Architecture firm GO'C has completed The Rambler, a striking brick-screened residence nestled within the heavily wooded landscape northwest of Seattle. The luminous three-bedroom, two-bath home sits on a cherished piece of family property on the Kitsap Peninsula, just blocks away from a small beach town. Despite its modest 1,700 square feet, the dwelling creates a powerful connection between its inhabitants and the natural environment through thoughtful design and careful material selection.
Designed specifically for a musician and an architect, The Rambler demonstrates how compact living can be both functional and inspiring. The architects at GO'C organized the home with a straightforward program that maximizes the potential of its forest setting. The structure extends its influence far beyond its physical footprint through roof terraces and screen walls that create functional outdoor spaces on all sides. These elements frame opportunities for a garden, future guest house, and gatherings around a firepit, while the elevated roof terrace offers sweeping views of the sky and surrounding trees.
The design philosophy centers on a solid rectangular volume that stretches horizontally across the wooded site. This fundamental form is strategically punctured and carved to achieve a careful balance between privacy and openness, allowing natural light and ventilation to flow throughout the interior spaces. The relationship between the ground plane and the roof is central to the architectural concept, with the home's horizontal emphasis creating a strong connection to the earth below.
A raised concrete base serves multiple functions as both structural foundation and heating system, with radiant hydronic piping integrated directly into the floor slab. This concrete platform provides stability and establishes a solid visual presence that contrasts beautifully with the lighter, more porous elements above. The substantial base creates a sense of permanence while supporting the home's innovative heating solution.
The roof plane emerges as a defining architectural feature, sheltering the living spaces below while providing generous outdoor areas for the residents. Strategic carving in select areas allows light and fresh air to enter the home, creating dramatic voids that open directly to the sky and surrounding forest canopy. These carefully planned apertures cast slices of natural light across the walls and fill interior spaces with a soft, ethereal glow throughout the day.
Standing as the single vertical element in the predominantly horizontal design, a site-cast fireplace and chimney serves as a sculptural totem marking the heart of the living space. This central feature represents the home's soul and creates a natural gathering point for residents and guests. The fireplace's substantial presence anchors the open living areas and provides a focal point for daily activities.
The material palette reflects a deep commitment to durability and timeless aesthetics that will improve with age. Full-height masonry walls with deeply raked mortar joints create textural contrast against the smooth concrete surfaces while ensuring long-term structural integrity. The architects selected materials specifically for their low-maintenance qualities and ability to weather gracefully in the Pacific Northwest climate.
Local materials play a crucial role in connecting the home to its immediate environment. Douglas fir harvested directly from the building site was carefully milled and incorporated into the roof's finish lid, kitchen shelving, and even a custom coffee table. Cedar, also milled on-site, was used for the entry door, built-in benches, and privacy fencing, creating a seamless integration between the structure and its natural surroundings.
Brick screen walls extend beyond the home's footprint into the surrounding landscape, creating semi-enclosed exterior rooms that filter light while providing privacy from neighboring properties. These permeable barriers dissolve the traditional boundaries between interior and exterior spaces, allowing the vibrant green of the forest to flow directly up to the perimeter walls and, in some cases, into the home itself.
The entry garden exemplifies this philosophy of landscape integration, creating a transitional space that invites the natural environment directly into the heart of the residence. This bucolic merger of nature and architecture ensures that The Rambler remains an integral part of the land it occupies rather than an imposition upon it. The home was realized through close collaboration with local craftsmen, whose years of shared experience and expertise in traditional building techniques helped shape the residence's distinctive character and connection to regional building traditions.
