graypants glowing garage looks over puget sound

‘garage’ by graypants, seattle, washington, united states
image © amos morgan photography
all images courtesy of graypants

seattle and amsterdam-based design collective graypants debuts the ‘garage’ restoration project right on edge of puget sound. originally a dilapidated garage from the post world war II era, the project set out to update the structure’s use as a residential cabin that preserved the intricacies and stories of the old construction. contemporary elements have been skillfully mixed in with the old to give each piece a second life and in turn a renewed function in the space. upon entering through the corian sliding speakeasy cabinet, a century-old wood burning stove stands in beautiful contrast to the glowing canvas walls activated through a mobile phone. the aged wooden floor oriented in a way to bring the eye out towards the water reveals hidden beds that fold out into seats. a folding glass wall lifts to extend the usable space of the cabin onto the adjacent pebbled patio that forms the base for the structure. by exposing the square frame wide flange that supports the cabin, and illuminating the member from within the web, the cabin seems to almost float above the ground.

in the architect’s words:

‘the garage aims to make design mysterious. making mundane tasks of our lives into opportunities that create beauty through joyful interaction.  providing a canvas that allows imagination to make new old and old new.  the new becoming a theatre to watch the old gradually fade away.  this space wasn’t about ordinary… it was about touching on boundaries of what is ordinary.’

side view
image © amos morgan photography

entrance into the cabin
image © amos morgan photography

view towards the lake
image © amos morgan photography

image © amos morgan photography

rock bed beneath the cabin covered by wooden walkways
image © amos morgan photography

integrated shelves and desk
image © amos morgan photography

image © amos morgan photography

site plan and section

floor plan / level 0

diagram showing various functions

exploded axon