A Modern House of stone+glass

DEFT UPDATES TO THIS 1951 SEATTLE HOUSE BROUGHT OUT ITS BEST ORIGINAL FEATURES: WALLS OF GLASS, BURNISHED WOODWORK AND BUILT-INS, CURVING GLASS BLOCK, AND MODERN ELEGANCE.

- BRIAN D. COLEMAN

On walks taken through this woodsy neighborhood in north Seattle, Kevin Dodge and Darin Collins kept an eye out for just the right home—a house with character, on a lot big enough to run their Saluki dogs. Intrigued by a glimpse of a Modern movement house, they walked down the long, winding drive and knocked at the door. The house wasn’t for sale then, but they visited the owner over the next three years, at which point, to the partners’ delight, the owners agreed to sell to them.

A custom-build in 1951, the secluded house nestles in banks of rhododendron and stately cedars with a backdrop of towering Douglas firs. Forest light filters in through floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Stone brings nature indoors in the Modern design. Set on nearly two acres behind a four-acre conservancy, the place has become a perfect retreat for the couple and their dogs.