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An Overlook On Orcas

This rocky project went smoothly, from inside out

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STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES The water feature on the side of the home highlights the tranquil nature of the land, but it is also functional. Runoff is channeled from the rubber roof, down the side of the house and into a spring running through the property. STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES "We wanted all glass, and steel was the only way to do that," Yeaman says, discussing the home's framing. The open floor plan offers a straight shot from the living room, through the dining room and into the kitchen. STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES Debra Nichols loves a long soak in the tub and a good view to go with it. Glass walls give her the view, and a glass door provides access to a small, private terrace. STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES A peaceful alcove showcases "Mile High" in concrete by Richard E. Smith, a rendering of Frank Lloyd Wright's Migh High skyscraper that was never built, and "Passing Summer Storm," an oil painting by Jacob Cooley from North Carolina. STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES This fireplace warms both the office and the library. The floors throughout are poured concrete with radiant heat. "We're going to have dogs for the rest of our lives," Michael Yeaman says. "So the floor's got to be something short of just being able to hose it off." STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES Yeaman and Nichols chose mahogany cabinets for warmth and to emulate old madrona wood on Orcas. They chose a Thermador stove, Sub-Zero refrigerator and vegetable drawers, and a Bosch dishwasher. The photos are by Jane Hinton of Toronto.

SO MUCH comfort from such a rocky place.

Michael Yeaman and Debra Nichols' contemporary Orcas Island home overlooking Eastsound and, beyond, Canada is all about rocks.

It sits on a rock.

It is made of rocks.

Its interiors are decorated with rocks.

Its owner, a geophysicist, works with rocks.

But — "we're not the Rockefellers," he says. "So we had to find stuff we could afford."

This is Yeaman, the rock professional, explaining why the striking black contemporary home he and Nichols share on a rocky and forested Orcas Island perch has CMU (concrete masonry unit) block walls instead of stone.

But there is no need to apologize. These walls are like the rest of the house — not your typical anything. And these commercial building blocks certainly are not the typical ash-gray stuff of storage warehouses. The stones used to make these were stained black to emulate the Orcas Chert Formation. The blocks, which travel from outside in, were smoothed with an angle grinder to bring out the color and texture, then varnished.

You might think this was a clever idea provided by their highly skilled architect, Scott Wolf of Miller/Hull Partnership (www.millerhull.com) or their crack contractor, Rick Dalgarno of Orcas Island. But it was Yeaman and Nichols at work, exacting clients with a passion for modern architecture. "We had all the decisions made so there were no variables going in," says Yeaman, now a consultant in the energy field. "Debra and I chose everything on the interior. Everything. The cabinets, counters, the window system."

"We even had the paint and appliances picked out before we started," Nichols says. Their kitchen counter of choice was also an amazing rock formation: Black labradorite granite with feldspar crystals that glisten butterfly blue in the sun.

It took the couple a decade from the time they bought the lot until they moved into the home on 8.25 acres. It home was completed in 2004.

"I've been coming over here since I was 12. My parents had a place on Lopez," Yeaman says. "And the San Juans over the past 15 years are like 'Goldie Locks and the Three Bears': Lopez is too cold as far as activity, San Juan is too hot, but Orcas is just right, and it's pretty much stayed the same."

Yeaman and Nichols have long been fascinated with modern architecture, particularly the International Style of the 1930s and '40s. A visit to their black-on-black home comes with an enthusiastic tutorial on "The Case Study Houses." (Please turn to page 110, the Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen glass-wonder house in Pacific Palisades. That's what we're talking about.)

There is also talk of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian houses with overhangs, flat roofs and a center fireplace (all found here). Mies van der Rohe's elegant simplicity (also here). Paul Rudolph's use of CMU and exterior glass walls (bingo). And Miller/Hull's own "Ten Houses" book for geometry, simplicity and interest (ditto).

The couple's piece of the Orcas Chert Formation is at the end of a long, bumpy ride and abuts Moran State Park, so "we will never see anything here but our house," Yeaman says.

The 2,350-square-foot house is built around one long transverse wall with two perpendicular walls, one entering from the front, the other from the back, and each bearing a fireplace. The kitchen, living and dining rooms and master bedroom face the forest and water along a wall of glass. Along the core is the mechanical room, laundry, pantry and bathroom. An office and library are tucked on the other side. The only interior door belongs to the guest bath.

There is only one concern now that they are nestled in their remote island home.

"Debra keeps worrying that I'm going to go more Minimalist — like putting in a prison toilet and taking off all the lampshades."

Rebecca Teagarden is assistant editor of Pacific Northwest magazine. Steve Ringman is a Seattle Times staff photographer.