The Snow Creek Residence is a compact three bedroom home designed on a secluded site for a young family with a limited budget. Located on the steep slope, the home opens to south-facing balconies at both levels. The high, vaulted ceilings and large windows welcome an abundance of natural light into the home during the day.

Natural materials, including exposed Douglas-fir beams on the main floor and maple ceilings throughout, give the home warmth and speak to the home’s Pacific Northwest heritage.

The main living spaces are all open to each other; the kitchen flows through the dining area and down a couple of steps into the living room. The decks adjacent to the dining and living areas add to the living space in good weather. The compact and efficient floor plan also incorporates a home office and a small library.

The open plan allows circulation from room to room, thus eliminating the need for hallways, which are typically inefficent uses of space. “In-between” spaces are treated as special places of their own. Upstairs an open area, adjacent to the bedrooms and designed with built-in bookcases, functions as a play area for the kids. The two children’s rooms are separated by a pocket door making it easy to open the rooms to one another and increase the playing space.