Small Footprint, Big Impact
An ADU with Room for Work and Play
Seattle, Washington
Architecture: Paul Moon Design
Interior Design: karin deYoung-wood
Contractor: W.S. Feldt
Architecture: Paul Moon Design
Interior Design: karin deYoung-wood
Contractor: W.S. Feldt
The child of a stately 1907 Tudor home near the shore of Lake Washington in Seattle, this accessory dwelling unit was a born multitasker—a guest cottage, work studio, and nightclub of sorts.
Located in the back of the property, the modest structure had to fit the look of its parent. It also needed to adhere to the main house’s value of top craft quality. But like many children, it wanted to take a more modern and independent approach.
Architect Paul Moon, who had renovated the main house, designed the details of the cottage’s exterior to speak the same language, without ignoring its own, more contemporary sensibility. The architectural family portrait is cohesive without being void of individual personalities.
While it gave a nod to the stately Tudor architecture that sat next to it, this offspring had the freedom to develop its own interior character and serve its own purpose. The foe in that effort was the limited square footage.
Henrybuilt joined the team to take the challenge head on: bringing elegant utility to the small space.
Henrybuilt joined the team to take the challenge head on: bringing elegant utility to the small space.
To fit living, working, entertaining, and cooking spaces into 600 square feet is one thing. Doing it in a way that feels composed, relaxed, and functional is another. Henrybuilt applied a holistic, system-thinking approach to create the artful composition. Careful consideration was paid to scale, proportion, transparency, and positive and negative space, resulting in a refined and cohesive feel.
“This is not your typical crowded small apartment,” says Moon. “Henrybuilt's system was efficient and flexible in a way that created space and breathing room.”
“This is not your typical crowded small apartment,” says Moon. “Henrybuilt's system was efficient and flexible in a way that created space and breathing room.”
The efficiencies of specialized functional storage provide room to move more freely and naturally. These unique-to-Henrybuilt products, like the integrated knife block, create a high-functioning quietness, with everything in its place.
The cottage’s size demanded a high level of flexibility and adaptability, more so than its old-fashioned parent.
Enter the multitasker: Opencase. The cottage’s design maximized the integration of Henrybuilt’s open-wall solution that combines the beauty and substance of architectural wall paneling with specialized functionality. It has the ability to address the changing needs of daily life; the intelligence to switch between tasks.
In the main living room, one wall performs multiple tasks at once, in a compositionally elegant fashion—work space during the day; music and movie studio at night.
Enter the multitasker: Opencase. The cottage’s design maximized the integration of Henrybuilt’s open-wall solution that combines the beauty and substance of architectural wall paneling with specialized functionality. It has the ability to address the changing needs of daily life; the intelligence to switch between tasks.
In the main living room, one wall performs multiple tasks at once, in a compositionally elegant fashion—work space during the day; music and movie studio at night.
Behind its feeling of crafted permanence, Opencase is a quick-change artist. It can be easily reconfigured, enabling the clients to adapt it to their changing needs or whims.
With interchangeable elements, the daytime drop zone can be transformed into a host’s bar for evening entertaining. It’s a low-lift, high-impact way to activate the space or create an entirely new interior environment.
Dive Deeper Into Opencase
With interchangeable elements, the daytime drop zone can be transformed into a host’s bar for evening entertaining. It’s a low-lift, high-impact way to activate the space or create an entirely new interior environment.
Dive Deeper Into Opencase
That same sophistication was applied in how it looks and feels. The project’s sensibility demanded a modernist aesthetic without sacrificing the craft quality evident in the post and beam construction of the main house.
Durable walnut was the material of choice—impeccably crafted with details that disappear, except in feel, function, and durability. From solid-wood edge banding milled by hand to heirloom-grade solid brass hardware, the materials and methods are guaranteed to stand the test of time, not only physically but in terms of design.
Durable walnut was the material of choice—impeccably crafted with details that disappear, except in feel, function, and durability. From solid-wood edge banding milled by hand to heirloom-grade solid brass hardware, the materials and methods are guaranteed to stand the test of time, not only physically but in terms of design.
While beauty inside the cottage runs deep, the surface wasn’t ignored. Finish choices were key to the composition and the feeling of connection and containment.
Different tones were used to create distinction between the spaces. Dark “iron”-stained walnut in the kitchen creates a threshold between the adjacent living area, finished in a natural walnut finish.
Different tones were used to create distinction between the spaces. Dark “iron”-stained walnut in the kitchen creates a threshold between the adjacent living area, finished in a natural walnut finish.
Like a well-composed painting, there is visual coherence as your eye moves through the space. The consistency of the quality and the species of the wood is the connecting thread—rhythm and unity; balance and contrast.
Designed for function and beauty. Crafted to endure. Adaptable and interchangeable to address daily life’s many evolutions. It’s an ADU with a mind of its own.
