For many years, Kirsten and Rick lived in a very rural part of the Kitsap Peninsula, across the Puget Sound from Seattle. “We were living out in the woods,” says Kirsten. “The closest town was 25 minutes away, and gas was 25 minutes away. We loved it—it was beautiful and quiet, but a little too remote.”

The couple started looking for something closer in, when Kirsten’s oldest daughter came across a listing for a 1930s brick farmhouse on about two acres in Silverdale. The Dyes Inlet property was once an oyster farm, and the residence had the same quiet, rustic quality as the home they were leaving.

Before: Rear Facade

After: Rear Facade

The couple were surprised at the find. “Silverdale is a community that grew up around a mall,” says Kirsten. “It has a Costco, a Trader Joe’s, and all the franchise restaurants. But we came to see the house, and it was this little corner of paradise right in the heart of Silverdale. Its original, rural nature had been preserved.”

Before: East Facade

After: East Facade

Less paradisical was the home’s interior, which still had its original 1930s layout—complete with compartmentalized rooms, low ceilings in the upstairs bedrooms, and few windows to capture views of the inlet. Still, there was something about the brick that captivated the couple—it isn’t a common building material in the area, and it still bore the original builder’s initials in a flourish on the east facade.

Before: Side Door

After: Front Door

After purchasing the property, Kirsten and Rick set about updating the farmhouse to suit their lifestyle. Their grown children and grandchildren come to stay for extended periods, so they needed more space and privacy than the existing three-bedroom / one-full-bathroom home offered. While researching local firms, they discovered SHED Architecture & Design, and they consulted with the firm about how to best proceed.

After: Entry

After: North Facade

SHED principal Prentis Hale was struck by the uniqueness of the brick home, and thought the best approach was to preserve the integrity of the original structure while reorganizing the interior plan. “This was a 1930s brick house with some charm and character that didn’t deserve to be torn down,” says Hale. “It had been part of the fabric of Silverdale for a while, but the interior really no longer worked for the way people live these days.”

The firm came up with a master plan for the site that would convert the brick house into a guest residence for visiting family, and create a separate primary house for Kirsten and Rick. (They’ve just broken ground on the latter.)

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

SHED worked with Joe Gates Construction to keep the roof’s pitch, as well as the east and west facades, most of the window openings on those faces, and the OG initials. They took more liberties with the North and South facades.

On the water side, they extended the dormer all the way across to make room for two bedroom suites upstairs, and inserted new windows in the dormer to capture the views. “It neatly arranged itself in a very centralized, symmetrical (as we could make it) floor plan on the upper level,” says Hale. SHED mirrored that symmetry on the lower level, with two large sets of sliding-glass doors that align with the dormers above and connect the main living spaces to the view.

The firm also leaned into asymmetry by exaggerating the roof overhang at the rear facade to create a protected porch. Other exterior elements, like a simple steel canopy above the front door, and a metal railing, sync up with that dramatic move.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

Kirsten says she wanted the interior to feel “both light and airy, but to also have the character of a farmhouse.” To hit these notes, the design team selectively applied white shiplap to the entry, kitchen, and custom cabinetry upstairs. The wood paneling also serves a functional purpose: “I like something that can get dented,” says Kirsten.

To sync the home with the surrounding landscape, the team selected deep-blue floor tile for the bathroom, and pale green upholstery for a window seat. “It’s the opposite of a rabbit warren, which is what it felt like before,” says Kirsten. “Now, everything opens to the water and sky.”