Amid the blue waters of Washington’s Salish Sea, Lummi Island is a mere 5-minute ferry ride from Gooseberry Point, west of Bellingham. Yet the lush 9-square-mile sliver of land feels far more remote. Accessible primarily by the Whatcom Chief ferry, which can only hold 20 cars at a time, Lummi Island has no traffic lights or gas stations. Beyond its quaint charms, nature preserves, wildlife and beaches hold a distinct appeal. “It’s a special place,” says interior designer Tamar Kestenbaum, who recently completed a project on the island for a couple with two daughters. The husband’s family has long had a Lummi vacation home, and the clients, after acquiring a parcel several years ago, were ready to build a place of their own. “The views sold us,” the wife says of the idyllic locale. From their hilltop perch, Mount Baker, the San Juan Islands and Mount Rainier are all visible (the latter, she jokes, only if you squint). “As soon as we found the property, I hit the ground running with ideas that I’ve been sitting on for years,” the wife continues. “I wanted a farmhouse feel and a spot where friends and family could join us.”
Kestenbaum, architect B. Kelly McShane and general contractor Dan Johnson were enlisted to realize that vision. “Gathering areas were a must- have element, and that influenced nearly every corner of the house,” McShane recalls. To that end, the floor plan includes a great room, bunk room and rec area. The expansive porch and stone patio encourage congregating outdoors, where an archery course as well as lawn games, like ladder golf, cornhole and badminton, beckon.
While McShane devised the architectural plans, Kestenbaum closely collaborated with the owner on the interior design—including the configuration of the kitchen and the finishes throughout. Contributing to the desired modern farmhouse aesthetic, touches of black, such as the window frames and staircase balusters, are a sharp contrast to the wide-plank white oak flooring and crisp white walls. Though light-colored hues permeate the abode, notes of mustard, blue and green make their way into the palette through pillows, chairs and other accent pieces. “I wanted colors that felt like they were bringing in the outdoors,” the wife says. “I didn’t want a lot of gray.”
On the main level, the kitchen flows into the double-height dining and living spaces. Here, Kestenbaum installed interior windows—an architectural feature she also employed in her own home. “They’re beautiful and allow light to pass through rooms but also create a separation of space that I think has gotten a little lost in a lot of open floor plans,” she explains. Transom windows appear between the kitchen and dining areas, while another interior window in the living room provides visual balance.
With multiple doors leading outside, the great room is “the hub of the house,” says Kestenbaum, who sought to “get as many seating opportunities in there as possible—in all sorts of ways, shapes and forms.” To prevent the space from feeling cavernous, she added wood rafters and painted the ridge beam black. Venetian plaster on the floor-to-ceiling fireplace surround yields a striking focal point. “The texture and movement changes, depending on the light,” she observes.
Recurring design details create cohesion across the home’s two floors. Take the shiplap paneling, which was high on the client’s wish list. “We wanted to tuck that feature into different areas—a hint of it here and there, so the house wouldn’t be overrun with it,” Kestenbaum says. In the kitchen and laundry room, the panels are positioned vertically on select walls. In hallways, they run horizontally to elongating effect. And in an upstairs bedroom, shiplap accentuates the vaulted ceiling.
The Lummi dwelling has already become a font of summer memories. Last year, the daughters turned blackberries grown on-site into homemade gelato and jam, even setting up a stand to sell their treats. According to their mother, they are already thinking well past this coming summer. “They love the thought of getting to use the house with their families in the future,” she says. “Both of my girls want to get married here.”
