Pacific Palace

aRchitects
Ryan Rhodes Design
sEAttlE ArchitEct rYAN rhODEs tAKEs A hANDs-ON APPrOAch
tO DEsiGNiNG hOMEs
by Brian Libby
Ryan Rhodes recalls drawing pictures of houses
among his earliest childhood memories. But when
the Seattle-area native grew up and became an
architect, it wasn’t blueprints or 3-D renderings
that excited him so much as the craft of building,
particularly houses.
“I like to do things I know can be built,” he says.
“That’s the most important thing. There are a lot
of people out there, especially young, who draw
a lot of stuff that never gets built. I like to be able
to be involved in all the aspects. I’m big on talking
to contractors and subs to learn from them.
And with residential, you’re basically building
something where people eat and sleep, not some
corporate situation. That was kind of the goal
from the beginning.”
After studying at the University of Washington’s
School of Architecture, Rhodes first worked at
the Seattle firm Sortun-Vos Architects. “One
principal was a real artist and the other was more
like a general contractor,” he explains. “I was
thrown into the deep end of the pool and learned
both. It taught me how much I like to be able to
be involved in all the aspects of a project.” Among
his contributions at Sortun-Vos before founding
his own firm, Ryan Rhodes Designs, was an
extensive remodel of a Palm Springs, CA midcentury
modern house, emphasizing its seamless
transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces.
That concept also serves him well in Rhodes’ native
Pacific Northwest; like many architects and
artists here, Rhodes is inspired by the pristine
landscape of Cascade mountain peaks and evergreen
forests.
“I’ve had every opportunity to go elsewhere, but
this is kind of where it’s at, even though there are
lots of architects,” says Rhodes, whose portfolio
also includes numerous remodels. “It’s a pretty
special region in terms of materials, especially
Raye Street House
With its hillside view of seattle and the
cascade mountains, the raye street
house’s interiors are a restrained
palette of contrasting tones—white walls
and oak floors stained in sable-black—in
order to accentuate light and texture.
“When you sand that wood, it’s pure white
and beautiful. to put that stain floor is a
weird moment. but to me in a modern
house, it’s all about simplicity and a
couple big moves.” Another standout
is a sandstone fireplace that separates
the dining and living areas. i call it the
‘brady bunch’ fireplace,” the architect
says, chuckling. “i love throwbacks to
mid-century modern, which we get from
this stacked wedge-stone look.” in the
powder room, an icestone recycled
glass countertop gives way to a custom
bronze bethel sink and a backsplash of
tiles. “the mirror goes all the way to the
ceiling,” rhodes adds. “but it’s pulled out
from the wall to look like it’s floating.”
wood. I have a cabin up at Crystal Mountain and
I’m into fly-fishing and mountain biking. It’s
where you find the good peace.”
It’s that same sense of simple, soulful beauty
that Rhodes and his team sought for the Raye
136 luxury home quarterly SPrING 2012 luxuryhomequarterly.com