The Bay House was commissioned by a museum director and her partner, an accomplished photographer. The house marked a return to the Pacific Northwest, first as a summer home and later as a permanent residence. Shielded by a grove of fir trees, the property is on the remote Long Beach Peninsula in Washington, looking east to Willapa Bay. As a home and creative workspace, the house unites distinct areas for living and work, and connects them back to the land and water.
Poised on the edge of the bay shore wetlands, the house touches the ground lightly, and is arranged as three elevated wood platforms supported by structural timber. Deeply overhanging roofs mirror the house’s organization and offer protection from the persistent coastal rain. On the first, a workspace, photography studio and garage serve as the gateway to the site. From this point, a raised boardwalk traverses a sheltered garden and leads to the main house. An entry foyer and open kitchen are located on the second platform. On the third, a suite of bedrooms and living spaces open to the water’s edge and are united by a broad terrace facing the bay.