Studio DIAA designs floating home for Seattle’s Lake Union

A dark exterior contrasts with light surfaces in a compact, floating house in Washington designed by Studio DIAA co-founder Suzanne Stefan as her own home.
The Portage Bay Float Home serves as the personal residence of Stefan, who co-founded Studio DIAA in 2019. The project recently received the Housing Award 2021 from the American Institute of Architects.

The Portage Bay Float Home is located in Seattle

Following a long tradition of floating homes in Seattle, the apartment is on the north end of Lake Union in a place called Portage Bay.

It was built on top of an early 20th century log cabin. The house is close to the shore and has access to a garden.

The outer walls are clad with dark cedar wood

With a square floor plan, the house consists of a single level with a total area of ​​60 square meters. The building is crowned by a gable roof that extends over a terrace.

The outer walls are clad in dark cedar wood and richlite, a composite material made from resin-soaked paper. Sliding doors help to remove the boundary between inside and outside.

A lamp above the kitchen island is made of concrete

Inside the house is divided into two zones. One side includes the common rooms – an open kitchen and dining area, which is separated from the living room by a retractable curtain.

The other side contains two bedrooms and a bathroom.

i29 completes angular floating house as part of a sustainable Amsterdam community

Glass doors can be found in all rooms, with the exception of the bathroom, and offer direct access to a wraparound terrace. In the living room, a “zero mullion” corner opens the room completely to the outside.

The interior features whitewashed pine and oak floors. In the kitchen, stainless steel was used for the countertops and the back wall.

There is wood paneling in the master bedroom

A lamp above the kitchen island is made of concrete – the same material that is used for a pendant lamp above the dining table.

The master bedroom has white closet doors, wood paneling, built-in open shelving and a large spherical pendant. In the bathroom, the team covered the shower with white tiles.

Skylights flood the house with natural light

In addition to floor-to-ceiling glass, the house has three skylights that bring natural light into the house.

“We tried to capture the poetic quality of the light reflecting off the surrounding waters of Portage Bay, an aspect enhanced by the aluminum-lined sky ships that gently reflect the colors of the changing sky,” the team said .

The white tiles of the bathroom match the neutral interior of the house

Other floating homes in Seattle include a two-story home by Vandeventer + Carlander Architects that is designed so residents can swim right out of their bedrooms.

Photography is by Kevin Scott.

Project Loans:

Architecture and interior design: Studio DIAA
Structural analysis: BUILT engineering
General contractor: Swallowtail general contractor / @dovetail_gc
Interior and exterior construction: Forrest Taylor and Geoff Gamsby