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Wood-filled Ralph Anderson home asks $1 million in Queen Anne

This lofted contemporary has layers of views

By Sarah Anne Lloyd
An open layout on the bottom floor includes a foyer and a small sitting area in addition to a stunning formal dining room.
Courtesy of Compass Washington

Ralph Anderson is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic architects. While he was best-known in his day for revitalizing Pioneer Square, he left a lasting legacy (and gained an enthusiastic fan base) as an early practitioner of Northwest Contemporary architecture. Starting with a midcentury sensibility, he evolved, highlighting the best the Northwest had to offer in the era—low-profile exteriors paired modern interiors that highlight the natural world around them—into a distinct style immediately recognizable to his followers.

With this home in Queen Anne, built in 1965, he lends that style into a home built for one (although there’s plenty of room to stretch out for a couple). When the original owner, then a buyer for Frederick & Nelson, commissioned the home, she hired Anderson to build something “dashing,” according to listing agent Steve Snider. She would live in the home for the next 54 years.

While it just has the one bedroom, it has that big Anderson style. A loft above gives a formal dining room a, 18-foot cathedral ceiling, with windows along the full height. A smaller sitting room to the side opens to a small back patio—one of a few carved-out, open-air spaces, including a wood deck on the lower floor and a large balcony above it.

A wood-shingle exterior lines up with exposed grain inside, for a woodsy vibe throughout.

The dining room benefits from 18-foot ceilings and a soaring window bank—and connects to an open-air dining area for nicer days.
A wood-slat motif ties together the two floors, from the railing in the open staircase to a window towering above the front door.
In the loft, there’s more gathering space, with a fireside den or library and nooks for reading and working.
In the one bedroom, the matching wood trim wraps around the ceiling and the French doors to a private balcony.
The second-floor balcony, which has room for planting, highlights the water views.

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