wittman estes builds a home with integrated creative studios

french creek workshop house: living in washington wetlands

Washington-based architecture studio Wittman Estes completes its French Creek Workshops House among the sprawling, forested area of Snohomish. The a four-and-a-half-acre site is located alongside a wetland once used as an animal sanctuary. Conceived as a year-round retreat for a newly retired couple, the project balances shelter during the long, wet season with openness during warmer months.

The single-level home is arranged for aging-in-place and multigenerational use, with a plan that follows the gentle slope of the land through subtle terracing. Wide doorways, flush thresholds, and sandblasted concrete floors support steady movement throughout the 2,471-square-foot residence, while the building’s low stance allows it to settle into the landscape without becoming an obstruction.

images © Andrew Pogue

Wittman Estes’ interiors balance craft and durability

The design team at Wittman Estes curates the interior palette of its French Creek Workshop House to express a dialogue between durability and craft. Locally-sourced fir and cedar bring warmth to spaces shaped by concrete and terrazzo, while reddish-brown soffits and a vivid blue kitchen wall introduce moments of color that register against the muted palette. Cast-in-place concrete floors with hydronic radiant heating continue onto exterior patios and paths, extending the sense of continuity across thresholds.

Personal fabrication plays a visible role throughout the house. Slatted wood screens made by the owners filter daylight in the living room and enclose the exterior loading dock, while hand-blown glass works animate shelves in the dining area. ‘They wanted the home to be an expression of who they are,’ says Matt Wittman. ‘Now, they can live and create side by side — gracefully and seamlessly.’

the house sits beside a wetland on a former animal sanctuary in Snohomish, Washington

workshops and living areas encircle a courtyard pond

An essential component of the Wittman Estes-designed French Creek Workshop compound are its creative studios. Spaces for woodworking, metalworking, and glass art connect to the main house through sheltered walkways and gardens. The workshops are separated from the living spaces to prevent noise and dust, while the zone between the built spaces becomes a lush, gardened courtyard. The primary 1,471-square-foot studio rises beneath a shed roof oriented toward north-facing clerestory windows, delivering even, diffused light suited to detailed work.

The courtyard draws from the Roman impluvium, a system of collecting rainwater from surrounding roofs and into a reflecting pool. During storms, water sheets from roof edges into planted basins, turning rainfall into a daily, observable event. Gardens radiate outward from this center and transition gradually from cultivated ground to more natural growth, all maintained by the owners themselves.

a single level plan supports aging in place and multigenerational living