The Greek words “Anatoli Astra” mean the “Sun and Stars” which this Lake Washington contemporary waterfront residence captures for its owners, who enjoy a lengthy relationship with this particular piece of land. This property, which had been in the family for generations, is the site for a contemporary home which would honor that connection with her family history and embrace the expansive views of Lake Washington, the Bellevue skyline, the Cascade Mountains, and Mount Rainier. The house is programmed to serve as the backdrop for her garden parties and fund-raising events, while also supporting his interest in re-building vintage automobiles in the dedicated shop space.
Set below Lake Washington Boulevard on a steeply sloping site, the house is entered through a narrow roofed passageway leading to a dramatically landscaped circular auto court dominated by a hovering porte cochere. The house’s up-turned butterfly roof, lit at night by a barrel-vaulted monitor in the entryway, highlights the sense of arrival for various functions. The stage set quality of this space is further dramatized by a lengthy lattice wall of greenery, and a geometrically patterned glazed wall of manufactured and custom art glass which alternately reveals and conceals the home’s interior. The plan of the house takes advantage of the generous lot width, and affords all habitable rooms with a panoramic view of Lake Washington. Multiple terraces at each level, including a spacious roof terrace off the Master Bedroom, allow for indoor/outdoor living through much of the year. From the lake, the house is easily identified by its seven glowing lanterns set high on concrete pylons.