Bob and Lisa Watkins had a big dream.
They had just returned from a romantic trip to Europe, where they celebrated their fifth anniversary, staying in quaint bed-and-breakfasts everywhere they went.
When they returned to their home in wooded, rural Arlington, they desperately wanted to turn their own little slice of heaven into a place they could share, a B&B just like the places they visited but with a Northwest twist.
But how, they wondered, could their humble 1,800-square-foot rambler built in 1988, ever become the expansive luxury escape they wanted for Arlington?
They found their answer in 47-year-old Ruth Gonzales, an Arlington architect who was able not only to see their vision but also to deliver it.
The Watkinses, who had done their research, knew they needed five rooms to do solid business. But they also needed to create a carefully balanced theme of rustic elegance, mixing down-to-earth architecture with luxury accommodations such as soaking tubs, plush bedding and granite-topped vanities.
“We had all kinds of ideas, but it was nothing until we met Ruth and she said, ‘You can do this,’ ” Lisa Watkins said. “And then the dream happened.”
Thanks in part to Gonzales’ creative plans, the River Rock Inn is now thriving, going on its fourth year in business.
Its massive lodge-style great room, complete with a two-story river-rock fireplace, exposed wooden beams and stunning forest views, prompts nearly every first-timer to utter the single-word response the hosts hear most often: “Wow!”
Gonzales transformed the couple’s rambler into a romantic escape using the original home’s foundation, and salvaging the best materials where possible for use in the new structure.
Four guest rooms were built directly above the original structure, followed by a great room addition extending dramatically into the landscape. What was once the garage is now a private 700-square-foot living area .
There’s a fifth guest room on the main floor, designed for people with disabilities, and a dramatic wooden staircase that connects the two levels.
Gonzales created high and interesting angles on the guest room ceilings upstairs with a roof style called a “scissors truss,” a choice that added architectural interest but actually required less labor.
“It’s like a big algebra problem,” Gonzales said of the challenge of architecture. “And it all comes together in the end.”
Gonzales, an Arlington native, has always loved architecture. She remembers sitting on her grandmother’s lap and drawing stick houses with curlicue smoke coming out of the chimneys.
She knew going into college at the University of Idaho that she wanted to design buildings.
When she was starting out, Gonzales often designed strip malls and other less personal spaces while working for larger firms. She and her husband, Frank, went out on their own in 1993 to found Gonzales Design Partners.
Since then, Gonzales has added many buildings to her portfolio, including additions for the Arlington United Church and the Arlington Free Methodist Church as well as drawings for the new Arlington Hardware &Lumber store addition.
Her favorite projects, however, are usually residential.
“It’s their home, their business,” she said of the River Rock Inn. “It’s personal. That’s why I like it.”
Ruth Gonzales
Firm: Gonzales Design Partners of Arlington specializes in residential and commercial architecture; 360-435-5514; www.gonzalesdesignpartners.com.
Approach to design: “Listening. Designs need to fulfill the needs of the specific client, so I listen to them express their needs and desires for the project. I listen to their goals, their expectations and their limitations. And I listen for their passion for the end result.”
About this series: This is the fifth installment of our series on local architects. Do you know a great local architect? Contact reporter Sarah Jackson at 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com.
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