Photos: Kevin Scott

This Pacific Northwest dream home proves that when the right architect smeets the right material, award-winning design is sure to follow.

Set into a steep hillside in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood, the award-winning Sound House is a resolute response to a demanding site—narrow, steep, and constrained by slope regulations and a protected exceptional tree. On top of the topographic challenges, the program was equally complex: a forever home for a blended family of eight that balances togetherness and privacy with equal care.

“We addressed these needs by designing a clear organizational layout centered around a doubleheight living space that connects the home vertically while separating the primary and kids’ wings for privacy,” says Jon Gentry, founding partner at GO’C. “A series of terraces, roof decks, and outdoor rooms expand their living and entertaining options.”

For the clients, this house was always designed to be their long term home and had been a dream in the making for many years. Which meant the material palette had to be warm, durable, and adaptable across zones, exposures, and uses.

Enter Western Red Cedar.

GO’C expertly used cedar not as a single finish but as a flexible design system. They shaped, stained, and specified the material to meet both aesthetic and performance goals. “We were able to have our custom profiles milled locally and dipped for the ebony stain,” Gentry says. “It gave us a lot of flexibility to create the look and feel we and our clients wanted.”

On the upper level, budget-friendly tight-knot vertical grain cedar was used for cladding and fi nished in an ebony stain that adds depth while blending knots into a cohesive surface. Inside, clear vertical grain cedar ceilings run from interior to exterior, softening the concrete and steel with a continuous sense of warm connection to nature.

The ability to mix grades and fi nishes without sacrifi cing cohesion was key. “The stain allows the knots to blend beautifully outside, while the clear cedar inside offers a quieter, refi ned texture,” Gentry says.

For GO’C, cedar’s value lies in more than its versatility—it’s in how it shapes the day-to-day experience of the people who live in it.

“We believe the use of natural materials is often key to a timeless piece of architecture,” Gentry says. “People are drawn to the warmth and familiarity of materials that have a tactile quality. Both for the exterior and interior of the house the Western Red Cedar gives that inherent beauty to the project.”

Real Cedar Specifications

GRADE: Clear Heart T&G, KD, Selected for Vertical Grain

SIZE: Nominal 1×6 nickel gap or 1/8”reveal

FASTENING: Face mounted mechanical fastening

APPLIED FINISH: Semi-transparent, low gloss

WESTERN CEDAR SUPPLIER: LS Cedar

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Download the digital edition or order a free hard copy of Cedar Book XVIII to explore the latest in contemporary wood design.