married for 41 years

Size: Main house, 3,200 square feet; separate artist studio, 900 square feet

An artist enclave on Raft Island overlooks Carr Inlet on the southern end of Puget Sound, Washington. About an hour from Seattle, this modern architectural wonder was designed and built by the owner’s son, Randall Lanou, from BuildSense in North Carolina. Barbara Lee Smith and her husband, Mel, were hands-on all the way, creating an artistic masterpiece both indoors and out.Tucked between the sea and the sky, and surrounded by evergreens, two structures constituting a home and art studio are a careful blend of natural wood, corrugated metal and steel. Almost 95 percent of the wood from an existing 1968 A-frame was repurposed in everything from the floors and decks to the stairs, closets and wine cellar. Artwork by Barbara hangs just as comfortably here in her home as it does in museums and galleries around the world, while Mel’s intricate wood designs are incorporated into hand-hewn tables and wall hangings.Mel and Barbara Lee Smith,Modern Loft on Raft Island, Gig Harbor, Washington