Oregon Home | 35 The kitchen is flanked by a lounge, the most popular place to hang out in the home. A big, luscious wool carpet invites visitors to get comfortable, and moveable poufs allow family to gather informally. All in all, the lounge responds to how the family used the old living room in the house where they grew up. There it was common for family members to lounge about instead of just sitting in a formal sitting room. “Four kids plus significant others plus dogs is a lot to accommodate in one space,” Emily says. “Everyone just likes lounging on the floor, playing with the dogs and snuggling with the kids.” Emily rotated the stairs in the home and created a new landing place and coat closet that is far more functional than the previous one. Emily’s husband, Ben Wu of Woodblock Construction, did the finish carpentry as well as the staircase. “I just gave it to him to run with,” Emily says. “I had asked for 1x3 white oak pieces — make it special and beautiful — and that’s what he came up with.” The end result is a house that really feels like a sanctuary that can accommodate all of the family’s loved ones — like the feeling they all get when they arrive at the cabin on Lopez Island. “I wanted her to have the closest feeling to that feeling when she comes home,” Emily says.
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