Indianola Residence
Location: Indianola Split, WA
Size: 4,331 SF
Cost: $425/SF
Completed: 2020
Photography: Will Austin Photography
A transformation inspired by the owner’s love of modern architecture, art, and color (and the adjacent sand, rock, water, and the northwest landscape), the Indianola House sought to bring the soul of a home to a colorless muted box while creating a gallery at the same time. The original house was a drab 1990’s-era box with no personality or presence sited on a beautiful, secluded bay, facing water and island views, northwest of the City of Seattle. The existing mono-colored stucco-clad exterior and pyramidal glass-block openings had led the neighborhood to dub the structure, unflatteringly, “The Miami Vice House”.
Rhodes Architecture + Light was hired in 2019 to add new exteriors and interiors, natural light, larger openings to beach and bay, seismic and foundation upgrades to the home, and to infuse life into the house through the re-use of existing space and varied materials, color, textures, and lighting. The only actual change to the exterior “shell” of the house was the introduction of a low “gull-wing” roof with wood soffits above the central atrium space, to add drama and bring natural light into the entry gallery space.
Interior spaces, including bedrooms and bathrooms, were re-planned and opened to each other, to greater natural light, to roof decks, and to the incredible views and sea-side environment. Living, sleeping, and bathing areas that started as staid spaces needed opening to the natural environment. Additions of large doors, folding glass walls and useable balconies were crucial to each space having a dialogue with the outdoors.
“Every day we live in here we just go, ‘Oh my God. Pinch me.’ We’re just living a dream. We have the most vast, expansive views and the wildlife is practically in our lap. One whole wall in the kitchen is windows. And the doors fold all the way open so on a nice day people can come out and
it’s heavenly.” – Homeowner
Interior spaces, including bedrooms and bathrooms, were re-planned and opened to each other, to greater natural light, to roof decks, and to the incredible views and sea-side environment. Living, sleeping, and bathing areas that started as staid spaces needed opening to the natural environment. Additions of large doors, folding glass walls and useable balconies were crucial to each space having a dialogue with the outdoors.
The owner’s extensive art collection was highlighted and became the focus of interior places, well-lit naturally and through a new lighting system. The house was soon rebranded by neighbors to “The Gallery.”
Energy use and sustainable systems were a key component of the design which used high-efficacy lighting, better cladding on a rain-screen system, high-efficiency doors and windows, new insulation, and weather barriers, and which added a photovoltaic-generated electrical system. The contemporary design sought to integrate all these systems, materials, and finishes into a seamless whole that lent interest and drama to a residence which was previously lusterless.
Learn more about how we design for homeowner art collections here, and see examples of other transformations Rhodes Architecture + Light has completed here.
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