Lone Madrone House

A bolthole out in the wilderness is something that is very appealing to most people but, safe to say, not all boltholes are going to look quite as remarkable and impeccably designed as this Lone Madrone House from Helitrope Architects. Gloriously nestled in an inconspicuous spot, this first class piece of architecture will definitely appeal to those design lovers that love minimalist interiors and striking views.

The Lone Madrone House from Helitrope Architects is located on the Orcas Island, WA, and is situated on a rocky, wind-swept south facing shoreline for glorious views out over the water. It is a 1,600sf retreat home which expertly commingles with the surrounding landscapes in order to harmonize with it’s setting and reduce its exposure to weather – which can get quite wild in this part of the world.

High And Dry

Founded back in 1999, Helitrope Architects aims to design innovative, modern works of architecture that transcend style and trend. They are process driven and always deliver an unparalleled attention to detail in their designs and strive for clear, sophisticated solutions rooted in a thorough understanding of the social, cultural and physical qualities that makes each of the projects unique. This is certainly something that shines through in their Lone Madrone House project and for those who favour clever design and excellent use of space and materials, this is one piece of architecture that will resonate.

The Lone Madrone House by by Helitrope Architects is the sort of understated designs that we love in our architecture here at Coolector HQ and the fact it boasts some mighty clever design features is the real icing on the cake. This includes retractable wall panels to protect the property from the unrelenting winter storms on the island. That being said, the house does open up completely to the outdoors when the weather is playing ball and the sun is out — which means the owners can fully enjoy the amazing landscape around the property and those sensational views.

Exceptionally well conceived and executed, the Lone Madrone House can be found within the San Juan Islands National Monument, with spectacular shorelines and beautiful marine environment. To reduce impacts to the surroundings, a garden roof was installed on the property to replace landscape lost to construction. Additionally, storm-water flows were engineered to replicate the pre-construction condition. So, as you can see, the environment and landscape was put first during every step of the design phase.

Keeping Things Local

A real stand out feature with the Lone Madrone House from Helitrope is the fact they made sure to use local materials (namely, douglas fir and western red cedar) in the crafting of the structure and local craftspeople were used frequently throughout all aspects of the project build and design.

We love architecture here at Coolector HQ and when we come across pieces as amazing as this one from Helitrope Architects, it’s hard not to be impressed. Exceptionally well designed, environmentally conscious and boasting the sort of living space that we aspire to, we can’t wait to see what other design projects this first rate design studio come up with in the future.

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