Five Peaks Lookout

Floating above Oregon’s wine country

Five Peaks Lookout sits in the heart of Oregon’s wine country within the Chehalem Mountains. Perched on a site offering expansive views of five different mountains (Jefferson, Hood, Adams, St. Helens, and Rainier), maximizing the scenery while maintaining an intimate connection to the sloped landscape posed a design challenge. But with this challenge came an opportunity to create a solution unique to this site and the client’s vision. The result is a warm, modern home that immerses dwellers in the Pacific Northwest.

Location
Yamhill County, OR

Size
4,500 sf

Year
2019

Achievements
2021 Gold Nugget Grand Award for Best Custom Home

Five Peaks Lookout is organized in a bar running south to north with exterior covered spaces carving away at the volume of the bar. Most of the home features floor-to-ceiling windows, and sliding doors are used in every east-facing room, all with the intent to blur the lines between inside and out.

The interiors are modern and clean, using contrasting blacks and whites and polished concrete floors.

Black, white, and wood kitchen with modern appliances. — A variety of wood accents, like the feature stair treads and the kitchen island, are used throughout the home to warm the space and mirror the surrounding forest.

Side of stair with wooden treads and board formed concrete.

In a dramatic move to maximize the view from the most public rooms of the home, the living and dining spaces are cantilevered out over a steep drop, looking out to a 270-degree view of the site and all five mountain peaks. The cantilever informs the design language carried throughout the home by inspiring ‘suspended’ elements. The furniture and art are minimal and add to, rather than compete with, the view.

Simple sketch of house showing how long bar is placed on a hill.

Living room with floor to ceiling windows and black leather sofas.

Dining room with large wooden table, board formed concrete fireplace, and large artwork. Bird-cage-like lighting above table.

Night shot of inside of house showing 2 floors. Man in living room looking outside. — The cantilever is supported by a concrete double-sided fireplace and chimney structure and floats above the landscape as it slopes more steeply to the north into the valley of a small perennial creek.

Master bathroom with black tile feature wall, large white tub and large leafy plants. Floor to ceiling windows provide back yard view.

The design honors the indoor-outdoor aesthetic by blending the interiors with the architecture outside, with an example being the main bathroom’s dark wall connecting to the exterior volume on that side of the house. One of the home’s owners is an artist, so care was taken to select the optimal area of the home for a light-filled art studio.

Back of entire house with warm lighting.

Contrasting raw materials like concrete, wood, and steel are used throughout, giving this minimalist house richness and an organic feel. Carefully chosen moments in the interior encourage people to pause and breathe in the views and curated art.