Step inside this modern Scandinavian-inspired home for a treat to your senses. It’s warm, inviting, and almost seems to whisper “welcome” as soon as you walk through the vibrant yellow door.
With 5,614 square feet of living area — not including the heated garage — this is one of the largest 5-star Built Green homes certified in Washington, according to Aaron Adelstein, director of programs and products at The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.
This close-in Woodinville location served by Redmond schools is the 2021 Northwest Idea House, and it’s like no other. Designed and built by Lochwood-Lozier Custom Homes (a Northwest family-owned business for more than 35 years), this home has been a true passion project for for the company’s president, Todd Lozier, and his experienced team.
The goals were to create multifunctional living for working and playing from home, including spalike features for health and fitness; systems for the cleanest air and water quality possible; app-based house controls to monitor the home systems from anywhere; leaving the forest and ecosystem it surrounds better than found; and, of course, the highest level of Built Green.
To be certified at this level, it takes ultra-high efficiency components such as solar energy, the best-performing insulation and sealing, sourcing local materials to minimize carbon footprint, the best filtration, minimizing use of fossil fuels, the highest levels of durability in materials, and so much more in evaluating an over-600-line-item Built Green checklist.
Lochwood-Lozier has been the steward of this secluded 1.25-acre site for over two decades. It sits in the family-oriented community of Lake of the Woods. The home is located next to a trailhead that links to miles of maintained trails. It’s the only home that will ever be built in this cul-de-sac. Its Pacific Northwest authenticity is confirmed with sightings of the eagles, Hooded merganser ducks, deer, river otter, and an active beaver lodge in the backyard.
“Flooded with light, one has this view from almost every room in the house. Or step into the covered and heated outdoor room that extends into the forest, and then lie in the swinging day bed at ground level. You just won’t want to leave,” Lozier said.
Welcome Home
“When people walk through the front door, my hope is they feel a sense of calm, inviting you in with its light and airy foyer and direct views to the natural habitat beyond the glass doors to the exterior,” said Sarah Smith, lead interior designer at Lochwood-Lozier.
Smith’s goal was to make each space in the large house feel connected.
“It starts with the yellow front door. I give full credit to our (architectural) lead designer, Matt Mamiya, for that. That color and tone are carried throughout the home, whether it’s obvious, or more subtle,” Smith explained.
“There are also the different textures, whether visual or tactile, that are seen throughout the home. Like the use of white brick on several walls, the Kuvio wall in the music room, or the use of geometric and woven patterns seen in the tiles, light fixtures, or wall covering,” she added.
According to Mike Weihe, the senior project manager who has been with the company for 20 years, this home was one of the most challenging builds because of supply chain and labor shortages due to the pandemic. Still, the home was completed within 16 months.
“I am extremely proud … this is by far my absolute favorite,” Weihe said. He is responsible for the day-today building schedule, quality, and specification development. “When considering what to feature in this home, we left no stone unturned when researching ideas and integrations."
Special Features
• Upper level has 3-bedrooms all en suite • Lower level flex guest room • 5¾ baths • Sauna room • Home theater • Gym/fitness room • Listening/zen Room • Laundry/craft room • Mudroom • Two outdoor rooms
Cleaner Air
This home has fresh clean air thanks to multiple Merv-13 hospital-grade filters with fresh conditioned air exchange triggered by motion and humidity levels.
Electric Power
This home is equipped with a 5.78 kWh per year solar system that, as an example, will produce enough to drive an electric vehicle 15,000 miles per year. The garage is equipped with two Leviton car chargers and smart switches throughout.
This Home Works
There are a lot of things that make this home feel good, right when you walk in. It’s comfortable and makes you want to stay.
Mamiya noted the “L” shape of the home, and how it embraces the wetlands: “When inside, the home feels private and secluded.” Vertically, the spaces are tall. “And because of the drop-off on the hillside, the home is much larger and more expansive than it appears from the curb.”
As people toured the home, they commented about how they had no idea that it would offer so much on the other side of the door. So many features and surprises, like turning pages in a really good book.
“The home is truly a Pacific Northwest sanctuary," Mamiya said.
Meet the Lochwood-Lozier Project Leaders
How did COVID affect design?
“Inspired by our own customers who changed their design layouts during this pandemic, people want to live in their homes as their safe place; a sanctuary; a self-contained health and wellness center. (The pandemic had them) designing rooms to become media rooms, gyms, office spaces, spas, and classrooms,” Smith said.
“In this new era of work, play, and educate from home, we wanted to be able to provide all of that. The ‘Zoom room’ is just an example of that. Not just an office space, but a place with a separate entrance, green screen, and view to the outside so that working from home is productive and energizing.”
Furnishings by Greenbaum
Greenbaum Home Furnishings in Bellevue took on the huge task of furnishing the entire Northwest Idea House from top to bottom.
And as people toured the home, they were delighted by what they experienced. It’s not simple to make a house feel like a home, but the mission was accomplished with style and quality throughout.
“We met regularly and collectively researched, collaborated, critiqued, and discussed what would be the most appropriate pieces for this unique home, but also couldn’t ignore the supply chain challenges and what was realistic based on our time frame. Ultimately, we are thrilled with the finished home,” said Jon Greenbaum, chief marketing officer.
The 62-year-old family business offers complimentary in-store design services, and not only sells furniture, but also accessories, rugs, window coverings, flooring, carpeting, wallpaper, and more.
“We feel the home has become more important than ever these last few years,” he said, adding that people shouldn’t be intimidated to make their spaces special, and Greenbaum can help.
Appliances and More from Luwa
Hestan appliances can be found throughout this home, even in the theater. The top-of-the-line picks were sourced from Luwa Home Products, which represents leading kitchen fashion brands for luxury homes. Luwa has a showroom in Bellevue and also offers virtual or in-person appointments.
Other favorite products in the Idea Home from Luwa include the Plum built-in wine dispenser and the fire bowl outside.
Smart Ideas
This home is smart. Really smart. You can operate (almost) everything with a tap of the finger remotely, including locks, lights, music, the temperature, and more. You can accept packages remotely from your phone. In the kitchen, just ask Alexa for a cup of hot water, and you shall receive it. Precisely.
Most of the smart features are courtesy of Leviton. The company was founded in 1906 with the pullchain lamp holder. Now the worldwide company is still helping homes work through smart innovation.
This home includes:
• The Leviton Smart Load Center: Homeowners can monitor and manage the home’s power grid from anywhere and receive real-time information about power usage and alerts.
• Leviton Ever-Green Charger: Compact and ready to charge electric vehicles.
• Leviton Decora Smart Wi-Fi Switches and Dimmers: Use voice or smart devices to control or schedule lighting at home or on the go. Some also have Amazon’s Alexa built in.
• Decora Smart Wi-Fi 4 Button Controller: Basically a wall unit that controls whole-house lighting.
• Leviton Smartlock GFCI: Exceeds standard electrical outlet protection in rooms where water is present, like the kitchen and bathroom.
• Leviton Wall Charger Outlets: Charge smart devices in outlets, and never scramble for charging adapters again.
WHAT IS BUILT GREEN? The 2021 Northwest Idea House earned a 5-Star Built Green rating from the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. Homes that are certified Built Green exceed current state energy codes. Homes with 5-star ratings have at least a 30 percent energy use improvement and are prewired for future solar installations. This home has many green features, including solar panels on the roof and Mitsubishi ductless heating/cooling systems that draw energy from the panels. The home also is Tesla Power Wall ready.
SAFE AND SECURE The home has a secure parcel drop, a security system, and three Ring cameras outside. The Leviton smart switches and load center help you turn lights on and off while away and monitor and operate the breaker system in the house remotely. The Moen Flo makes it easy to turn off the water remotely, too.
Sponsors
AWK Resource Center
Inspired Closets (Organized Spaces)
Arc
EWS (Environmental Water Systems)
SDAJ (Stone-Drew/Ashe and Jones)
Lochwood Lozier Custom Homes (Builder) and Lochwood Lozier Architectural & Interior Designs
Luminous
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
Northwest Natural Lighting & NNL Railings
Southeast Glass Inc.