Looking Glass — A Revitalized Lakefront Retreat
Looking Glass sits on the shore of Lake Washington in Seattle, WA, United States, a reimagined house by Olson Kundig for multigenerational living by the water. The project reworks a 1990s split-level into a modern, family-focused retreat, pairing reflective materials with a calm, lake-ready palette. Inside and out, the composition balances open gathering zones with quieter corners for reading, working, and watching the light move across the lake.
Light catches on laminated metal and glass as visitors descend toward the entry, the lake gradually widening in view below. Reflections fold sky, water, and hillside into the home’s outer skin, so the approach feels choreographed by changing light throughout the day.
Looking Glass is a house on Lake Washington in Seattle by Olson Kundig, transforming a 1990s split-level property into a modern, multigenerational home. The project turns a previously compartmentalized interior into a series of connected rooms, unified by reflective finishes, custom furnishings, and a measured shift in color from public to private zones. Across its hilltop main level and lake-level pool house, the renovation leans on material rhythm and furniture placement to support daily family life.
Reflecting Water And Sky
Outside, laminated metal and glass panels form a layered rainscreen that captures the lake’s changing tones. The cladding reads almost like a shifting mirror, pulling clouds, trees, and water into the facade. Interior accent walls repeat the silver metal and glass motif, so the threshold between exterior and interior feels visually porous. Clear glass artworks by Ann Gardner deepen that theme, catching daylight and echoing the “air” component of the concept in delicate, suspended volumes.
Arriving Through The Garden
At the entry, a former stairway gives way to graded landscaping and a gently descending, wheelchair-accessible path. The movement down through planting slows the arrival and welcomes family members across generations. A new elevator inside extends that accessibility vertically, linking levels without drama and reinforcing the home’s commitment to inclusive daily routines. The sequence from garden path to front door sets up a calm, grounded mood before the big lake views appear.
Open Living On The Main Level
On the main floor, removed walls now allow the kitchen, living, and dining areas to read as a single, social domain. Sunlight moves across this open volume, helped by the elimination of a former interior loft that once interrupted sightlines to the water. The living room now holds grand, double-height views of the lakefront, turning everyday activities like reading, homework, or cooking into moments with a strong visual link to the shoreline. A custom dining table by Chadhaus and Mayer Designs can break apart for parties, shifting from family meals to larger gatherings without losing coherence.
Gradual Shifts In Tone
Private rooms such as the office and library lean into darker wood finishes, which temper daylight and support quieter concentration. More public living areas lean instead on lighter hues and reflective surfaces, reinforcing ease around the kitchen and main sitting zones. Throughout, new finishes and furnishings—among them a custom master bed and artwork by Cassandria Blackmore—strike a balance between visual impact and relaxed, lake-house informality. Custom railings made from slender, silver-gray metal rods tie stairs and landings together, while darker bronze railings outside repeat the rhythm against planting and water.
Life At The Waterline
Below the hilltop house, a refurbished pool and pool house bring activity directly to lake level. Sliding glass doors have been repositioned to ease the movement between interior lounge and deck, so swimmers can drift in and out without distraction. On the pool house roof, a new outdoor seating area sets another vantage point, this one closer to the water and oriented to long views down the lake. Together, these lower-level rooms extend the home’s interior palette outdoors, translating reflective materials and simple forms into a casual, day-long rhythm by the shore.
As light shifts across facade, stair, and pool deck, the house continually folds its surroundings into everyday routines. From graded entry path to hilltop living room and down to the water’s edge, Looking Glass keeps the focus on family life and the lake itself.
Photography courtesy of Olson Kundig
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