Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Rugged Charm for a Washington Farmhouse
Horses sidle close to this rustic home and guest cottage, which keep the pastoral pace with generous wood and simple forms
“The concept for this house was to make it seem as though the guest cottage was the original farmhouse, and that the rest of it had grown over time,” says Dan Nelson, principal architect at Designs Northwest Architects. Together with project architect Shawn Sullivan, he designed a house that would fit into the eastern Washington thoroughbred farm by sticking with simple forms and elements, while making the most of the 360-degree pastoral views with windows and a wraparound porch.
Houzz at a Glance
Location: Ellensburg, Washington
Size: 2 bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms, plus guest cottage with 1 bedroom and 1½ baths
Photography by Lucas Henning
Houzz at a Glance
Location: Ellensburg, Washington
Size: 2 bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms, plus guest cottage with 1 bedroom and 1½ baths
Photography by Lucas Henning
The keys to the local farmhouse look are the wraparound veranda, pitched roof and simple form. “The vernacular style in eastern Washington is similar to what you’d see in Colorado and Montana,” says Nelson. “The farmhouses on the western side of the mountains have a more New England look.” This means these homes have more of a rugged, Western-ranch vibe.
The combined guest cottage and garage are on the left; the main house is to the right. A breezeway offers covered protection from the garage and parking pad to the main house’s mudroom entry.
Nelson wanted to differentiate the guest cottage from the main house. “The guest cottage has a different expression,” he says. It is a two-story structure with a simpler form; it has tighter eaves and a shingled roof; and the clapboard is painted white. The main house has wider eaves, stained western red cedar clapboards and a standing-seam metal roof.
Rough-sawn columns sit upon industrial concrete piers, with handmade cobbles below.
Rough-sawn columns sit upon industrial concrete piers, with handmade cobbles below.
Corner windows allow for vast views out to the pastures, while the wood frames give this modern element a traditional look. Open porch overhangs offer both shade and sunlight.
Nelson designed a stone cap for the fieldstone chimney. The dormer windows are operable.
The main living space is wide open yet cozy. The knotty pine ceiling, log railings, fieldstone chimney, antler chandelier and collar ties add rustic style.
Thick walls and nooks allow spaces for shelves and seating.
This custom built-in at the end of the dining room stands up to the scale of the room and serves as a buffet and bar. It has plenty of room for storing large platters, extra linens and candlesticks, and displaying favorite items.
While the kitchen is open to the main living space, its lower ceiling gives it intimacy.
A banquette and stone table create a breakfast nook between the kitchen and mudroom.
Built-in shelves surround the entryway to the master suite, serving as a transition zone from public to private spaces, Nelson says. A powder room is tucked to the right, and double doors lead to the bedroom.
The powder room continues the balance of rough-hewn and finished, with a blocky fir vanity and carved stone sink.
A careful alignment of openings from the living room through the master suite ends with this view out to the porch.
Continuous fir trims the windows and mirrors. Corner windows with transoms offer more views.
The loft space contains a study and overlooks the main living space.
Moseying over to the guest cottage … the main living space is also open in this building, and Nelson used similar refined yet rustic materials throughout.
The guest cottage also makes the most of the surrounding landscape. “The fences come up very close to the house, so they are able to enjoy watching the horses,” Nelson says.
A horse harness serves as a unique mirror frame in the powder room.
The loft has its own snug sitting area overlooking the main living area. The interior window shares light with the bedroom.
A built-in dressing table also serves as a desk.
Simple farmhouse style continues in the bathroom, via beadboard wainscoting, pedestal sinks and traditional sconces.
Are you working on (or dreaming of) your own modern farmhouse? Please tell us about it in the Comments!
Are you working on (or dreaming of) your own modern farmhouse? Please tell us about it in the Comments!