Project Type: New Construction, built in 2022

Perched atop a steep bluff overlooking Puget Sound, the Normandy Park Residence is organized as an L-shaped composition that embraces an exterior vehicular courtyard. One wing houses a three-car garage with a two-bedroom guest house above, while the other is anchored by a brick-clad gable façade that marks the home's main entry. Connecting the two is a floor-to-ceiling glass arcade overlooking a serene reflecting pond, creating a transparent threshold between architecture and landscape.

The home's exterior is defined by a restrained material palette of vertical and horizontal wood siding, brick, and expansive glazing that fills the interior with natural light while framing views of the surrounding landscape and Puget Sound beyond.

At the heart of the home, an open-concept living space brings together the kitchen, dining, and family rooms. Large sliding glass doors provide a seamless connection to a covered and heated outdoor living area, extending the home's gathering spaces year-round. The kitchen is thoughtfully designed with professional-grade appliances, a generous island for cooking and entertaining, and custom cabinetry that balances beauty and functionality.

The main level also includes a private study that opens onto the glass arcade and a spacious scullery pantry that provides convenient access between the garage and kitchen, supporting the practical rhythms of everyday living.

The upper level is anchored by the primary suite and a two-story rooftop deck that captures sweeping views of Puget Sound. Native plantings and thoughtfully selected materials further connect the home to its setting, creating a residence that is both contemporary and timeless.

Landscape Architecture: Studio Terrain

General Contractor: Terrain Signature Properties

Project Type: New Construction, built in 2023

Designed as a contemporary interpretation of timeless residential architecture, this Normandy Park residence is organized around symmetry, natural light, and flexible living. The home's composition begins with two equal brick-clad gabled forms that frame the entry, creating a sense of balance and permanence while establishing its distinctive architectural identity.

Beyond the two-story entry, the main living spaces unfold in an open and inviting arrangement designed for both everyday living and entertaining. At the heart of the home, a generously scaled kitchen was conceived around a single design idea—a large picture window spanning the length of the workspace without upper cabinetry. By allowing natural light to flood the room and frame views of the surrounding landscape, the kitchen becomes both a functional workspace and an inviting place to gather.

The kitchen, dining, and living areas seamlessly extend to a covered outdoor living room through oversized sliding glass doors, blurring the boundary between indoors and out. Designed for year-round enjoyment of the Pacific Northwest climate, the covered terrace incorporates an outdoor kitchen, generous seating areas, and intimate gathering spaces that naturally become an extension of the home's interior.

The upper level balances openness with privacy through a thoughtfully organized floor plan anchored by the primary suite and secondary bedrooms. An open gallery overlooking the entry below reinforces the home's sense of volume and connection while carefully framed windows capture natural light and territorial views throughout the day. A private rooftop deck, accessed by a spiral stair, provides a secluded retreat immersed within the surrounding tree canopy.

Flexibility was a guiding principle throughout the design. The residence incorporates a fully appointed guest house complete with its own living area, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, laundry, and private entrance. Designed to evolve with the changing needs of its occupants, the space can comfortably accommodate extended family, long-term guests, rental opportunities, or serve as an additional primary suite.

Thoughtfully detailed and carefully proportioned, the home demonstrates that contemporary design need not sacrifice warmth or livability. From its light-filled interiors to its seamless connection with the outdoors, the residence was designed to support the many ways a home can adapt and grow over time.

Landscape Architecture: Studio Terrain

General Contractor: Terrain Signature Properties

Project Type: New Construction, built in 2024

Designed for a narrow 40-foot-wide urban lot, the Courtyard House is organized around a private, south-facing outdoor room that serves as the heart of the home. Rather than relegating outdoor living to the rear yard, the design wraps the house around a covered courtyard, creating a protected gathering space that brings natural light deep into the interior while maintaining privacy from neighboring properties.

The simple gabled forms frame views across the courtyard from both levels of the home, establishing a strong visual connection between the interior and landscape. Expansive glazing and large sliding doors extend the main living spaces outdoors, while integrated lighting and overhead heaters allow the covered patio to function as a year-round extension of the home.

The 3,040-square-foot residence is organized around an open kitchen, dining, and living area designed to maximize openness and connection. Nine-foot ceilings on the main level create a sense of spaciousness, while vaulted ceilings framed by scissor trusses bring volume and natural light to the upper floor. A dramatic stair hall illuminated by a multi-story window wall provides a visual connection between the two levels and further reinforces the home's emphasis on light and openness.

Designed as an urban infill speculative residence for a local builder, the home includes four bedrooms within the primary residence and an accessory dwelling unit above the garage with its own exterior entry, providing flexibility for guests, multigenerational living, or rental income.

By turning inward rather than outward, the Courtyard House transforms the constraints of a narrow urban site into opportunities for privacy, light, and year-round indoor-outdoor living.

General Contractor: Emerald City Construction

Project Type: New Construction, built in 2018

Situated on a compact lot in Seattle's Laurelhurst neighborhood, this residence offers a contemporary interpretation of traditional farmhouse architecture. Its design balances timeless forms and natural materials with the openness and flexibility demanded by modern living, creating a home that feels both familiar and distinctly contemporary.

Thoughtful planning allows the home to live well beyond its footprint. The interior is organized around light-filled gathering spaces that promote connection while providing a comfortable rhythm for everyday life. High ceilings and carefully placed windows introduce abundant natural light throughout the home, creating a sense of openness and warmth that extends across each level.

Natural materials—including wood, metal, and stone—are used with restraint to bring texture and warmth to the interior palette, reinforcing the home's timeless character. Contemporary detailing and thoughtfully integrated technologies further support the way the family lives today without competing with the architecture itself.

Designed to accommodate both quiet moments and lively gatherings, the home demonstrates how traditional architectural influences can be thoughtfully reimagined for modern family living. The result is a residence that feels warm, welcoming, and enduring—equally rooted in tradition and responsive to the needs of contemporary life.

Project Type: Addition and Extensive Remodel, built in 2023

Designed as a home for gathering, growing, and everyday family life, this 3,695 square foot residence balances generous entertaining spaces with quieter moments of retreat. The exterior composition is defined by a pair of deconstructed gable forms flanking the entry. Their vertical expression establishes a sense of rhythm and proportion while providing a deliberate counterpoint to the low, horizontal massing of the garage volume.

At the heart of the home, a double-height living room creates a dramatic focal point while maintaining a sense of warmth through richly layered materials and custom millwork. Ten-foot ceilings throughout the main level and expansive glazing reinforce the feeling of openness and light, creating visual connections between the home's formal and informal spaces.

Designed in close collaboration with the client, a professional chef, the kitchen became one of the project's defining elements. The formal kitchen and dining space is conceived as the social center of the home, anchored by an oversized island and a large picture window that floods the space with natural light. Concealed beyond pocket doors, a fully equipped working kitchen accommodates professional-grade appliances and allows meal preparation, entertaining, and everyday family life to coexist seamlessly.

Private spaces are thoughtfully organized on the upper level, including a dedicated guest suite that provides flexibility for visiting family and friends. Spaces for work, media, and gathering are carefully woven throughout the home, reflecting the clients' desire to create a place equally suited for hosting extended family, raising their growing family, and embracing the rituals of daily life.

The result is a highly personalized home that balances architectural restraint with richly expressive interiors—a residence shaped as much by the lives of its owners as by the spaces themselves.

General Contractor: Emerald City Construction

Project Type: New Construction, built in 2017

Located along a Kirkland alley, this accessory dwelling unit was designed to demonstrate that compact living need not compromise comfort, craftsmanship, or character. Positioned above a two-car garage, the home makes thoughtful use of its modest footprint through an open and efficient floor plan that feels both spacious and inviting.

Inspired by traditional Pacific Northwest architecture, the exterior is defined by a low-pitched roof with generous overhangs, exposed rafters and beams, and carefully detailed wall brackets that celebrate the beauty of simple construction. A restrained material and color palette, complemented by wide trim detailing and natural wood accents, lends the home a warm and timeless character. An elevated covered deck extends the living spaces outdoors, providing a sheltered place to enjoy the changing seasons.

Inside, vaulted ceilings and expansive windows fill the home with natural light and create a sense of openness that belies its size. Built-in cabinetry, wide-plank flooring, and thoughtfully crafted wood details reinforce the home's emphasis on quality craftsmanship and efficient use of space. Every element was carefully considered to support comfortable everyday living without unnecessary complexity or excess.

The open-concept living area seamlessly integrates the kitchen, dining, and gathering spaces, while a private bedroom and full bath provide all of the amenities of a larger home in a compact and highly functional design.

This project reflects the belief that great design is not measured in square footage, but in the quality of the spaces it creates—demonstrating how an accessory dwelling unit can feel generous, enduring, and deeply connected to the way people live.

Project Type: New Construction, built in 2021

Located in the heart of suburban Kirkland, this residence offers a contemporary interpretation of Prairie-style architecture. Defined by its low-sloping rooflines, generous overhangs, and strong horizontal expression, the home balances timeless architectural principles with modern living. A carefully composed palette of natural materials—including wood columns and board-and-batten siding—is complemented by expansive glazing and understated metal accents that lend the home a refined contemporary character.

A dramatic two-story entry establishes a sense of openness upon arrival and serves as the organizing element of the home. From here, a broad staircase provides a visual connection between the home's public and private spaces, while the main living areas unfold in an open and inviting arrangement designed for everyday family life and entertaining.

The kitchen, dining, and living spaces flow seamlessly together and extend outward through oversized sliding glass doors to a covered and heated outdoor living area—blurring the boundary between indoors and out while creating opportunities for year-round enjoyment of the Pacific Northwest climate.

The upper level is thoughtfully designed as a retreat for both relaxation and recreation. Among its most distinctive features is a spacious media room concealed behind a secret bookcase door, introducing an element of surprise and playfulness that reflects the personalities of the family who call this home.

By combining Prairie-inspired design with contemporary materials and thoughtfully crafted spaces, the residence offers a warm, welcoming environment that is equally suited to quiet moments and lively gatherings.

General Contractor: Emerald City Construction

Project Type: Interior Remodel, built in 2022

Without expanding the home's original footprint, this 2,000-square-foot remodel reimagines the 1,145-square-foot main floor as an open, light-filled living environment that feels substantially larger than before.

The existing low ceilings and compartmentalized floor plan were transformed by removing the flat ceilings and introducing a new vaulted ceiling that follows the slope of the roof above. Extending through the living, dining, and kitchen spaces, the vaulted volume creates a sense of openness while visually connecting spaces that were once separated.

Central to the design was relocating the kitchen and opening it to the adjacent living and dining areas, establishing it as the heart of the home for both everyday living and entertaining. A new window wall overlooking the existing deck, together with enlarged and strategically placed windows throughout the main floor, floods the interior with natural light while framing filtered views of Lake Washington from the kitchen and adjoining living spaces.

The bedroom, office, and bathroom were similarly reconfigured to improve functionality and bring additional daylight deep into the home. Although no square footage was added, the thoughtful manipulation of light, volume, and spatial relationships has fundamentally transformed the experience of the house—creating a home that feels brighter, larger, and more connected to both its occupants and its surroundings.

General Contractor: Emerald City Construction

Project Type: Interior Remodel, built in 2014

Situated between Seattle's Arboretum and Volunteer Park, this Capitol Hill residence was thoughtfully transformed over three phases to better support the evolving needs of its owners while making efficient use of previously underutilized space.

The first phase addressed the limitations of the original upper level, where a single bathroom served three bedrooms. By reimagining unused attic space, the design introduced a private primary suite complete with a spacious walk-in closet and a light-filled bathroom featuring dual vanities, a private water closet, and a shower designed to accommodate sauna functionality. The result is a quiet retreat that seamlessly integrates with the character of the existing home while significantly enhancing its livability.

The second phase focused on unlocking the potential of the unfinished basement, transforming it into a welcoming guest suite with a private bedroom, bathroom, and flexible living space that serves as a media room for everyday enjoyment and entertaining alike.

Several years later, the home's new owners commissioned the third phase of the renovation to reimagine the heart of the home. Structural modifications allowed for the introduction of a new beam that opened the kitchen to the adjacent dining area, creating a more connected and light-filled living environment. The redesign included a generous island and a complete kitchen remodel that better supports both everyday family life and entertaining while remaining sympathetic to the home's architectural character.

Together, the three phases demonstrate how thoughtful planning can allow a home to evolve gracefully over time. By identifying opportunities within the existing structure rather than pursuing unnecessary expansion, each renovation builds upon the last—creating spaces that are functional, enduring, and carefully tailored to the people who live there.

Project Type: New Construction, built in 2015

Situated on a compact Mercer Island lot, this residence demonstrates how thoughtful design can transform site constraints into opportunities. Every aspect of the home was carefully considered to maximize functionality, natural light, and a sense of openness while making efficient use of the available space.

The home's contemporary architectural language is defined by the interplay of strong horizontal and vertical elements, articulated through interweaving sloped rooflines that create a dynamic and distinctive silhouette. Expansive glazing and a restrained material palette further reinforce the home's clean and timeless character.

At the heart of the residence is an open and inviting living environment where the kitchen, dining, and living spaces flow seamlessly together. Designed to support both everyday living and entertaining, the main gathering spaces feel remarkably spacious despite the home's modest footprint. The kitchen is anchored by a generous island and custom cabinetry that balances beauty with practicality, while carefully placed windows bring abundant natural light deep into the interior.

Covered and open-air decks extend the living spaces outdoors, providing opportunities for year-round enjoyment while maintaining privacy through the thoughtful use of exterior wood slat screening. Throughout the home, large glass openings frame views of the surrounding landscape and create a strong connection between indoor and outdoor spaces. The family room, centered around a linear fireplace and wrapped in windows, offers a warm and light-filled place to gather throughout the seasons.

This project reflects a guiding principle—that exceptional homes are not defined by their size, but by how thoughtfully they respond to the people who live in them and the sites on which they are built.

Architect of record: Brad Sturman of Sturman Architects in Bellevue where Aaron Heckman served as senior designer for this project prior to forming HECKMAN Architects in February 2016.

Photo Credit: Sturman Architects

Project Type: Addition and Remodel, built in 2011

Located on a secluded flag lot with access to Lake Washington, this Mercer Island residence underwent a comprehensive transformation that thoughtfully reimagined both the home and its connection to the outdoors. The extensive remodel included a new northwest wing and a 2,400-square-foot basement addition, creating generous and flexible living spaces while preserving a cohesive architectural identity throughout.

A primary design goal was to enhance the experience of outdoor living and establish a seamless relationship between the home's interior and landscape. Organized around spaces for gathering and relaxation, the rear of the property features a swimming pool, spa, and covered outdoor living area anchored by a substantial fireplace and radiant heaters—creating a comfortable year-round retreat in the Pacific Northwest climate.

The architectural palette is intentionally restrained, relying on the interplay of contrasting textures, materials, and subtle patterns to create visual interest while maintaining a sense of unity. Carefully considered detailing allows the various additions and renovations to feel as though they have always been part of the original home.

Throughout the residence, thoughtfully planned spaces balance everyday functionality with opportunities for entertaining, creating a home that feels equally suited to quiet family life and larger gatherings. The result is a timeless and cohesive design that celebrates both its unique setting and the enduring value of indoor-outdoor living.

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Architect of record: Brad Sturman of Sturman Architects in Bellevue where Aaron Heckman served as senior designer for this project prior to forming HECKMAN Architects in February 2016.

Photo Credit: Sturman Architects

Project Type: Addition and Remodel, built in 2014

Originally designed by architect Stuart Silk, this residence was thoughtfully reimagined to reflect the clients' preference for a contemporary rustic aesthetic inspired by natural materials, warmth, and a strong connection to outdoor living. The comprehensive renovation transformed both the home's interior and exterior while honoring the quality and craftsmanship of the original architecture.

Every aspect of the design was reconsidered to create a more relaxed and inviting environment tailored to the way the family lives and entertains. A restrained palette of natural materials and contemporary detailing brings warmth and cohesion to the home, creating spaces that feel timeless, comfortable, and deeply connected to their surroundings.

Outdoor living became a central focus of the transformation. A covered living area anchored by a fireplace, a covered outdoor barbecue pavilion, and a swimming pool with an expansive deck extend the home's gathering spaces beyond its walls, offering opportunities for year-round enjoyment of the Pacific Northwest landscape.

From the largest architectural interventions to the smallest details, the residence was carefully reimagined to reflect the personalities and lifestyle of its owners. The result is a home that balances contemporary comfort with natural warmth—demonstrating how thoughtful design can breathe new life into an existing residence while creating a place that feels uniquely its own.

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Architect of record: Brad Sturman of Sturman Architects in Bellevue where Aaron Heckman served as senior designer for this project prior to forming HECKMAN Architects in February 2016.

Photo Credit: Sturman Architects