It’s a good thing that the days are getting longer because it is looking like a busy spring here at DA. We have projects breaking ground soon in Seattle, Hood River, Shoreline, and San Juan Island. Others are well under way around the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, Sun Valley, and even upstate New York. Meanwhile, we are growing our team and building capacity to take on new projects. For more details, read on…

Full Circle

The owner of this lakefront property in Laurelhurst remembers rowing past the houses around Union Bay as a member of the UW crew and thinking: maybe someday. Well, that someday turned out to be September 30th, 2025, when Dyna Construction broke ground on this lakefront family home. Next summer, G. and his family will be watching UW rowers glide past their living room window. At DA, we love designing houses. We love helping turn dreams into reality even more.

Almost there!

Catskill View Preserve is a home designed for clients who care deeply about their site and protecting its grassy meadows, wetlands, and wildlife. The house, while perched at the top of the hill to take in the dramatic views of the vast property and Catskill mountains, keeps a low profile as the terrain weaves between the main volumes of the house.

Glassy, light-filled public spaces are designed to take in the views and connect to the outdoors, while other parts of the house provide tucked away cozy spots. Throughout the house are unique details executed with the highest level of care by Robert Reed, his talented team, and local craftspeople. The journey of designing and building this house has been a true collaboration between the clients, the contractor, craftspeople, fabricators, and us.

Contractor | Reed Contracting Inc.
Structural | Proper & O’Leary Engineering
Interiors | Sabin Viehland
Landscape | Jamie Purinton

Seagate House: San Juan Island

Perched above an apple orchard on San Juan Island, DA has been working with a great couple on the new home and guest house that is planned to start construction later this year.

Seagate House’s design came from an interesting concept on a breathtaking property – how can we create a modern home for aging in place while still working with the needs of the farm?

The collaborative process with the owners of Seagate Farm led to a formal yet functional courtyard design that connects the mid-century styled main and guest house. The courtyard provides a communal space between the two dwellings for gathering, gardening, and dog roaming, while still maintaining privacy.

DeForest Architects | Seattle Studio | John DeForest, Claire McDermott
Structural | Carter Quinn Norlin
Contractor I Lowe Construction

Middle Housing with Purpose:

How Homeowners Can Make the Most of the New Zoning in Washington

As proponents of more and better housing options, DA has been following the changes to formerly single family zoning closely. John recently met with J Irons of MRA Construction for a conversation about new “opportunities for homeowners to reimagine what's possible on their property—creating personalized living arrangements, generating rental income, building long-term wealth, and contributing to more vibrant, diverse neighborhoods”.

Click here for more.

On the Boards - High Bluff

Perched on the edge of a bluff above the Columbia River in Hood River, Oregon, the High Bluff house looks over one of the owner's favorite areas to windsurf. The home weaves together work, play, and entertaining whether for a couple or a gathering of three family generations. A unique challenge of this site is creating enjoyable outdoor living in an area famous for its wind.

Deforest Architects | Brett Smith, Mark Slivka, Kirk Blakely

DA Advance

In the business world it’s commonly called a retreat—we prefer to call it an advance. In the fall we took several days as a team to refocus our energies on how we guide owners and their teams through design and construction to realize amazing projects aligned with their values, goals, and tastes.

We’re Hiring!

We’re looking for a Project Manager and an Experienced Project Lead to join our Seattle office. We seek:

Idea people who can contribute to projects from start to finish,
Collaborators who share their initiative, inspiration, and enthusiasm,
Professionals who combine wide expertise with a spirit of discovery, and
Talented designers who are devoted to serving clients.

If you know someone that could be a great fit, please have them get in touch: https://www.deforestarchitects.com/opportunities

We love sharing insights on architecture and design through our quarterly newsletter and on social media. If there’s anything else you would like to know more about, let us know!

Thank you from all of us at DeForest Architects for following along.

Happy Spring! Thank you from all of us at DeForest Architects for following along.

Spring 2026 Newsletter