clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

AO Bumgardner midcentury soaks in the Olympic Mountains

This modern home loves the light

By Sarah Anne Lloyd
Tucker English Photography

Prolific Seattle architect AO Bumgardner built this four bedroom house in 1959, and it’s had the same owners ever since—which is no surprise. Who would want to leave?

More sleek and geometric than many of its Olympic Manor neighbors, this house certainly puts the modern in midcentury modern. Still, the house is dotted with midcentury details, like a wide, brick panel with a fireplace.

A living area with wood ceilings, gray ceiling beams, and a wide, brick fireplace. A partial wall separates this area from an office off to the side.
A playroom with a gray built-in bench on the left wall and large windows above. A shōji (paper) sliding door leads to another room in the back. Tucker English Photography
A kitchen (background) and dining area (foreground) with wood beam ceilings and recessed lighting.

While not totally open, the floorplan allows for details that segment areas of the house without separating them, like wood beams, partial walls, and open doorways. A central living hub with cathedral ceilings and a pyramid-shaped skylight is surrounded by a lofted floor above and both open and shōji doors below.

Floor to ceiling windows line the outer walls of the house, letting light into every room—and from many, a view of the Olympics. Even some bedrooms have expansive water views.

Railed walkways lead back into a kitchen and dining area
Two floors of windows can be seen through a window
A bedroom with floor to ceiling corner windows Tucker English Photography
One corner of the house can be seen surrounded by a wooden deck and a courtyard.

Built into a hillside, the upper floors open up to both a view deck and a landscaped courtyard in addition to the yard space below. The location at the end of a cul-de-sac lets those inside interact with the natural beauty outside without sacrificing privacy.

Becoming the second owner of this house will run you a cool $1,175,000—but maybe you’ll get nearly six decades out of it, too.