Welcome to a dream outdoor patio situation that I had the honor to style and shoot a few weeks ago. If you think you recognize this it’s because it’s the outdoor space of the Bay House, built by the owners of ARCIFORM and Versatile Wood Products (Anne and Richard, respectively) and we showed a sneak peek last year here. Their creativity and genius in this particular house is what made us decide to hire them for our farmhouse. But when we originally shot the interiors (two years ago now) the outdoor furniture hadn’t arrived yet so we got to go back a few weeks ago (now that the weather was nice) and style it all out.

The inside of the house, designed by Anne, and styled by EHD, is so special. It’s an incredible home with so many design details and bold choices.

I know. It blew us away, too. So we were so excited to go back and see how we could show off the outside.

This was it before we furnished and styled it out (two years ago), featuring Richard and Anne, the owners (architect and designer). As you can see there is a lot of outdoor space and without any furniture, we couldn’t really shoot it (thus the reason for today).
So here is how it all went down: They were about to buy a lot of durable furniture and had chosen most from Room & Board, but it wasn’t going to be enough to fill their massive patio. So since I was on board to style and shoot it we needed more, I pitched Room & Board a larger partnership, knowing that their furniture was perfect for the space – not just stylistically but also when it comes to longevity and durability. So almost everything you see here is from Room & Board (just not the tabletop accessories, many of which you’ll recognize:)).
Wait, Where Is This House??

It’s on a bay on the Washington coast. They bought the land over 10 years ago and slowly built this house, using most of the wood from the trees that they fell on the property. It’s in a super remote area so getting subcontractors up there was extremely challenging (it’s 3 hours from Portland, an hour north of Astoria). But my goodness it’s stunning.
The Front Patio

The shape is so special and arresting. I have been here three times, but Kaitlin, Alyssa, and Gretchen were BLOWN away when we first pulled up. They had it stained dark since I was last here which I love so much. ARCIFORM doesn’t actually do new builds (they specialize in historic restorations) so the creativity and imagination to build this house floors me.
The Dining Area

Black Footed Planter | Bar Cart | Terra Cotta Planter | Ribbed Planter | Umbrella | Dining Table (x2) | Dining Chairs
I shopped for furniture that would be really appropriate here, stylistically – nothing too bohemian or traditional. Room & Board has a lot of contemporary, midcentury, and transitional styles that work so well here. We chose two long marble dining tables that are awesome since the space is so long (with one umbrella for when the sun comes out. These tables feel very heavy, in a good way – with marble on top of steel legs, these things will LAST. And yes, even outside. We paired them with these black and caned chairs because we loved the texture and color, but also they stack (they need to be stored because the winds are too nutty out there and they’ll blow them around in the winter, so stacking was key).

The stone on top is a honed gray stone that feels forgiving and super timeless. The texture of the caning on the chairs feels really elevated for outdoor chairs.

I brought in pops of warm pink, coppery tones, and a lot of green to style it all out.

Umbrella | Dining Table (x2) | Dining Chairs
If you are wondering about the flooring (me, too!) I asked Anne to tell me about it and here is what she said:
“We have a lot of elderly friends, so we were worried about them falling. We also like the perforated aluminum because it does not require maintenance and yes, Richard and I installed it with the help of the Arciform crew. Cons are that it is not nice to walk on it with your bare feet. But honestly, we rarely walk at the bay house in our bare feet as the floor surfaces are rough. The metal is also a bit reflective in the sun, which can be very bright. On the plus side, it reflects light into the interior space – brightening it up.”
Anne is from Northern Europe and I love her general non-conformity towards American design-isms. They use their resources in a more uninhibited way, with ideas that are far more sustainable but less conventional which I’ve always admired.

We styled with all Room & Board pots and bar cart (bringing in another color and tone with the dark coppery orange).




Black Footed Planter | Bar Cart | Ribbed Planters
We thought that the pop of this warm metal against the dark house was so pretty (and worked really well with the railing that they let patina (aka rust). The pots are a mix of fiberglass and ceramic, all from Room & Board.

The Bay Side Patio

This side of the house gets a lot of afternoon Western sun so Anne and Richard wanted some sun loungers, but they needed to be super heavy-duty so that the wind couldn’t move them around. We created two different seating areas over here (it’s huge!).

These loungers are black iron with wood underneath and are adjustable in height. They are super heavy, durable, stylistically simple, and well-made.

Is That A Bathtub On The Deck?

Black Planter | Chair | Side Table | Terra Cotta Planter
Yes! And I love it so much. Anne had this old clawfoot tub and had no hesitation to put it out on the deck near a hot/cold hose bib (not officially plumbed, just a hose from the exterior of the house for hot or cold). While we were there I filled it with cold to plunge and Alyssa and I took turns. They have no neighbors so there is very little privacy concern.


The mid-century style chairs are outdoor chairs if you can believe that (you can obviously use them inside). These are right outside their bedroom (they stored them in the winter because the elements out here are intense). It’s a classic midcentury shape that Room & Board does so well.

The bay comes in at night and it’s unbelievably stunning. Also please note that arched door within a huge window. Ridiculous.
The Firepit Area

These Adirondack chairs are rather famous for how long-lasting and durable they are (especially against the elements). While we all love wood Adirondack chairs, the recycled HDPE of these chairs will last so much longer in the wind and rain. They actually usually have their firepit area somewhere else (not on the grass, which is likely unadvisable) but we moved it here because it was so much prettier (and our job is to make pretty photos with pretty product).

I brought my collection of hoarded quilts and blankets that felt like the right vibe for PNW in the spring.

A quick call out for Room & Board that you might not know (I didn’t until I was writing this post). They are now a registered B Corp which is a certification that is actually really laborious to get (I’ve tried and kinda lost steam) so when a large company does this we should take note and give them some love. I think there are a few different ways to qualify, with likely different goals (i.e. sustainability, diversity, employee-owned, American-made, etc). I’m not an expert but I’m always extremely impressed when larger companies take the time and effort (and profit margin hit) because they care. It makes me want to support them even more.
Sunset And That’s A Wrap!

It was a seriously lovely shoot with my team. We had so much fun at this gorgeous house with this awesome furniture that deserved its day in the sun (WE ARE BACK TO SUN UP HERE FOLKS!!!).


A huge thanks to Room & Board for partnering on this outdoor space (and being so patient with me – between weather issues, the darkness of winter, and all of the shoot schedules getting, 3 non-rainy days in a row on the books took far longer than I had predicted. The whole space turned out so great, with furniture that feels so appropriate for the architecture and durable for the weather and elements.
*Design by ARCIFORM
**Styled by Emily Henderson (me!)
***Photos by Kaitlin Green
I would love to know where Emily’s dress is from.
The whole outfit is:
Anne’s dress is the Drake Dress by Frank & Eileen.
Wow, such a jaw-dropping home, enormous but still to scale in the woods and water setting. All the EHD touches feel the same: present but not all-consuming. My question with outdoor furniture is always this: how it isn’t in the way of those beautiful vistas from the inside??? I struggle with this in our own home, there are three big spaces with glass doors outside the dining room, the kitchen and the family room, natural spots for an outdoor table/chairs and one/two outdoor sitting areas. But that means the views from the inside out onto the pool, the big grassy area, the stone walled flower gardens are blocked by what I think of as “dead” furniture, no matter how pretty might be. How do the inside views and outside setup work together here??
When placing items outside, we definitely consider the outside view at the same time. The tables at the end of the home in front of the big window with door inside are at the same level as the furniture inside the home, so they are not “in the way.” The view is up and out. If anything the table blocks a tiny little bit of the view of the grass but with this landscape, we are fortunate to have sweeping views that are well above the furniture. Plus, the way Emily styled it is so nice, we love having that in our view as well. 🙂
That is a beautiful home. I love the evening view of the light over the water and through the windows—wow! I could live there.
Room&Board is one of my favorite places to buy furniture. They get it right on so many levels but their customer service is beyond great. That’s sort of the driving force behind me shopping there. Excellent quality, too.
I could totally live there too! Swoon.
I love Room and Board, too. I’ve often been surprised that EHD doesn’t use it more.
I had this exact same thought Beth – EHD should be all over Room and Board and it always surprises me that she isn’t.
Agree! It’s a Minneapolis-based company and given the relationship with Target I would have thought this would have hit the coastal radar a little sooner. But also, good on R&B for recognizing the opportunity. I don’t see them partner with many influencers, which feels like a miss on their part?? But here to say their wood furniture is so much higher quality than Restoration Hardware at much better prices. I have a dresser, dining table and daybed from them and they have held up beautifully to kids, dogs and a couple of moves. And their commitment to sustainability is deep and real – I know a few people who have worked for them.
we’ve actually worked a ton with room & board in the past – the first portland house, my house (i LOVE my storage from r&b!), and they’ve contributed pieces to bunch of other projects – but this is just the first fully dedicated makeover we’ve worked on with them! the team is AWESOME and i hope we can highlight them even more in the future 🙂
Absolutely stunning!
Every time this house is featured I swoon. It must be so amazing to live here. Just gorgeous!
I LOVE THIS HOUSE SO MUCH! Amazing job, y’all.
Would those polywood adirondacks do ok in the Texas heat, too? I’m honestly afraid of composites melting or warping when it’s 117 degrees out, but my old school Russell Woodard spun fiberglass does ok so long as the fibers stay coated with a protectant. But I LOOOOVE the idea of a firepit in these beautifully breezy Spring and Fall evenings, and some mornings, too, and those chairs are gorgeous!!
Thanks for all you do, checking this page every morning is one of the highlights of my day! 🙂
I think Polywood is indestructible and will outlast humanity! I love the Room and Board adirondacks but you can also go directly to Polywood’s website for a variety of styles, good prices, and excellent service. We have a fire pit with four of their Adirondacks as well as a sectional and round table from them on our screen porch in Maryland.
I have the bar cart from Room and Board in a beautiful blue. Just loved this post so much, EHD team!
Texan here, DFW area. We have Polywood furniture on our east-facing back patio and on our west-facing front porch, where it soaks up the summer sun all afternoon. After 3 years, it all still looks new. No problem with wind, rain, or hail, either (both areas are covered, but all that stuff blows right in during a big storm).
I feel like a movie should be shot at this house and location! Maybe a thriller? A love story? The house and bay view just seem like a dreamy movie set.
A love story is being played out in real life here. Thank you. 🙂
This is STUNNING! I’d really love to hear from anyone who’s gotten to be there live- how much of the time does the reflection off the aluminum flooring turn into an uncomfortable glare, especially on the full sun side?
I love hearing when people are designing things to be accessible and/or safe for their elder friends and family. Well done!
Yes I too am so curious about the metal floors. I saw a lot of those floors in Brooklyn housing renovations in the early 00s.
After one season, the metal dulled and it’s not bad at all. When we were installing it though, we were all wearing sun glasses. The extra dull reflection is nice in the PNW. 🙂
Invite me over, please!
This house is so stunning I could cry. Wonderful job EHD on styling it out and showing off the patio area.
Unbelievably stunning! Thank you so much for sharing.
One question – did you need to do anything to protect the aluminum flooring from rusting with the iron table/chair legs? Or is that just something one should be prepared to clean up periodically?
The table base is powder-coated stainless steel with plastic foot caps.
Stunning!
Room & Board really does have the best service and quality! They delivered bathroom vanity what ended up being months before our project was finished. The tile was installed and the countertop color tone just wasn’t right anymore. They returned it with ZERO issues. They even sent a truck to pick it up.
This house is to die for. Would they ever sell the plans?? I would buy them in a heartbeat for a mountain home!
Our designs are site specific. What works well here might not work well at other places. And the materials chosen were based on what is locally available. Thank you for the compliments. 🙂
I’m so pleased to see you working with Room & Board as I’ve gotten great products and service from them over the years. Those Emmett Adirondack chairs shown around the fire pit, along with the matching ottomans (ottomen?🙃), sofa and a rocker were one of my first purchases for my home 15 years ago. They are out in the weather year round and still look perfect. Inside, I have a sectional, chaise, leather chair and ottoman, 2 beds, 5 bookcases and more. I bought most of it over 10 years ago and love that everything is holding up well and most of the styles are so classic that they are still available. I bought 3 leaning bookcases to start. Added a 4th a few years later and got the 5th one just 2 years ago. No guarantee every style will live forever but it’s sure nice when it happens.
Omg I love this, reminds me of a beautiful holiday getaway. I could lose myself living here, away from the world!
Your PNW coastal patio reveal is absolutely stunning! I love how the architecture by ARCIFORM perfectly complements the natural beauty of the surroundings. The addition of DIY fire pits would take this outdoor space to the next level, providing warmth and ambiance for cozy gatherings. It’s amazing to see how thoughtful design choices can transform an outdoor area into a true oasis. Thanks for sharing this inspiring patio makeover!