Out is In

Seattle weather gets a bad rap, but residents know the truth: Northwest summers are hard to top. Whether on an expansive deck, a patio in a pied-à-terre or 100 feet of waterfront, we know how to enjoy outdoor living.

For Issaquah’s Tom Foster, his wife, Cathie Coulter, and their 7-year-old daughter, Nicole, the line between outdoors and indoors is nearly invisible—and that’s just how they planned it. A 624-square-foot room off the kitchen is encased in seamless, floor-to-ceiling folding glass doors, through which the family enjoys unobstructed views of the wooded property surrounding their contemporary home. “It was designed to make us feel nestled into the woods,” homeowner Cathie explains. “And we never get tired of looking at the trees.”

In Cathie’s native Australia (where the family resided until three years ago) it’s common for homes to have outdoor living spaces. Almost every Australian home has an outdoor area for barbecuing year-round—even if it’s a simple tin roof over a patio. When Cathie’s family moved to the Seattle area, they knew they still wanted a space that would allow them to enjoy the outdoors at home, even during Northwest winters. Working with architect Curtis Gelotte, of Gelotte Hommas Architecture, to design their home in late 2006, they asked him to create a versatile area that could work year-round and would complement the family’s minimalist style.

Heated by a geothermal radiant heating system in the floor, the room is accessible via a set of slide-fold doors from the kitchen. Cathie and her family can open both sets of doors to open the kitchen to the outside or close off the room completely. It is a blank canvas for all of the family’s entertaining—the space has held big New Year’s parties, as well as laid-back summer dinners for a few close friends.

“Lifestyle-wise, we like to entertain at home,” Cathie says. When they first moved to the neighborhood, they invited about 50 of their neighbors over for drinks and homemade pizza. “We can accommodate a large group, but as  a family, we never feel like we’re swimming in excess space,” Cathie says.

When the doors are open, the space becomes an outdoor living room.

“We left it to Curtis Gelotte to create a simple style for us,” Cathie says. “It maximizes our ability to be in the forest, and we enjoy it all year long.”

This article originally appeared in the July-August 2010 issue of Seattle Homes & Lifestyles. All information in the article was accurate at presstime.

Architect: Curtis Gelotte, Gelotte Hommas Architecture, 3025 112th Ave. N.E., Ste. 110, Bellevue, (425) 828-3081.

Contractor: Owen Roberts, Roberts Wygal, 10634 E. Riverside Drive, Ste. 300, Bothell, (425) 483-0234.

Sources: Umbrella, Santa Barbara Umbrella with Sunbrella fabric, Santa Barbara Designs, $3,325 at Terris Draheim, 5600 Sixth Ave. S., (206) 763-4100; chairs, Bellini Chair by Heller, Inform Interiors, 2032 Eighth Ave., (206) 622-1608; plants, small citrus plants, Molbak’s, 13625 N.E. 175th St., Woodinville, (425) 483-5000; pots, self-watering system by Lechuza and Scheurich in white, Molbak’s; pizza oven, wood-fired Earthstone, model 90, Earthstone, (800) 840-4915; rug, Rotunda by Liora Manne, $45 per square foot at Stacy Logan, 409 First Ave. S., (206) 937-3333; pillows, charcoal pillows, Molbak’s; slide-fold doors, NanaWall, Laris Architectural Products, 11630 Slater Ave. N.E., Ste. 1, Kirkland, (425) 825-7900; slate tile, China Multi, American Slate, 711 S. Fidalgo St., (206) 938-3718; lanterns, Santorini Square Lanterns in weathered zinc, $19–$129 at Restoration Hardware, University Village, (206) 522-2775; planter, small Ming by Serralunga, $330 at Inform Interiors; plant, medium citrus plant, Molbak’s; fireplace, Heat & Glo, Thompson Hearth and Home, 680 N.W. Gilman Blvd., Issaquah, (425) 369-1400.