This week we are revealing the most incredible house, built by the owners of the design/build company we hired for our farmhouse – ARCIFORM. It was this house that made me hire them. They typically don’t do new builds (they specialize in restorations of more historic properties) but they built this from the ground up, using the trees that had fallen on the property after years of camping on the land. It’s on a bay in Southern Washington state and I had the pleasure of staying there twice (once with my family and once with my team to shoot). Anne, like a lot of interior architects, stopped at the styling so we had it in our deal that I would help them style and shoot it all out – bedding, pillows, vases, flowers, etc, in exchange for a discount on her design time. The shoot was done last year when I didn’t have my team here. I flew Sara and Emily Bowser in to assist me with styling (it took a lot more schlepping, labor and yes, I wanted to spend time with my friends). So this week you are going to see the full reveal of this incredible house – the moodiest black bathroom I’ve ever seen, the pretty stained glass doors, and architecture that stops you in your tracks. While I didn’t design the space, I want to show off what makes it so amazing. I will also point out some of my favorite features and general show-and-tell.
When you first walk in the architecture is obviously STUNNING – it almost feels like it’s a secret industrial building that has always been here, but nope – it was designed and built by them from the ground up (over 10 years). Domino did an awesome story last week (we pitched the exclusive on their story) so head over there at the end if you want more information on how they built it (fun facts like the trees had to take two years just to dry out before they could use the lumber and Anne’s barn inspiration for the architecture).
All the details wowed me – the hinges on the secret doors under the stairs, the railing. And here you can see the same 12″ horizontal bead board idea that we stole for the farmhouse, but Anne used milk paint and I’m still kicking myself for not doing that (so you can see the grain underneath and just feels warmer). The flooring is incredible – a combination of unfinished Spruce and Hemlock…with a dash of Alder – was again chopped down by Richard or had fallen on the property. The wide planks are so pretty, and they’re obviously aging so well.
The island, which is a custom-made piece, was created by Versatile Wood Prodcuts. This sister company specializes in high-end cabinetry, windows, and other products. Anne is an avid antiques enthusiast, and she has sourced the majority of furniture.
I liked the combination of soapstone and marble in the kitchen. We added their vintage painting (and you’ll recognize many of the styling pieces that we use from my props house).
This tiny door is adorable. This was salvaged, refurbished and goes in the pantry. The back door is larger if you need more room to bring in something. I love the quirky, cute scale.
Those chandeliers are so incredible – Anne has such a gift for taking risks and just mixing old-world antiques together. Please note all those stained glass windows – so incredible. The table, too, was made of wood that fell on the property.
It’s a large space, but the wood and double-paned glass make it feel cozy. It gets really windy outside there, but inside you can’t hear it so being there during a storm (with the fireplace on) is so magical.
Please note the door within that huge window that was custom-built by Versatile Wood Products (the other company Anne and Richard own) – I wanted to steal this idea so badly and we tried to get it into the house, but didn’t make as much sense for us.
Anne arranged the fireplace in the middle, rather than just serving the living room. When staying there you could see the benefit of this – you can see/feel the fire when in the kitchen, dining (where they play a lot of games), and living areas.
Bowser & I gathered large branches instead of flowers for this shoot, and it really makes the shot. (The terracotta pot in the background is an antique purchased from Rejuvenation).
Anne used Idris White Zellige by Ann Sacks throughout many of the tiled areas which I truly never get tired of seeing when done appropriately (and super appropriate here). You can see that they used tinted wall plaster over the paneling to create warmth.
What a stunning set of doors and window frames! These are not surprising, as Versatile is known for its expertise in the field. However, they are simply jaw-dropping.
Anne is originally German and she and Richard were friends in their early twenties when they founded this company. Her European aesthetic has given her a unique perspective. I just love the bravery and risk-taking in this house – and the attention to detail continues to impress me.
Here they are – Anne and Richard De Wolf (owners of ARCIFORM and Versatile). As I said at the beginning of the post, this week you’ll see more and more of this home that I can’t WAIT to show you/talk about. It’s so inspiring and I wish we all, as design enthusiasts, had the opportunity to actually experience these spaces in person.
There’s me, sweaty from styling all day – something I only do for my projects these days so it was so fun to work with Emily B. and bring some EHD styling to this gorgeous space. Stay tuned tomorrow for the main suite. If you live in the PNW, and are looking for a team that can restore an older space (commercial/residential), this is the group to call.🙂
*Design by Anne De Wolf from ARCIFORM Versatile Wood Products
**Chief Lumberjack: Richard De Wolf Versatile Wood Products by ARCIFORM
***Styled by Emily Henderson (me!) Emily Bowser
****Photos by Sara Ligorria-Tramp