Johnston Architects

We recently purchased a piece of heaven in Okanogan County WA and have been searching shed roof cabin plans on Houzz. We keep going back to the pictures of cabins built by JA. We love how they unobtrusively blend with nature. Although our project is some what smaller, they have given us great ideas to incorporate into our "shed roof creation to be" Thanks JA and Houzz!

Johnston Architects is a very capable team of talented Architects and designers who create site-specific buildings that respect their surroundings and respond to the environment. As Landscape Architects we love working with a firm that has a deep respect for site design and understands the importance of place. JA is adept at making the best of site constraints in urban settings and respecting nature in rural environments. Their working style is positive and collaborative.

For a paragon of Pacific NW architecture, look no further than the Johnston Architects portfolio. We have had the pleasure of being specified in several Johnston projects spanning the last decade, and in each one our products are joined with a clean and rich palette of wood, metal and stone. Ray and Mary are a pleasure to work with and we gladly grant them a high recommendation.

We have had the tremendous pleasure of working with Ray and Mary on the design of our modern cabin. Our aim in starting this project was to create a home that was both interesting and highly functional. Ray's innovative approach to space and strong sensitivity to the natural surroundings perfectly matched with our vision. Both Ray and Mary were able to interpret our feelings of what the home needed to communicate and translate these raw ideas into a design that is unique but still fits within the community and within the natural landscape.

Johnston Architects was recommended to us to design a 2,000 sq. ft home specifically for the hills of Winthrop, Wa. Ray and Mary Johnston met with us and were attentive and very creative. We wanted a home that would maximize our beautiful views, keep the home cool in the heat of summer and a roof that would hold large amounts of snow during the winter. The Johnston's have been designing homes in the Methow Valley for over two decades. We toured several of these projects. With our specifications in mind they created a warm and comfortable space, great lighting, and energy efficiency. Their exterior design melds into the hills and open ground. The two bedroom, 2 bathroom home includes a shaded courtyard for shelter from the hot summer. During the construction phase, the Johnstons were always available and they worked very well and collaboratively with the contractor.

Johnston Architects is a collaborative firm whose design process is both innovative and respectful to natural features and character. As landscape architects, it is especially rewarding to work with an architecture firm that understands the value of site design. The are a very capable team of talented designers who create thoughtful, Eco-friendly buildings.

Working with Johnston Architects to develop customized plans for our cabin on Orcas Island was a fantastic experience. The team was extremely well organized, creative and responsive.

My husband and I hired Johnston Architects a few years ago to design a 2-bed, 2-bath vacation home and detached garage/office/guesthouse on our land in the Methow Valley of Washington state. We are delighted with what Ray and Mary Johnston and their talented team created for us -- a dwelling that takes full advantage of the expansive views but also efficiently shelters us from the Methow Valley's often brutal elements: frigid winters with copius snowfall, and summers with unrelenting sun. The finished product is a modern shed-roof structure that plays on the valley vernacular with a bit of a tongue-in-cheek twist in its exterior design, and uses natural materials native to Washingon state to drive a simple, yet elegant aesthetic in its interior design. The floor plan exhibits great economy of space: while there is no wasted space, there is plenty of storage and every room feels spacious and airy. Johnston Architects' site planning for our home is yet another thing we have appreciated. From a distance, the house blends in nearly perfectly with the surrounding terrain, with a roofline that echoes the slope of the foothills in the distance. What you get from that is a structure that isn't disruptive to the valley's priceless viewshed. One more thing - the crew at Johnston was a blast to work with! I'd design a dozen more homes with them if I could.