Wabi Sabi House

A Scandinavian architect’s family home in the Puget Sound.

This story begins in 1959, with a modest house built by a woman named Edith. Nearly seven decades, multiple additions, and seven owners later, the home had grown into a wild and wonderful hybrid. The existing 5,000-square-foot main house and 1,000-square-foot guest house formed a maze of rooms and styles, with a site plan that felt as improvised as the architecture itself. Beneath the disorder, however, was undeniable potential.

Rather than erase this history, the design embraces it. This major residential remodel melds the wabi-sabi philosophy of finding beauty in imperfection and the marks of time with the Scandinavian principles of clarity, light, and restraint. Tacked-on flourishes are removed, the material palette is unified, and strategic changes amplify the strong bones of the original structure. A simple organizational plan—inside and out—brings clarity to circulation, establishes well-proportioned rooms, and creates a cohesive relationship between buildings, gardens, and outdoor living spaces. The result is a clear architectural framework that brings order without erasure.

Designed for a large, active family, the home carefully balances togetherness and retreat. The central gathering space is a tupa, a Finnish word for a traditional large, multipurpose room with a fireplace, kitchen, and built-in seating. This room is generously sized to support shared activities while allowing for parallel use—being together without needing to do the same thing. Large openings and abundant daylight strengthen the connection between interior spaces and the garden. A future orangery is planned to extend outdoor living into the shoulder seasons and to house the family’s citrus tree collection.

Inside, exposed wood finishes ground the home in warmth and longevity, while the exterior is painted a dark, receding tone that allows the garden to be the focal point. The result is a calm, light-filled home shaped by time and use—an enduring framework that the family can continue to layer into and make their own.

Wabi Sabi House information

type: Residential
area: 5,000 SF main house + 1,000 SF guest house
year completed: currently in design
location: Port Orchard, WA

client: Private
house design: Studio Kamppari
landscape design: Studio Kamppari
windows: Loewen
decking: Kebony
wood paneling: Lunawood