“I started my college education as an architecture major. I loved it and it loved me, but I quickly figured out it might be better to be the person the architect collaborated with than a true architect.

Many years ago I purchased a lot in Seaside, Florida. It’s where many say “new urbanism” originated. I designed a house there and named it Kano Cottage, after Frank Lloyd Wright’s favorite horse. Unfortunately, I later had to sell it. That was a heart breaker, and I vowed to someday build another Kano and never be in a position to let it go.

I first heard of Seabrook through a Seattle Times article (circa 2004). It was impressive to see what Casey Roloff and his team were creating. It’s been my long standing opinion that developers have squandered the Washington coastline for decades. Seabrook, however, seemed like a perfect pacific northwest version of Seaside, and in some respects a much better version than the original. It also reminded me of Cape Cod, Marblehead, and Nantucket.

One morning, I took a road trip from Seattle to Seabrook (it’s an easy 2.5 hours). When I turned into Seabrook, I immediately knew that my second chance at creating a dream beach house was about to happen. Soon after that trip I was able to obtain a founder’s lot and get the design process started.

The Seabrook Construction team put together a very reasonable proposal and then moved quickly to get the project underway. As I write this, the house is about halfway completed and is scheduled to be done just before the Coastal Living Magazine Idea Home opens. Good timing.

While they are working fast and furious to get the house done, I’m putting my architectural skills to good use designing and building some of the signature furniture and lighting pieces that will appear in each room. I’ll write more on this later.

Some interesting design features are planned for the house, like Seabrook’s first “see through” fireplace into the sun room, a large master suite, an open dining and living room space, and exterior railing details borrowed from my former Seaside home.