An open-on-both-sides fireplace (of ground-face concrete block and red fire brick) lends warmth to both the dining and living space. Along the back wall, a 14-by-3-foot window seat doubles as sleeping space for guests.

Nature, of course, has a way of creating such spaces.

Humans, on the other hand, often forget that if disturbed, such scenes seldom regenerate. But once in a long while, a particular-to-place structure appears that's so in tune with the environment, one could swear it was part of the plan from the very beginning.

Such is the modernistic interpretation of an Adirondack-style house designed by David Coleman, AIA, as a retreat for two couples: Jonathan and Carol Buchter, who live in Seattle, and Susan and Carl Dreisbach, who live on Vashon Island.

With its architectural roots firmly planted in rural New York soil, the Adirondack design philosophy emphasizes peaceful coexistence with nature.

As tradition has it, a true Adirondack "great camp" is composed of several hand-crafted wood-beam structures, each with an assigned reason for being (as in one for sleeping, one for cooking and one for such activities as reading a good book by the fire).

At the rear of the house it's easy to get a clear view of the "three-box" design. In the foreground, the shared living space. Behind, two structures, each a dedicated master suite. Around the home site, landscaping is by Green Man of San Juan Island.

This contemporary rendition delivers on the same principles: simple spatial forms specific to task, simple repetition of quality materials and simply exquisite attention to detail at every level of craft.

As for the 15-acre Orcas Island site itself, the terrain remains a delicious tangle of tall pine forest punctuated by large glacial boulders. The plan itself is straightforward, if a bit unusual: A 1,700-square-foot linear house composed of three separate "boxes," each connected to a structural-stretch of glass-and-wood beam construction (also known as the sunporch). Visually and functionally, this "stretch" acts as the shish-kabob skewer that binds the three boxes together. The largest box is dedicated to shared activities and room for guests to sleep; the two others are completely separate retreat suites, one for each couple.

Extremely nice, too, is the fact it's exactly what the clients wanted: a casual, easy-to-maintain home that delivers private and shared space in equal measure. But as it is with most extraordinary things, the story of how this home came to be is almost as good as the outcome.

Until last year, the Buchters were longtime residents of Cleveland, Ohio. For years, they made regular pilgrimages to the Pacific Northwest to visit the Dreisbachs (Susan is Carol's sister). At that time, the Dreisbachs were living full time on Orcas. In 1988, the Buchters gave in to temptation and bought 15 island acres of their own, with vague plans to someday build a retirement home.

	From its central-to-the-house position, this "weekend kitchen" is by design easy to use and easy to clean. The cabinets are clear, vertical-grain fir; the countertops are cast, ground-face concrete, by Dog Paw Design of Seattle; the metal dining chairs and stools are from Emeco Chair; low-voltage, halogen cable lights come from Tech Lighting.
	Between the dining room and the far end of the sun room, oversized "barn doors" slide closed for privacy. The nickel-plated, steel-base dining table with fir top was designed by architect David Coleman, built by David Gulassa. In the shared areas, floors are blackened polished concrete (finish by Mark Edmonds).

But as the year 2000 approached, the foursome decided the millennium was a "now or never" signal to build a shared retreat. Soon, they found themselves flipping through magazines looking for inspiration. And there it was: an article on a grouping of Adirondack-inspired structures in Vermont.

The architect? David Coleman of Seattle.

And so started a year of long-distance phone calls, a year of site visits, two years of construction. "Yes, we had all the excitement of building a house from 2,500 miles away," says Carol with a laugh.

Early in the design conversation, Coleman convinced his clients that building separate structures would exceed their budget. Still, Coleman kept the general idea in mind as the client-collective discussed every practical, functional and house-fantasy issue. What emerged was a fundamental concept that would influence every decision down the road.

Of course, the topography of the property was also a factor. Having walked the land with his clients, Coleman identified two probable sites. In the end, they chose the area that offered the most in terms of view, natural light and accessibility. They also liked that several in-place boulders created a natural courtyard entrance.

In the middle of the building process, another change: Carol unexpectedly found a position at the University of Washington Medical Center (she's a cardiologist). Jonathan was up for the move, despite a need to commute to Cleveland on a semi-regular basis to continue his legal practice.

Given that the Buchters (Jonathan in particular) had assumed the lead-client position with Coleman, the timing was auspicious.

The Buchters' move meant the foursome would be sharing the house more than originally planned. "One of the things pulling us here was the house, but maybe we built the house to be pulled," says Carol. "I'm sure Freud would say we knew all along we were going to move."

"Without a doubt, the best thing that came of the house was that Carol and Jonathan moved here," says Susan, a nurse at Virginia Mason Medical Center.

When it came time to furnish the interior and plan the landscape, the clients again turned to Coleman. They had one request: Make it simple and functional. Coleman, a graduate of the multidisciplinary Rhode Island School of Design, says neither was a stretch as he believes all aspects of design are a natural extension of his work as an architect. Together with the late Seattle craftsman David Gulassa, Coleman oversaw the design and installation of almost all the home's furnishings, including the built-in drawers and moveable closets for the suites.

Following nature's lead, Coleman had plants and moss-covered logs relocated from other areas on the property to the home site. "I saw this more as a restoration than a new landscape," he says. "Overall, we wanted it to look as if the house had been inhabiting the space for a hundred years."

One of the things the Buchters really liked about a trip they took to Bali were the outdoor showers. With that in mind, Coleman created a shower that visually opens up to the great outdoors (except for a frosted privacy panel). The glazed bath tile is American Olean (from Ann Sacks), the "rain head" fixture is from Germany's Dorn Bracht.

Coleman gives much of the credit for the success of this phase to Green Man Landscape of San Juan Island: "Green Man was more than a contractor, they were collaborators."

Indeed, it all seems to work no matter how many — or how few — guests there are. The Buchters say the house is a big tourist draw for their longtime friends in the Midwest. Susan and Carl, a writer, say they've visited with kids and without, and everyone seems to comfortably find their own private space.

"What we really wanted was a little jewel in the woods," says Jonathan. "That's where we were headed, but I don't think we could have figured this out ourselves."

So how often do they visit? "Not nearly often enough," says Jonathan.