Secret Garden Residence is a quiet, immersive experience that unfolds through light, scale, and moments of discovery. Situated on a narrow, tree-lined lot one tier back from Lake Washington, the design looks inward, revealing itself gradually through a sequence of spaces and framed views. Organized around a central south-facing courtyard with two garden terraces above, the home’s composition brings the landscape inside, creating an intimate interior garden that feels expansive beyond the limits of the site.
Water features anchor either end of the main corridor, extending the central axis and drawing the eye through the house. At the entry, a clear sightline reaches toward the gardens beyond, reinforced by a strong axis on both levels. Alignment and procession give the compact plan a generous sense of scale, making the house feel larger as spaces overlap and unfold.
The four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom home is arranged across two levels, with the ground floor anchored by understated limestone, while a steel-and-glass volume sits lightly on the stone base. Oriented to maximize natural daylight, the home draws light deep into the interior and courtyard. Views through the surrounding trees connect the house to the water, sky, and larger landscape, transforming a constrained lot into a secret garden that feels both expansive and intimate.
“With Secret Garden Residence, we were interested in how the architecture could make a compact site feel expansive. Inspired by the experience of a Japanese garden, the design unfolds through a sequence of spaces and views, revealing itself gradually rather than all at once.” —Kevin Kudo-King, FAIA, LEED AP, Design Principal
Project Team: Kevin M. Kudo-King, FAIA, LEED AP, Design Principal; Erica Williams, Project Manager; Megan Marshall, Derek Santo, Project Architects; Karen Duan, Architectural Staff
Key Consultants: Old World Home & Garden, General Contractor; Swenson Say Faget, Structural Engineer; O-LLC Lighting Design, Lighting Design
Photographer: Aaron Leitz
