Johnsen Schmaling Architects

The Camouflage House sits on a steep lake bluff, its narrow body nestled into the hillside. Echoing the trees’ arresting verticality and the rhythmic shifts between the trunks as one moves through the site, the building skin is composed of solids and voids – wall and glass panels – whose organization overlaps with the building’s exposed structural grid. The first façade layer is a durable wrapper of untreated vertical Western Red Cedar boards, serving as the backdrop for a series of polychromatic wood veneer panels that reverberate the ever-changing hues of the surrounding forest. Over time, the cedar walls will weather to a silver-gray, echoing the muted color palette of the surrounding tree trunks, while the veneer panels retain their original color and pristine finish. With its simple plan, restrained use of materials, and precise detailing, the house achieves an elegant clarity and rustic warmth.