4770 Ohio Ave S
Ste B
Seattle, WA 98134
info@paxsonfay.com
Written by Tim McKeough. Photos by Benj Drummond.
Opting for a simpler life than he had in Seattle, Chris Rogers built a small house near Twisp, Wash., with help from Best Practice Architecture.Credit…Benj Drummond
If you’re a certain kind of architecture buff, it doesn’t get much better than having the award-winning architect Tom Kundig — known for his inventive, industrial-looking structures — build your house. So when Chris Rogers commissioned Mr. Kundig to design his home in 2009, it was a dream come true.
Known as the Hammer House, the 2,200-square-foot weathering-steel structure that Mr. Kundig created for him rose from a sloping site like a tower, offering long views through walls of glass. The interior was a minimalist composition of meticulously crafted steel and concrete.
Not surprisingly, Mr. Rogers loved it.
Five years later, though, he began feeling restless. Mr. Rogers, now 61 and a real estate broker, has a background in land conservation and helped create the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. He also developed a condominium project with Mr. Kundig.
But increasingly, he found himself drawn to nature. He owned a small second home — a 500-square-foot off-the-grid cabin that he built for himself in the nearby San Juan Islands — and when he was there, his house in the city began to feel like an inconvenience. In 2014, he sold it and moved into a condo, with the idea of adopting a hotel-like lifestyle while he was in the city. But that still didn’t feel quite right.
“I thought that would be my life, moving between the city and the country,” he said. “But as I’ve gotten older, I just realized that I’m definitely more attracted to living close to nature, and less interested in living in the urban environment.”
Looking to make his primary home outside the city, he bought a forested lot with a mouse-infested log cabin near Twisp, a town in the mountainous Methow Valley of Washington, paying $175,000 in 2018.
“I bought into a friend group that all has adjoining land,” Mr. Rogers said. His lot is about five and a half acres; he and two friends share an additional five acres that they’ve agreed to keep as meadow.
After camping on the property for a few years, he decided the log cabin was beyond repair. To replace it, he envisioned building something that was almost the antithesis of the Hammer House: a simple one-story cabin that riffed on the local vernacular.
“I wanted it to be small and to be reflective of the historic cabins in the area,” he said. “For sustainability, making it small is the first move one can make before you add any bells and whistles.”
For help designing the new house, he chose the Seattle-based firm Best Practice Architecture, after seeing its projects blending modern and traditional elements. “He wanted something where, it you squint, it looks like just a classic cabin,” said Ian Butcher, the founding partner. “But the more you pay attention to it, you see that it’s a little more refined and elegant.”
The architects designed a low-slung house of 1,094 square feet with a single bedroom. Clad in gray corrugated-metal siding and topped by a standing-seam metal roof, the structure is designed to be resistant to wildfires in summer and to the heavy snowfall in winter, with minimal maintenance.
Inside, the main living area is essentially one big room with a wood stove, a dining space and a semi-enclosed daybed nook that serves as an all-purpose place for hanging out, working and putting up guests.
Mr. Rogers loves to cook, so he and Mr. Butcher lavished attention on the kitchen. Above the counters, most of the room is wrapped in windows. Where the windows terminate at the range, they installed vintage ceramic tile by the designer Roger Capron, which Mr. Rogers bought years before and lugged from one home to another as he looked for a place to use them. Above a compact worktable at the center of the space, they hung a pendant lamp Mr. Rogers had also bought years earlier, a piece by Stan Bitters evoking a pine cone.
To get a little more space for overnight guests, Mr. Rogers asked the architects to design a stand-alone guest suite. They responded with a 248-square-foot enclosure connected to a detached carport, offering extra sleeping and storage space.
After beginning work in the fall of 2021, Laverty Construction completed the project in the summer of 2023, at a cost of about $600 a square foot. There’s still an old barn on the property, but for now it remains untouched; Mr. Rogers dreams of one day turning it into a combination sauna, ski-waxing room and workshop.
Already, he likes life in the Methow Valley so much that he thinks he may stay put this time.
“I can see up close what is happening with the plants in the garden and the birds and animals that frequent them, as well as the changing weather and light over the mountains or across the big meadow,” he said. “It’s probably the best place I’ve ever lived.”
meet the team
We’re inspired by diverse design perspectives, innovation, technology, art, and the world around us. We live for the chance to create and disperse powerful, genuine messages that resonate.
tessa franchini
principal
tessa@paxsonfay.com
Tessa graduated from Fordham University in New York with a dual bachelor's degree in Communications and Political Science. During her time at Fordham, she worked for an interior designer and at NBC News where she developed her love for both design and communications. After graduating, Tessa managed marketing at 3form, a pioneer in the sustainable building products industry. During her tenure, 3form was repeatedly named one of the most recognized manufacturers in the design industry among architects and designers, and the company won multiple awards for its innovative product launches. After 3form, Tessa consulted on marketing efforts with leading product manufacturers in architecture and design before starting Paxson Fay with Amy.
amy golden
principal
amy@paxsonfay.com
Growing up in Seattle, Amy was always exploring the great outdoors but she found a particular thrill in traveling. During a visit to New York City at age 10, she knew that was where she wanted to live. After high school she left her home in the Pacific Northwest behind for the great unknown to attend Fordham University in the Bronx. Upon graduation, Amy received a phone call from CNN offering a job opportunity of a lifetime working in television ad sales at Manhattan's Time Warner Center. When a job opportunity in Los Angeles opened up a few years later, Amy couldn't say no to a new adventure back on the west coast. But Seattle eventually called her back home and Amy returned to pursue a Master's degree in Business Administration with the hopes of learning the skills she needed to feed her entrepreneurial spirit. Before graduating, Amy co-founded Paxson Fay with Tessa Andrews in 2015. Amy focuses on marketing strategy, public relations, social media, and partnerships.
colby wood
senior account executive
colby@paxsonfay.com
After graduating from Fordham University in New York City with a major in Communications and Media Studies and a handful of marketing and PR internships, Colby moved to Boston to manage marketing for a small, women-owned, creative consulting agency. While in that role, Colby managed public relations and marketing efforts for some of Boston's most prominent events and public art initiatives, including the Boston Pickle Fair and The Bulfinch Crossing Projections in downtown Boston. Colby gained experience crafting brand stories and identities through social media marketing and creative copywriting, seen through the successful launch of a premier Massachusetts adult-use dispensary and the revamp of her agency's own website. After two years, Colby decided it was time to figure out what the West Coast was all about. Looking to blend her marketing experience with her passion for design and architecture, Colby found Paxson Fay, where she focuses on social media strategy and management and public relations.
paige childs
communication specialist
paige@paxsonfay.com
As a child, Paige wanted to be an architect; but after falling in love with storytelling, the power of words, and yes, the show West Wing, she decided to pursue journalism at The George Washington University in the nation’s capital. Following graduation, Paige crafted communications for the beauty and banking industries. Craving space for creativity, she joined the small team that would reopen the congressionally designated National Children’s Museum. There, she played an integral role in establishing the museum’s brand, bringing it to life across digital channels, including social media, email, and advertising. After nearly eight years in DC, she decided it was time for a change of scenery. Having grown fond of the title Washingtonian, she made the cross-country move to Washington State. She landed in Seattle at Paxson Fay, where in true full circle fashion she is the architect of social media and public relations strategies for our architecture and design clients.
zoe mcphail
senior communications coordinator
zoe@paxsonfay.com
From San Francisco, California, Zoe moved to Seattle, Washington to pursue her undergraduate degree at the University of Washington. She graduated with a dual bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science. Shortly after graduation from UW, Zoe hopped across the pond to pursue her Master of Science in Urban Economics and Real Estate Finance at the London School of Economics. Focusing on Sustainable Development, she found herself drawn to adaptive reuse and preservation projects in the world of architecture and design. Building on prior marketing and social media experience, Zoe returned to the PNW in July of 2023 to work on social media strategy and content creation for clients at Paxson Fay.
martina povolo
communications assistant
martina@paxsonfay.com
Martina joined the Paxson Fay team as an intern when she was a senior at the University of Washington. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Public Interest Communications, Martina is now continuing with the team as a Communications Assistant. During her time at UW, Martina worked as the Special Sections Editor at the university’s newspapers where she won multiple awards for her front page spreads. Looking to blend her minors in real estate and environmental science with her focus in communications, Martina is passionate and excited to join the Paxson Fay team.
tara lyons
communications assistant
tara@paxsonfay.com
With roots in Napa and Denver, Tara ventured to the Pacific Northwest to pursue her academic journey at the University of Washington, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Education. Tara's love for writing began when she delved into songwriting, building on her pre-existing passion for singing and playing the piano. Following her undergraduate years, she returned to Paxson Fay, where she had previously interned, transitioning into the role of Communications Assistant. With a keen interest in PR and social media, Tara seamlessly integrates her creative flair into the professional realm. Outside of work, you'll find Tara passionately supporting the Kraken, embodying her love for both storytelling and sports.
We are hiring for our internship program! We are looking for an intern with a passion for design to help manage key communication channels. Click here to read more.
what we do
We are a communications firm founded in our passion for good design. Our unique approach to marketing and public relations in the architecture and design community has elevated our clients work to the next level. We’re backed by a talented community of creatives. From copywriters to social media experts, we provide a complete package of customized services. We strive to create a personal experience with each client, integrating teams and tackling your biggest marketing and public relations challenges from a high level. Then we help execute those plans ensuring lots of reporting along the way, with lots of coffee breaks in between because we’re from Seattle and that’s what we do.
marketing
marketing strategy
brand strategy
project management
partnerships acquisition and management
e-mail blasts
public relations
media strategy
content production
media communications and outreach
awards: strategy, content development and submissions
social
platform strategy and management
content production
targeted campaigns
results + reporting
advertising
advertising strategy
budget strategy + negotiation
calendar management
creative coordination
content
storytelling
copywriting
website and e-mail marketing
video: sourcing, storyboarding and scheduling
photography acquisition + curation
events
event management
sponsorships + partnerships
tradeshow coordination
press tours
clients
Here is a little taste of who we love to work with and what we love to do.