Architects Find 2 Houses At Home On Bainbridge Island

Two Bainbridge Island homes that bend traditional architecture in different directions, yet still reflect the island motif, share honors this month as Seattle Times/AIA Home of the Month.

The first house, on a 1-acre beach lot on Manzanita Bay, was designed by Seattle architect Martin Henry Kaplan to take full advantage of its exposure to the bay. Straight lines and a geometric floor plan create an open living area that devotes space to everyday living. The result is a home with the cozy character of an East Coast beach house.

The other house, which sits among tall evergreen trees on a small wooded inland lot, was designed by Bainbridge Island architect Tom Johnston. The two-story structure looks like a traditional home on the outside, but inside it takes on the character of a tree house. Johnston's playful design uses crooked stairways, interior windows, plant sills and a studio loft to enhance the impression.

Neither house is for sale. Both are open from noon to 4 p.m. today.

Both houses received high marks from the design committee - all members of the Seattle chapter, American Institute of Architects - for exterior appearance, craftsmanship, logical floor plans and designs that use cedar shingle exteriors to blend with the island environment.

The Kaplan house

Kaplan's Manzanita Bay house focuses attention on the waterfront and distant views of the Olympic Mountains.

A long driveway winds through dense trees to the main entry. The arched entry starts with an open trellis and leads to a covered porch at the doors. Kaplan said the technique gives visitors a clue to the home's detailed construction.

Once inside, the foyer is a strategic hub. Views down the hallway through windows to the bay draw visitors inside. Ten French doors stretch across the northwest side of the home, allowing views outside from almost every room on the main floor.

To the left of the foyer there is a hallway to the garage, a stairway to the three bedrooms upstairs, and the dining room and kitchen. To the right is the living room.

The living room ceiling vaults to more than 20 feet. Eight eyebrow ceiling windows bring in extra light. The series of decorative trusses that breaks the ceiling space drew concern from some committee members. Stephen Bobbitt, AIA committee chairman, said the members felt the trusses were unnecessary.

``I think most members felt the room could have been just as successful without them,'' Bobbitt said.

The kitchen is at the opposite end of the house.

Kaplan said fireplaces were placed at each end of the home, in the living room and kitchen, to serve as design anchors.

An exterior cedar deck stretches the entire length of the western side. The overhead trellis is supported by seven wooden columns.

Stepping back from the deck and looking at what is actually the main face, visitors see the traditional East Coast styling - steep-pitched roof, supporting columns, first-floor windows, deck and full-length veranda.

Committee members almost uniformly complimented Kaplan for matching the house to the site. ``Fits beautifully,'' one wrote.

A separate garage is to be built near the main entrance.

The Johnston house

The Johnston house on Wing Point resembles a San Francisco summer cottage. Set among the trees, it has the feeling of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house.

Visitors enter from a covered walkway and step into a small foyer and hallway. A powder room and guest bedroom are to the left, a corner hallway to the upstairs and another to an unfinished full basement are to the right.

The living room is down the main floor hallway. Its ceiling rises more than 20 feet. The peaked wall is made with glass sections, providing views of the tall evergreen trees. A plant shelf divides the glass midway. Double doors lead to an exterior deck.

Committee members said the design is ``open and airy,'' yet retains privacy by being well-placed among the trees. However, some committee members were concerned about the use of wall shelves. Johnston said the shelves were designed to hold the owners extensive plant collection.

A dining room and kitchen also are on the main floor, with another set of double doors that will lead from the dining room into a yet-to-be-built greenhouse.

The stairway leading to the second floor turns three times. There's an open studio at the top. The master bedroom, with its own bathroom and walk-in closet, occupies the remainder of the floor. Interior windows in the bedroom overlook the living room and capture outdoor views through the living room windows.

The loft sits above the master bedroom and will be reachable by a short stairway. Two loft skylights allow views of the trees outside.

There is a second, 575-square-foot loft above the separate double garage. The loft has its own kitchen and bathroom.

Committee members gave Johnston's house slightly higher marks than they did Kaplan's Manzanita Bay house. Finer detail work seemed to be the reason. Although overall square footage is larger in the Johnston house, the finished floor space is less, allowing more of the construction budget to be spent on detailing.

DETAILS -- THE KAPLAN-MANZANITA BAY HOUSE

Address: Bergman Road, Manzanita Bay.

Construction cost: $290,000.

Open house: Noon to 4 p.m.

House size: 2,934 square feet.

Architect: Martin Henry Kaplan, The MHK Architects, Seattle.

Project architect: Matthew Roewe.

General Contractor: Richard Blumenthal Construction.

Structural Engineer: Swenson Engineers.

DETAILS -- THE JOHNSTON-HIGH POINT HOUSE

Address: 7126 Wing Pint Road.

Construction cost: 244,500.

Open house: Noon to 4 p.m.

House size: Total possible living space is 4,445 square feet, divided as follows: primary living area, 2,290; unfinished basement, 1,100; greenhouse, 160; loft, 320; garage loft. 575.

Architect: Tom Johnston, The Johnston Associates Inc., Bainbridge Island.

General contractor: Maire & Sons General Contractors.