Kaplan Thompson Architects’ client was dreaming of a home that would stand in contrast to the cold, surgical sterility of contemporary modern spaces, seeking instead to create a simple-lined, open, warm, and sheltering environment surrounded and protected by the natural forest. This “barnhouse modern” concept places focus on exposed materials in their most basic form, which, when presented honestly, stand on their inherent beauty alone. This 2,400-square-foot house will have clean lines, hidden storage, and flowing spaces with transecting views that let the forest and natural light dominate.

The exterior will highlight tough, rugged, and organic materials like weathering steel, charred and stained cedar, hemlock timber framing, and glass railings applied in a dynamic “quilted” pattern. The materials were selected to patina and soften over time and melt away into the landscape. The landscape will be carefully restored to match the original forest canopy and floor as much as possible, with no lawn or other invasive plantings. The house will sit like a rough-hewn jewel in the forest, a quiet and calm retreat from city life a few minutes from downtown.