My Houzz: Beachy Tranquility and Togetherness on Puget Sound
Sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful thing. Michele Thornquist, development director at a Seattle-area private school, and her husband, John, a business owner in aeronautical engineering, fell in love with a Kitsap Peninsula beach, put an offer on a midcentury modern home there and hoped for the best. But when that home proved to have many unexpected issues, they rescinded their offer. This turned out to be a blessing, as a better house two doors away came up for sale a short time later.
“We heard the owners were considering selling this house,” says Michele. “It took some negotiating, but here we are, on the beach that we liked so much.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Michele and John Thornquist, their 2 teenagers and their Bernese Mountain Dog, Sasha
Location: Kitsap Peninsula, Washington
Size: 1,800 square feet (167 square meters); 3 bedrooms plus a loft
Year built: 1988
Tucked away on the far end of a waterfront lane, the house fronts Puget Sound and the family’s favorite beach, which faces north. “Originally we weren’t even considering a north-facing property,” John says. “But it’s turned out to be very good: We get winds from the north in the summer, cooling the house, and in the winter the winds coming from the south are blocked, making the water in front of the house very calm.”
The roof is cement tile. A deck the width of the house with stairs leading directly to the lawn and beach “has made all the difference,” John says. “We noticed that all the homes along the beach had stairs connecting them immediately to the beach. Initially this home had just a narrow deck with a windscreen, which actually prevented easy beach access.”
The deck is Alaskan yellow cedar, “an extremely hard wood,” says John. “It will last.” The surface was finished with EcoWood, an environmentally friendly protective coating made on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. “The yellow-toned wood turned silver and weathered in just a few weeks,” notes Michele.
Multiple seating areas allow for comfortable conversation and different spots to catch the best sun.
At 7 feet long each, these end-to-end custom cushions made by North Sails “make it very easy to fall asleep out there,” says John.
More about My Houzz: Beachy Tranquility and Togetherness on Puget Sound
My Houzz: Beachy Tranquility and Togetherness on Puget Sound
