Newberg Residence

Jim Cutler of Bainbridge Island, Wash.–based Cutler Anderson Architects first saw the site for this single-family residence in Newberg, Ore., when the clients were still planning to build their new home on a wooded hilltop on their farm in Oregon’s wine-growing region. On his visit, Cutler wanted to see more of the land and kept walking until, “I saw a glint of light,” he says. Following that twinkle, he found a scenic opening in the forest where loggers had mostly filled in an old bog, which prompted him to ask: “How about here?” What had been a contest between several firms became Cutler’s commission. The resulting, 1,440-square-foot residence comfortably houses the couple, and a 550-square-foot guesthouse on the site accommodates visitors.

Cutler kept the basic outline of the clearing and dug out the bog as a new pond that’s both formal and casual; the house spans the water between two concrete piers at its north end. Cor-Ten steel columns and beams support the shed-roof and wood framing, and the taller south wall is fully glazed to capitalize on the view in the main spaces. The north side of the house is predominantly solid and is clad in rot-resistant cedar and zinc—part of a carefully wrought entry sequence. Guests park 75 yards away and approach through the forest in what Cutler calls “a three-part piece of dance”: first, a compressive, narrow, wooded path, which then opens to a clearing with the guest­house, and, finally, over a wooden bridge to the main house’s front door.

The north façade’s opacity contrasts with the south elevation’s near-complete transparency, making the entire house a threshold to the view of the pond. The kitchen to the west and the master bedroom to the east flank the central living–dining room; these spaces are separated by partial-height walls and connected by a continuous volume of space under the roof. They share full-height windows along the south wall, which is punctuated by custom lift windows that can be easily opened to dissolve the barrier between inside and out.

Cutler’s designs are driven by a simple philosophy: “If you see something beautiful, you’ll never forget it,” he says. “You’ll protect it.” With the Newberg Residence, Cutler has designed a home in a carefully choreographed landscape that delights the residents, and will most certainly be remembered by those who visit it.

Project: Newberg Residence, Newberg, Ore.
Architect: Cutler Anderson Architects, Bainbridge Island, Wash.
General Contractor: R & H Construction
Structural Engineer: Madden & Baughman Engineering
Landscape Designer: Place Studio
Geotechnical Engineer: Carlson Geotechnical
Living Space: 1,440 square feet (main house), 550 square feet (guesthouse)
Cost: Withheld