Tour an Elegant Island Retreat in the Pacific Northwest

Rachel Gallaher

November 11, 2024 at 8:59 a.m.·11 min read

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The project deadline was eight months. Even in the most favorable of times, with ideal conditions, completing an entire home renovation on this timeline can be difficult. But what about the renovation of two homes in eight months? Such was the brief for Seattle-based design and architecture firm Hoedemaker Pfeiffer, tasked with renovating a dated, 5,500-square-foot house in need of a full aesthetic refresh, and its counterpart, a 3,500-square-foot farmhouse, with a tight turnaround. “The clients had a party planned for the spring,” says firm partner and AD PRO Directory member Steve Hoedemaker. “They said, ‘We have 30 people coming, we need this done on time.’”

What might have been a daunting task to many was an exciting challenge for the design team. “Normally, a project like this would take 24 months,” Hoedemaker says. “The expedited timeline made it necessary for us, the contractors [Krekow Jennings], and the landscape architect [Ken Philip] to create a cohesive, shared vision from the start. We ended up speaking a shorthand where everyone was able to take a little bit of information and make all the right choices.”

A place for gathering, the great room in the main house features an elevated palette of earth tones. Architecture and design firm Hoedemaker Pfeiffer plastered over an existing stone fireplace to create a contemporary focal point for the room. A mix of furniture—vintage lounge chairs, a Roman and Williams Guild daybed and sofa, and two Phantom Hands upholstered armchairs—provides a seating option for every mood. An Umbo Inc. pendant made from Kozo paper serves as a functional work of art.
Art: Tim Cross/Koplin Del Rio Gallery

Shop out the look of the house here⤵

Located on an island off the coast of Washington, the 25-acre lot offered privacy coupled with unimpeded water views. “When we moved to the Pacific Northwest over 30 years ago, we fell in love with this area,” say the homeowners, who wanted to see the beauty of the region reflected in their weekend home and a place to host many guests. “The San Juan Islands are the quintessential northwest environment, with the forests, the sea, and the mountains.”

According to firm partner Tim Pfeiffer and the clients themselves, their city residence skews modern, but the island project required a different approach. “I would characterize this home as more traditional and appropriate to its rural environment,” the client continues, noting that they value context over any particular style. “[We wanted] better scale and proportion to the rooms, more refined details and finishes—all balanced by an aesthetic leaning toward a more comfortable and casual lifestyle on the island.”

Formerly a glassed-in porch, the current sunroom is just off the kitchen. A vintage Oushak rug keeps things cozy underfoot, and the velvet-upholstered Roman and Williams Guild Davenport sofa reflects the natural mossy greens of the surrounding property. Two A. Rudin swivel chairs provide a relaxed setting for a tête-à-tête.

The main home and farmhouse had undergone a succession of renovations over the decades—the former was built in the 1990s, while the latter dates back more than 100 years. “We wanted to maintain the original character of the farmhouse,” the client explains, “so its remodel was more focused on interior finishes and comfort.” The primary residence, which sits on a bluff overlooking the water, was dark and dated with a confusing layout that didn’t flow in an intuitive way. “The window heights were low, the scale of the rooms was bizarre, and there were a lot of weird asymmetries throughout,” recalls Hoedemaker.

Working within the house’s existing confines, the Hoedemaker Pfeiffer team streamlined the interiors—evening out asymmetries, adding new windows to bring in more natural light and tweaking the layout to accommodate the homeowner’s wish for a larger kitchen. They also revamped the exterior with vertical wood cladding and the decidedly Northwest touch of a cedar-shake shingle roof. “We created a new ridgeline inside so that it would center up on the fireplace in the living room,” Pfeiffer says.

The only items the homeowners brought with them were a few pieces of silver that were family heirlooms, so the palette—light wood, textured upholstery, patterned wallpaper in neutral tones—evolved from scratch. The only requirements were no leather, and lots of vintage rugs. “We wanted to reflect what was outside the home, but bring in additional depth and sophistication using rich tones like cognac, smokey blue, and shades of green,” says Peak Petersen, a principal at Hoedemaker Pfeiffer. “At one of our first big meetings, we had a selection of fabrics and tiles to show the clients, and when they walked in, the outfit she was wearing matched the fabrics. We knew we were on the right track.”

The most important room for the culinarily inclined clients was the kitchen. One of their first requests to Hoedemaker Pfeiffer was more square footage in this room, as well as an oversized butcher block cutting board at the end of the island. To make it elegant yet functional, the firm countered the wood cabinetry with Kelly Forslund’s Gregorious Pineo woven wall covering. A white shiplap ceiling leans into the farmhouse aesthetic, and the island countertop is a bold Prunella marble. Above the island, a trio of Urban Electric pendants bring an industrial edge.

Backed by a wall of built-in shelving, the dining room in the main house features a custom table by San Francisco craftsman Andrew Woodside Carter. Tucked along each side is a row of Jean De Merry Home House Co-op cerused oak chairs upholstered in a wool blend from Pollock. The painting on the wall is by Seattle artist Sarah Norsworthy, purchased through Studio E Gallery.
Art: Sarah Norsworthy/studio e gallery, Seattle

In the great room, furniture by contemporary designers like India Mahdavi and Roman and Williams mix with vintage pieces that give the space a comfortable, lived-in feeling. Here, the design team plastered over the existing fireplace, “to improve the look, with the least amount of demolition,” Hoedemaker says, and installed a large cedar beam across the ceiling to bring a sense of balance. The kitchen, where the family requested an oversized butcher block cutting board at the end of the island, is a highly functional space with plenty of built-ins and elegant details such as a Prunella marble worktop and zellige tile backsplash.

“The original kitchen had all of these tiny, ancient appliances,” says Petersen. “We took over an adjacent living space to allow for the expansion and turned a glassed-in porch into a sitting area.” A wood-burning stove at one end of the sunroom captures the bucolic island vibe, while a green velvet upholstered sofa upscales the space. Bedrooms were kept neutral, with little nods to a classic camp vibe—plaid textiles, wood bed frames, striped linens—without veering into overplayed motifs. In the study, where the couple enjoys knocking out some work or reading together during the day, angular furniture and sharp lines lean into a stately aesthetic, softened by jute wall coverings and a woven sisal rug.

Once a modest farmhouse, this guest quarters dates back more than a century. The design team leaned into its history by incorporating vintage-inspired details such as beadboard, unlacquered brass hardware, and wall paneling, while keeping furniture and art on the contemporary side.

Just a stone’s throw away, the farmhouse feels slightly more eclectic, layered as it is with poppier colors and bolder art. A space meant for guests, its kitchen centers on a vintage Swedish farm table paired with French oak chairs—a cozy gathering spot for morning coffee. Bedrooms, once again, have earthy base tones, brightened with white-painted ceilings. Beadboard and wall paneling throughout create a cohesive backdrop for the rustic details, such as unlacquered brass hardware. “The farmhouse is a little sweeter than the main house,” says Petersen. “We embraced its original charm and kept things a bit more relaxed.”

Dubbed “the snug,” and used as guest accommodations, one of the property’s original structures remains, dating back more than 100 years. In the living room, a Marija Kori armless sofa provides a bohemian vibe, its colors playing off the tones in Johanna Christianson’s oil painting hanging above it. A hand-braided jute rug from RH adds texture, while two pieces from Housewright—the central ottoman and the Habala armchair—add a sleek finish.
Art: Johanna Christianson/Koplin Del Rio Gallery

For the clients, the farmhouse is the perfect accompaniment to their main residence, where, they say, they truly use each and every space in the home. “We have favorite rooms for each part of the day,” they note. “Morning coffee and evening tea in the sunroom off the beautiful kitchen, with the morning sun as well as the afternoon sun streaming in. The study to work, sit, and read in during the day, the great room to gather in the evenings with a roaring fire going. Each of these rooms has been so thoughtfully curated to feel inviting, cozy, and comfortable all at the same time.”