Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
home + design<br />
Uptic Studios<br />
Everything Old is New Again<br />
Two Spokane architects draw on old archetypes<br />
to create fresh new family homes<br />
written by Melissa Dalton<br />
A Modern Spin on the Farmhouse<br />
THE PALOUSE IS a large swath<br />
of farmland in Southeastern<br />
Washington, stretching well into<br />
Idaho on its eastern border and bound<br />
by the Snake River to the south. This<br />
is a vital agricultural region, primarily<br />
growing wheat and lentils, and the<br />
miles of rolling hills and fields have<br />
long lured landscape photographers<br />
hoping to capture its many moods.<br />
Architect Matthew Collins knows the<br />
scenery well. He grew up in Spokane<br />
and returned as an adult to open Uptic<br />
Studios, an architecture and interior<br />
design firm, and he appreciates the<br />
region's unsung appeal. "The Palouse<br />
is amazing," he said. "The fog hangs<br />
on it so it can look like you're on the<br />
ocean in the mornings, and it changes<br />
colors every season, depending on<br />
what's growing."<br />
In 2007, a childhood friend<br />
contacted Collins to design a home<br />
on 20 acres in Spokane County, in the<br />
northern reach of the Palouse. Collins'<br />
knowledge of the area made him a<br />
natural fit for his friend's endeavor.<br />
"He wanted [to build] something in<br />
keeping with the Palouse and the<br />
site," Collins said. "His family goes<br />
back generations in the Palouse, so<br />
he wanted it to feel like it could have<br />
been his great-grandfather's house."<br />
To that end, on the approach<br />
the home looks like a traditional<br />
farmhouse. Its silhouette is<br />
a simple rectangle topped<br />
with a pitched roof, a<br />
30 <strong>1889</strong> WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE AUGUST | SEPTEMBER <strong>2017</strong>
Change language