Property of Mr. & Mrs. Walter F. Isaacs, Bellevue, Washington | Architects: Bassetti & Morse, Associate Wendell H. Lovett

11/16/2025 02:10:00 PM

A view can make a house. Sometimes the natural setting is so superb that a floorplan to take advantage of the view becomes the most important architectural consideration. This small house (2,056 square feet) on a hilltop overlooking Bellevue, Washington, is an example. Window walls, a balcony and a courtyard open it on three sides to Northwestern mountain splendor but not at the sacrifice of two other requirements of the owners: an unusually large space for entertaining and arrangements for the seclusion essential to mature. people. The owners' special interests-painting and horticulture-are reflected in the studio with large window on the north side of the house and the garden room with skylight off the entrance hall. The studio, of course, could be a third bedroom. Both rooms add spaciousness to the house and provide additional views of the countryside. But, while the view was of prime im- portance, privacy was a consideration, too. The courtyard and garden wall (including strategically placed fencing) were planned to ensure seclusion.

The house and garage form a U around a courtyard planned for outdoor living. It is sheltered from the north wind, open to a view of Mt. Rainier to the south. The entrance hall garden room, which has one wall of glass and a skylight, has a plant bed that helps to re- late the indoors and the outdoors to each other. The large (19' x 36') living-dining room, with a balcony at one corner, offers a choice of panoramic view or cozy sense of shelter. You can look out to the Olympic Mountains, Lake Washington and the city of Seattle to the west, and Mt. Baker to the north; or you can turn your thoughts inward in the fireplace's warmth. In this part of the house, rooms are linked to each other and to the outdoors for easy entertaining (as many as 30 guests for buffet suppers). In summer, guests move about from terrace to living room to balcony; in winter, the studio. and the kitchen are inviting. In the bedroom wing, privacy was the main consideration. For example, the master bedroom is divided by wardrobe closets; the owners can read in bed, get up at any time without disturbing each other. The plan was drawn to suit two adults with individual ideas of what they wanted but is adaptable and illustrative of how a house can be designed to enjoy its view.