![]() “We tried not to take shortcuts, and find a smart, technically savvy way to do it,” Michael says. Protecting the beavers that are busy at work below the house, the nesting bald eagles, and the bobcats that make occasional appearances was a top priority. The Perssons refurbished the two existing docks and hired engineers to develop an intricate septic and filtration system to catch any contamination before it seeps into the lake. It has a very calming effect.” A Thomas Pederson Stingray rocking chair from Denmark sits in a corner to take in views from two angles. The house is sited 40 feet above the lake, so you feel like you’re hovering above it. “We wanted windows to surround our bedroom, so you sit up in bed and you feel like you’re in nature. We just limbed existing trees so we have privacy upstairs and never feel too exposed to the lake, but unobstructed views from the first floor,” Siobhán says. Wide plank floors are another nod to Scandinavian design. The lush, green rural surroundings reminded Michael of his native Denmark and his family’s quiet lake house in Sweden, and Siobhán of her childhood in Canada. They wanted space for native plants and rustic pathways, and a vegetable garden for Siobhán, who recently received a master gardener’s certificate. Their goal was to create some transparency, so you could stand at the front of the lot and look through the home to see the water. The basic premise, as Stephenson remembers it, was a two-story home with bedrooms on top to take advantage of the water views and the tree cover for privacy, and a living area below with outdoor access, all centered on a courtyard. It took us almost five years to solve it.” Pelican chair by Finn Juhl. Even though it’s two acres, they reported that there was no spot for a septic system because of the wetlands. ![]() “The first survey said that it was a trash lot. “We worked one step at a time,” Michael says. The pre-existing cabin allowed them to build a new, environmentally sensitive home. Story Equipped with built-in heaters and protection from the frequent rain, this outdoor patio functions as a second living room.īecause of land conservation easements written to protect the lake and surrounding wetlands, there were building codes in place that prevented new construction. ![]() “I went to see it on a whim and discovered it had 150 feet of shoreline.” The darkened exterior siding, which is cedar treated in a Japanese charring method called Shou Sugi Ban, resists insects and fading and blends into the forested landscape. “We didn’t realize there was a cabin on the property,” says Michael. The older boys grew up on the private lake, which is a 15-minute drive from the Microsoft headquarters, and also a world away. Michael has two children from a previous marriage and an infant with Siobhán. The couple discovered the neglected lot, which was the former site of a Boy Scout camp, when they spotted a for-sale sign while kayaking. “Of course, it wasn’t exactly how I imagined it, but the orientation is the same.” The 150 feet of lake frontage presented many opportunities and challenges for the Perssons, who were committed to developing the land-home to beavers, bobcats, and bald eagles-in an environmentally sensitive way. “I held up the game and said, ‘Can we build one of these?’ And Ryan took the challenge,” Michael says. He knew precisely how to replicate the terrain of their newly acquired lakefront lot near Redmond, Washington, to design a basic blueprint for a home that took full advantage of the site, which is a promontory with water views on three sides. It’s no coincidence that at the time Michael was a top creative executive for the Microsoft-owned game. The open staircase at the center of the home does not obstruct the sightline from the front of the home to the lake. It was a unique way of expressing their thoughts.” Because the house sits well above the shoreline, the Perssons maintain their privacy-despite the floor-to-ceiling windows. “And I’d never had someone come to me with a computer model of any kind. “At the time, I didn’t even know what Minecraft was,” Stephenson says. ![]() But the Minecraft model that his clients Michael and Siobhán Persson presented him, with a dream house designed in the game’s blocky 3-D style, was a first. They’ve arrived with sketches, tear sheets from magazines, or Pinterest pages. Architect Ryan Stephenson has had clients come to him with plenty of dream-house visual aids.
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