“People come here as a little vacation, and it's our front yard,” said Shauna Decker.
The visiting boaters who float on the serene waters off Blakely Harbor’s shoreline are just one aspect of what Decker appreciates about her home’s location. “It fills up with sailboats in the summer which brings a great energy. The most exciting thing about living here though is the intimate connection to nature,” she said.
Decker, an architect turned real estate developer, designed and built the home on the property for herself and two sons, Avery, who is now away at Western Washington for college, and Zane, who will be attending Cal Poly SLO as a freshman this Fall. The trio moved in in 2020.
Decker grew up in Kirkland and explained that her love for the island stretches back to when she was little and her dad would take the family sailing and stop for a picnic lunch in Port Madison.
I absolutely fell in love with Bainbridge and thought it would be an idyllic place to raise a family,” she said. “I decided then that I wanted to live here someday, so it’s been a draw since I was a child with a vision of building my own home here.
Decker’s passion for architecture started early on, too. She explained that her family went to Europe for the summer when she was 10. “I used to draw a lot. I was always drawing my dreams, and I started drawing buildings that we saw,” she said. “I fell in love with the architecture and the impact that a space can have.”
Encouraging her daughter’s penchant and talents, Decker’s mom suggested she explore becoming an architect.
"It's this perfect kind of marriage between science and art, so I slowly grew in that direction,” she said.
When Decker bought the Port Blakely property in 2014, it came with an existing permit for a house. Fortunately, she was able to work within the previously approved footprint, not only because of its desirable proximity to the water, but also for its southern orientation, which provided an unplanned upshot.
As an architect, you pay a lot of attention to light…where the sun is rising, where it’s setting and the light quality. But the thing I hadn't contemplated much was the moon,” she said. “We get the whole moonscape across the sky with the moonlight reflecting off the water as it’s rising. It's spectacular.
She’s also discovered a lot about the property’s history dating back to the 1800s, thanks in part to the research her mom’s been able to unearth as a volunteer at the history museum. “There used to be a hotel here, which is really ironic because I’ve done a lot of hotel development,” she said. “Digging up the foundation for the house, we came across a lot of old whiskey bottles and plates from the hotel and there are still a lot of things that we find on the beach.”
On the property also sits an historic late 1800s brick bungalow that Decker dubbed the Art Barn because she initially envisioned it as her studio.
I've heard a lot of different stories about its former uses as a firehouse, a post office, an icehouse to deliver ice to homes before there were refrigerators, and a practice space for Nirvana during the early days, she said.
Though its name has endured, Decker has since given over the Art Barn to the kids as a hangout complete with dual bunkbeds, a workout rack and a giant TV.
When it came to envisioning the new home, Decker said she was inspired by the site’s natural palette of driftwood, stones and water, describing the finished product as “modern minimalism of glass, concrete, steel and wood; materials and colors that tie back into the surroundings."
The exterior’s massive concrete walls serve a purpose greater than their striking good looks. Besides providing the perfect surface against which the kids practice chipping golf or lacrosse balls, or to project an outdoor movie on, the home is “heavily engineered” to provide protection against seismic activity, a concern for the Pacific Northwest.
Decker said that a lifetime of travel along with her work in high-end hospitality design helped shape the experiences she wanted within her own home. “I was very focused on the materials and creating a certain mood,” she said. “Somewhat chic, yet still effortless and easy. That's my personal vibe.” She explained that she’s seen a lot of homes that were more intent on making a statement than on serving the people who live within them. “I didn't want to have anything to do with that,” she said. “It doesn't feel honest. I wanted to make sure that the motivation behind this house was about our everyday life and enjoying it with the people I love.”
Indeed, the home has proved hospitable. Almost two years after moving in, Decker’s partner, and the two younger of his four sons moved in alongside her, Avery and Zane. The TV room and a guest room became bedrooms to accommodate the growing family. The home still feels spacious, while maintaining Decker’s intention for it to remain intimate, without what she describes as “ego spaces.” With Zane about to head to college, and her partner’s son with just one more year of high school, Decker anticipates the home will continue to adapt to life’s inevitable expansions and contractions.
In addition to the home’s major design details—including towering steel windows that open to the outdoors, white oak floors, Brazilian granite countertops and the spa-like bathrooms—the details within the home are also personal to Decker.
She pointed out elements, from door handles that she designed and fabricated, to the artwork, including a piece she brought back from a trek on Mount Everest, and more.
Lighting was also a big consideration in her design.
Lighting is everything when it comes to creating intimacy in a space.” said Decker, describing the “warm dimming” she incorporated. “As you dim the lights, it doesn't just decrease illumination, but the color deepens into a golden, candlelit hue.
Shortly after the house was completed, the COVID pandemic got into full swing. As a result, Decker’s work in hotel development ended. “I was in a really fearful place,” she said. “If I didn't have my kids with me, I would go days without seeing anybody. I went into a meditative state. The house became my companion in a way and, as difficult as that time was, I also felt very fortunate. I’d watch seals swimming out front, and realize that there's so much healing from nature.”
Part of her daily routine now includes cold plunges in the water off her beach.
I practice yoga and then get in the water for three minutes,” she said. “I've gone in in the middle of the night, in a rainstorm, in the snow, and in the beautiful sunshine. Every single time has been amazing.” In addition to the growing research around the health benefits, Decker said that it’s yet another way for her to reconnect to the land.
Building the house “has been a deeply meaningful process,” she said. “Of course, there was a tremendous amount of work behind it. There were a lot of life decisions directing me towards this goal I've had since I was literally 10. Doing this for myself and for my family in this gorgeous place, I feel extremely blessed.
