Press

Eric and Melinda approached Coates Design Architects seeking a “livable, modern home that fits well in its natural, rural environment.” Simplicity and budgetary concerns were key themes, guided by the homeowners’ personal aesthetic and their flat, open 10.3-acre site, where the couple also raises chickens and a vineyard. As designers, this project was an opportunity […]

This November, Harrison hospital broke ground on the island’s first 24-hour urgent care center, scheduled for opening in November 2014.  The facility, designed by Bainbridge architect Matthew Coates, features a circular hub-and-spoke design in which patient exam rooms are situated like pods in the spokes and the medical team is stationed at the central core. […]

Designer Matthew Coates creates a luxurious Zen retreat with warm wood and sleek design. When a homeowner contacted designer Matthew Coates to create a bathroom retreat in a LEED Platinum house, Coates had to create a space with multiple uses. Incorporating luxurious details and thoughtful storage, the design includes a Japanese ofuro tub, hidden laundry […]

Designer Matthew Coates creates an open concept kitchen at the heart of a new home. When designer Matthew Coates was contacted to design an open concept kitchen on a tight budget, he didn’t let the numbers fool him. He included stylish but budget-friendly materials to create a spacious, modern kitchen perfect for gathering. Coates shares […]

The Yelm home is a country contemporary, a combination of simple and cost-effective, warm and comfortable, clean lines and precise design. “We looked at land hard. For me it’s the outside. It’s the garden space,” she says. “We weren’t sure about living in a fish bowl. “But it’s not like that at all. It feels […]

The first LEED Platinum residence outside the city of Seattle, the Ellis’ home is a testimony that sustainability doesn’t have to come at the cost of style, elegance, and luxury. The entire project was conceived by the architects from Coates Design, keeping durability, aging and recyclability in mind. LEED platinum Residence, Seattle Owners Ed and […]

An environmental ethic is elegantly executed. Let’s begin at the end: Joanne Ellis’ favorite thing about her new home on a Seattle-facing Bainbridge Island bluff. It’s the joy of being in a place that is me. That’s what a custom home should be. It should fit you like a fine-tailored suit. —Joanne Ellis You may consider […]

Merit Award Custom Bath, Ellis Residence, Bainbridge Island, Wash. In the LEED Platinum-certified Ellis Residence, architect Matthew Coates says, he set out to prove “you don’t have to sacrifice high design if you go green.”  True to that aim, the house’s master bath puts sustainable materials and energy efficiency at the service of a serenely […]

Today’s eco-friendly home designs prove that green living can be luxurious. Matthew Coates, the president of Coates Design, a Seattle architectural firm, acknowledges that many people today still associate energy-efficient, eco-friendly homes with an unavoidable compromise in comfort and lifestyle. However, according to Coates, such connotations are predicated on past forays into green construction from […]

At first Earl Dorsey comes across as unapproachable, but when you get to know him his vulnerable side shows through. Dorsey knows this about himself. So when it came time to build a home on his Bainbridge Island property, he asked architect Matthew Coates to design a house with a reserved exterior but an interior […]

Green Team – Integrated stakeholders reinvent their process to guide this Bainbridge Island home to LEED Platinum. Project Details Name: Ellis Residence, Bainbridge Island, WA Size: 2,725 square feet Lot Size: 0.06 acres Construction Cost: Withheld Completed: December 2009 HERS rating: 41 Certification: LEED-Platinum Builder: Smallwood Design & Construction, Seattle Architect: Coates Design, Seattle and […]

Bainbridge architect Matthew Coates designed a house with a hard exterior but a sense of warmth inside. The owner fit right in. At first Earl Dorsey comes across as unapproachable, but when you get to know him his vulnerable side shows through.  Dorsey knows this about himself.  So when it came time to build a […]

Architect Matthew Coates designed this Bainbridge Island residence to reflect his client’s personality.  The exterior features an L-shaped concrete wall, which serves as a “hard, durable, impenetrable façade,” explains Coates, while the home’s ipe wood and custom patina copper are warmer, more inviting elements and accentuate the scenic views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget […]

Located in Bainbridge Island, Washington much of the Dorsey Residence is hidden behind a two-story concrete face, however its interior spaces reflect a different experience of warmth, light, and openness. Architects Coates Design created an 18-inch concrete wall that forms two sides of the home’s exterior. These walls provide a poignant counterpoint to the warm […]