Houzz Tour: Modern Mountain Home in the Cascades
A designer and an architect mix clean lines with natural colors and materials to create a warm and inviting home
Nature was calling to these Seattle city dwellers, and they answered by purchasing a woodsy property in the Cascade Range, about a 90-minute drive from the city. They also wanted more room to spread out than their two-bedroom condo in the city afforded, especially because they had plans to be able to work more from home in the future. They called interior designer Harmony Weihs, who had helped them make their city digs feel like home, to help them design their country home. Weihs brought in her frequent collaborator, architect Lauren Crocco, and the two designed this warm mountain modern cabin from the ground up.
The entrance directly off the garage is this beautiful laundry room-mudroom. “This was one of the hardest rooms in the house to design,” Weihs says. “The ceiling vaults up to 14 feet, so I had to go vertical with the cabinetry to make it work with the scale.” She also used a high backsplash to stand up to the soaring ceiling. “While my clients wanted a monochromatic palette, we also wanted it to be playful. We chose a tile that adds some curves to all the straight lines in here,” she says.
The custom cabinetry is alder stained black. The designer suggested slab-front cabinetry like this throughout the house to achieve the clean-lined look her clients liked.
She designed the space not only for doing laundry, but also for the homeowners to take off dirty boots (there’s a bench not shown in this photo) and hang up their coats and other outerwear. There’s also room for the dog’s supplies.
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The custom cabinetry is alder stained black. The designer suggested slab-front cabinetry like this throughout the house to achieve the clean-lined look her clients liked.
She designed the space not only for doing laundry, but also for the homeowners to take off dirty boots (there’s a bench not shown in this photo) and hang up their coats and other outerwear. There’s also room for the dog’s supplies.
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A pocket door in mossy green can close off the laundry room from the “bridge” that leads to the main part of the house. “The green on the door was a good way to bring an outdoor color in,” Weihs says. “We really wanted the house to feel like an extension of the outdoors.”
The flooring is oak. The designer chose one with a fair amount of black in it to play off the black accents throughout the house.
Weihs and Crocco used a lowered dark ceiling to create an inviting feel. It’s tongue-and-groove paneling with a black stain. “So much light comes in through the windows, and the dark ceiling makes it feel cozy,” Weihs says. The compressed feel from the lower ceiling amps up the drama of walking into the vaulted spaces in the main house.
The flooring is oak. The designer chose one with a fair amount of black in it to play off the black accents throughout the house.
Weihs and Crocco used a lowered dark ceiling to create an inviting feel. It’s tongue-and-groove paneling with a black stain. “So much light comes in through the windows, and the dark ceiling makes it feel cozy,” Weihs says. The compressed feel from the lower ceiling amps up the drama of walking into the vaulted spaces in the main house.
The stacked-stone-covered part of the facade is the bridge. Changing up the cladding made the exterior more interesting and suits the rugged mountain climate. Stones in the natural-looking landscaping play off the stone on the facade.
The stacked stone appears again at the front entry, along with large glulam beams. Glulam beams are composed of layers of wood laminations glued together with industrial adhesives. They’re stronger than solid wood beams, so they can span greater distances. In this case, they were a natural-looking alternative to steel beams, accentuating the mountain modern look. These beams form the roof structure, and they continue from out here into the interior, where they’re exposed.
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The exposed beams run along the great room ceiling, with tongue-and-groove fir paneling in between. This adds warmth overhead.
Adding literal warmth is the large fireplace. “The fireplace was the most important element in here and so I wanted to make the TV go away,” Weihs says. So next to the 48-inch plaster fireplace surround she added black-stained wood to camouflage the screen. Then she installed display shelves on the end next to the wall. The concrete hearth provides extra seating.
Adding literal warmth is the large fireplace. “The fireplace was the most important element in here and so I wanted to make the TV go away,” Weihs says. So next to the 48-inch plaster fireplace surround she added black-stained wood to camouflage the screen. Then she installed display shelves on the end next to the wall. The concrete hearth provides extra seating.
Directly through the great room’s double sliding doors is a patio with a gas fire pit lounge.
Doors: Andersen
Browse outdoor lounge furniture in the Houzz Shop
Doors: Andersen
Browse outdoor lounge furniture in the Houzz Shop
Next to the fire pit lounge, a large covered patio runs along the length of the rest of the house. The dining area and kitchen are on the other side of the doors.
The great room is open to the dining area and kitchen. Weihs and Crocco collaborated on this frameless glass wine cooler, going through several iterations of what it could look like. “We wrapped it in vertical-grain fir and added lighting to make a big impact,” Weihs says. “It really helped with the spacing between the dining area and the kitchen.”
The kitchen starts to the right of the wine cooler, with a wine-opening area creating a smooth transition between the two. “I really like to zone things in a kitchen,” the designer says.
The homeowners wanted a casual dining area with a very special table. They picked out this copper table themselves. Beyond the table is the staircase, which has a custom blackened-steel railing.
The kitchen starts to the right of the wine cooler, with a wine-opening area creating a smooth transition between the two. “I really like to zone things in a kitchen,” the designer says.
The homeowners wanted a casual dining area with a very special table. They picked out this copper table themselves. Beyond the table is the staircase, which has a custom blackened-steel railing.
For the clean modern mountain look, the homeowners and designers decided not to install any pendant lights. Instead they opted for track lighting over the dining table, recessed lighting in the kitchen and LED strip lighting under the upper cabinets and shelves. “We really wanted the wine cooler, the limestone backsplash and the views out the windows to be the big stars of this room. So it was better not to have things hanging down,” Weihs says.
Often pendants draw the eye to a certain level. But what draws the eye from this view is an oak line that starts underneath the upper cabinets next to the fridge, wraps the corner and continues as a shelf that goes under the vent hood, across the windows and to the exterior wall. We’ll get a closer look at it as we zoom in to other views of the kitchen.
Often pendants draw the eye to a certain level. But what draws the eye from this view is an oak line that starts underneath the upper cabinets next to the fridge, wraps the corner and continues as a shelf that goes under the vent hood, across the windows and to the exterior wall. We’ll get a closer look at it as we zoom in to other views of the kitchen.
The island has seating for four and a bar-prep sink. Both husband and wife enjoy cooking and have the space to work together in here.
Another detail Weihs added to the island is steel panels on either end. “This added visual interest and can take on wear and tear, especially from dogs, better than painted wood can,” she says.
There’s a glimpse of the grilling station through the doors to the right, conveniently located off the kitchen.
Another detail Weihs added to the island is steel panels on either end. “This added visual interest and can take on wear and tear, especially from dogs, better than painted wood can,” she says.
There’s a glimpse of the grilling station through the doors to the right, conveniently located off the kitchen.
The backsplash is Tundra Grey honed limestone. “We saved money by using plain white quartz on the countertops,” Weihs says. “The backsplash is where your eye really sees the pattern, so it was worth it to splurge on a slab of the natural stone to use there.”
This photo provides a closer look at the beautiful veining in the limestone backsplash as well as how the oak line meets the bottom of the vent hood. “I imagined a shelf that would go across the windows and I integrated it into the hood,” Weihs says. “And it created a good stopping point for the backsplash.” She also added an oak band around the bottom of the hood to tie it into the oak shelf.
Backsplash: Tundra Grey honed limestone
This photo provides a closer look at the beautiful veining in the limestone backsplash as well as how the oak line meets the bottom of the vent hood. “I imagined a shelf that would go across the windows and I integrated it into the hood,” Weihs says. “And it created a good stopping point for the backsplash.” She also added an oak band around the bottom of the hood to tie it into the oak shelf.
Backsplash: Tundra Grey honed limestone
Around the corner, the shelf line continues beneath the upper cabinets. “It adds softness to the dark charcoal color of the cabinetry,” Weihs says. “It also ties into the oak flooring.”
The cabinetry includes a cookbook display shelf and appliance garages that provide a coffee zone.
The husband’s office is on the main level, along with this full bathroom. This adds flexibility to the plan, as the office can serve as a bedroom with a full bathroom if needed. The bathroom also serves as a powder room for the main level. Weihs had the mirror mounted in front of a window, allowing it to be backlit by natural light.
The clean lines of the white quartz waterfall countertop add a modern touch, while the bookmatched walnut brings in warmth. The terra-cotta green tiles from Clé add more color from the woods. “I love these tiles because while the grid composition is modern, the irregular edges make it ‘not too perfect,’ ” Weihs says.
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The clean lines of the white quartz waterfall countertop add a modern touch, while the bookmatched walnut brings in warmth. The terra-cotta green tiles from Clé add more color from the woods. “I love these tiles because while the grid composition is modern, the irregular edges make it ‘not too perfect,’ ” Weihs says.
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The primary suite is on the main level. The tongue-and-groove fir ceiling with exposed beams creates warmth. And Weihs hired a local artist to do a plaster treatment on the walls. “It looks like birchbark texture,” she says.
In the primary bathroom, Weihs used large, rectangular tiles all the way up the walls to accentuate the vaulted ceiling. “These tiles are porcelain and resemble old industrial glass windows,” she says. “They were a splurge that made a big design impact, and they are my favorite thing in this house.” She notes that you can make up the difference in the budget by choosing a reasonably priced floor tile.
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The spacious bathroom had enough room for a freestanding tub, a large walk-in shower, a toilet room and a long double vanity. Weihs added LED strip lights beneath the vanity — these are a great option to flick on in the middle of the night.
The slab-front cabinetry, polished chrome fixtures and thick white quartz counter add clean lines to the bathroom. So does the verticality of the glass tile backsplash.
Weihs specified that the mirror be furred out. This means it was mounted to a 1-inch-thick piece of wood to stand out from the wall. Then she backlit it with LED lights.
The recent dramatic changes in required office time has worked to the couple’s advantage. They have been able to spend much more time working from their country home during the week than they originally anticipated. Once work is done, they can stop by the wine cooler, open up a bottle and step right out onto the patio to enjoy the fire pit, surrounded by the towering trees.
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Weihs specified that the mirror be furred out. This means it was mounted to a 1-inch-thick piece of wood to stand out from the wall. Then she backlit it with LED lights.
The recent dramatic changes in required office time has worked to the couple’s advantage. They have been able to spend much more time working from their country home during the week than they originally anticipated. Once work is done, they can stop by the wine cooler, open up a bottle and step right out onto the patio to enjoy the fire pit, surrounded by the towering trees.
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Shop for your home
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Cle Elum, Washington
Size: 2,950 square feet (274 square meters); three bedrooms plus office, three bathrooms
Designers: Harmony Weihs of Design Harmony (interior design) and Lauren Crocco (architecture)
Contractor: Merle
The house is on a large woodsy lot in the Suncadia area of Cle Elum, Washington. A blacktop driveway was required due to snowfall. The garage is on the right, with the main public spaces in the center and the bedrooms on the left. The primary suite and the husband’s office are on the main level, and there are two bedrooms and a bathroom on the second level. The wife’s office space is in an open area off the staircase landing.
“My clients wanted a casual family vibe in the house, with mountain modern style that was clean and warm but not rustic,” Weihs says. “The idea started as a weekend home where they could be out in nature with more open space. But they also hoped to work from home more in the future and spend most of their time here.”
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