it sounds different or if the air moves differently through it, then you’re able to carve a multisensory experience,” says Hoppenot.

Customising the home for the clients also formed a significant part of the studio’s thoughtful response.

The study, which is clad in acoustic panelling, speaks directly to this; not only do the padded green panels create a cosy, cocoon-like space, but the quality of sound changes upon crossing its threshold, further enhancing this unique feeling. The same rationale has been applied to the transition from the primary living space, where Douglas fir and plywood stretch out overhead and underfoot, to the staircase and music nook, which are both coated in a deep charcoal limewash. This change in hue and materiality instantly alters the tempo, and Hoppenot likens the transportive power of these shifts to the journey from Seattle to Kingston.

Customising the home for the clients also formed a significant part of the studio’s thoughtful response. There’s the dedicated music nook for the husband, a muso who collects records, and the built-in wall of books for the wife, who is an avid reader. Elsewhere, work by local craftspeople imbue the spaces with care and contextual relevance, including the blackened steel handrail welded on site, a bespoke table made from shou sugi ban charred timber that echoes the exterior cladding, and the pallet-like bedframe designed by Studio PHH Architects and crafted specifically for the project by a Kingston-based maker using locally sourced materials.

“It’s all very carefully calibrated,” comments Hoppenot, adding that “there’s something rugged and necessary about the decisions that are made in the Pacific Northwest, and this totally follows that ethos.”

All these contributions are integral to Reframe Residence; however, the project is ultimately defined by its overt embrace of the views. The front elevation, which was previously punctuated by small windows, is now an almost-uninterrupted wall of glass supported by a complex yet visually lightweight structural system. “It’s all very carefully calibrated,” comments Hoppenot, adding that “there’s something rugged and necessary about the decisions that are made in the Pacific Northwest, and this totally follows that ethos.” The columns have been broken apart into their components, consequently softening their visual impact, and fine tension rods are anchored to a low steel beam running the length of the room, allowing for broad views across Puget Sound.

Cleverly, the low steel beam is concealed within a timber-clad bench that also runs the length of the room. Its continuity anchors the space and, as a spot to perch and observe the surroundings, it strengthens the home’s relationship to the ocean that unfurls from its brink. It’s here that Reframe Residence does its best work, simultaneously connecting its inhabitants with the landscape and shielding them from the elements. “That feeling of freedom and protection at the same time – it’s something that’s innate to humans and our relationship to nature,” says Hoppenot. Above Puget Sound, storms build then dissipate, the sky changes colour and thick fog rolls by, rendering Reframe Residence a thoughtfully reworked vantage point from which to digest it all.

Architecture and interior design by Studio PHH Architects. Build by Sparrow Woodworks.