The attic office at iolair, where a built-in plywood desk runs beneath the steeply pitched white ceiling. A raking skylight and a circular window frame a tree canopy, while a sheepskin-draped chair, a small mushroom lamp and a ribbed wall light fixed to an exposed Douglas fir post warm the spare, light-filled room.

iolair: A GO′C-Designed Artist Residency Takes Root in Orcas Island’s Creative Community

Words by Eric David

Orcas Island, Washington, USA

Located on Orcas Island, Washington, a forested island known for its natural beauty, quaint hamlets and thriving arts community, iolair is a new artist residency designed by Seattle-based architecture practice GO′C to give artists space for solitude while inviting moments of exchange. Opened in 2025 in the village of Eastsound, the approximately 150-square-metre building is compact in scale but generous in ambition, bringing under one roof a studio, gallery, office and live-in quarters, alongside a sheltered courtyard conceived for gatherings, work and future installations.

Often described as the “gem of the San Juans”, Orcas Island has long attracted artists, makers and independent spirits, its cultural landscape encompassing everything from small galleries and local workshops to the oldest studio pottery in the Pacific Northwest. For a foundation dedicated to hosting contemporary artists from around the world and connecting their practice with the local community, the island thus offers both retreat and audience: a place removed enough to foster concentration, yet open and receptive enough for artistic exchange.

A daytime view of iolair's building, where two openings, a tall slot and a square box-framed pane, are cut into the ebony cedar cladding. Hanging cedar branches and dense ferns soften the dark cladding, the warm glow of the interior visible through glass that mirrors the surrounding green.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

A lounge corner at iolair bathed in late afternoon light, where a tan leather sofa with a patterned cushion sits beneath a deep-set corner window, its hinged white shutter folded open. A rustic timber stool stacked with art books, a paper lantern and a canvas chair complete the warm, collected interior.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

A Washington State ferry crosses the calm waters of the San Juan archipelago at dusk, forested islands rising low on the horizon under a pale sky. The image sets the scene for iolair, the Orcas Island artist residency reached by this slow passage through the Salish Sea.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

The churning wake of a ferry crossing the Salish Sea, dark water broken into ridges of white foam and spray caught in low light. A textural study of the passage to Orcas Island, where iolair welcomes its visiting artists after the slow journey through the San Juan archipelago.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

A close study of the "Fern Totem" gate at iolair, designed and fabricated by Orcas Island artist Zackarya Leck. Galvanised steel fronds, their edges hand-worked and rippling, fan from a central stem against the ebony cedar wall, catching low light as a sculptural threshold to the courtyard.

Fern Totem by Zacharya Leck. Photography by Kevin Scott.

The ferry approaches the landing at Orcas Island in golden evening light, its white and green hull passing the historic Orcas Hotel and the timber dock buildings tucked beneath a dense forested ridge. The unhurried arrival sets the scene for iolair, the artist residency in the island's main village.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

Named after the Gaelic word for eagle, iolair took shape as an institution in parallel with the architecture. Although the client had long envisioned a place that could support artists in residence, the foundation’s mission and structure were clarified through the design and construction process, making the building not simply a vessel for the programme but one of the forces that helped define it.

Once part of an apple orchard, the plot the building occupies in Eastsound, the island’s main village, sits between a public park and neighbouring mixed-use structures, bridging the village’s residential fabric with its modest commercial corridor. GO′C answered this in-between condition with an L-shaped volume that wraps a courtyard roughly equal to the building’s own footprint, a space conceived as gathering area, working ground and future setting for installations. A second structure, planned for the eastern half of the plot, will eventually complete the enclave and frame this shared garden more emphatically.

An aerial view of iolair reveals its L-shaped plan and charcoal corrugated roof wrapping a courtyard set with a path of poured concrete pavers. Granite boulders, mossy stumps and layered planting fill the garden, the building's compact dark form folding around the green outdoor room at its heart.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

A sunlit detail of iolair's main entrance, where the pale pivoting door with its slim glazed strip and timber pull sits beneath a galvanised steel canopy. The engraved name reads across the ebony cedar cladding, a young maple casting dappled shadow over the dark vertical boards.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

iolair seen from the street in Eastsound, its dark gabled form set behind mature trees with a family and dog passing on the pavement. The pitched roof and ebony cladding read as a quiet contemporary presence within the village's low-rise, leafy fabric, the circular window just visible in the gable.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

The attic office at iolair, where a built-in plywood desk runs beneath the steeply pitched white ceiling. A raking skylight and a circular window frame a tree canopy, while a sheepskin-draped chair, a small mushroom lamp and a ribbed wall light fixed to an exposed Douglas fir post warm the spare, light-filled room.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

From the outside, the building reads as a single carved mass, its solid form clad in ebony-stained cedar planks, with a corrugated metal roofline in the same dark shade rising and falling to register the passage from public-facing spaces to more private rooms. The one marked inversion comes at the covered outdoor workspace, where the same timber cladding is finished in white, as if a portion of the building had been cut away to reveal its inner surface.

  • A detail of iolair's eaves under an overcast sky, where dark corrugated metal meets ebony-stained cedar planks above a black-framed window. The glazing reflects a pale sky and tree line while revealing the half-moon of the gallery's circular window within, a quiet study in the building's restrained material palette.

    Photography by Kevin Scott.

  • A corner of iolair's courtyard at golden hour, where an abstract carved granite sculpture by Pete Welty with an incised solar motif rests against the black cedar cladding. Beyond, a sheltered window seat with an ochre cushion is tucked beneath the corrugated roofline, the dark steel and timber catching warm, low light.

    Sun and Moon by Pete Welty. Photography by Kevin Scott.

  • A detail of iolair's roofline at dusk, where blackened corrugated metal meets the crisp ridge of the eaves above ebony-stained cedar planks. A panel of dark patinated steel lines the recessed corner, while warm light glows from the glazed gallery beyond, the materials reading almost monochrome in the fading light.

    Photography by Kevin Scott.

This gesture continues inside, where white-painted, sparsely furnished spaces create a restrained, light-filled environment for living and working. The main studio and gallery unfold as a double-height volume, with an attic office tucked above like a lookout. Beneath it, a lounge area offers a more domestic counterpoint to the open working space, while a separate wing houses a galley kitchen, public and private bathrooms, and a secluded bedroom, supporting the daily life of the resident artist without crowding the building’s primary sense of openness.

Light plays an important role in animating the interior’s minimalist language. Rectangular windows frame fragments of garden, street and neighbouring structures, while a large circular opening on the north end of the gallery acts as the building’s own eagle eye, drawing daylight deep into the space and establishing a visual connection with the park beyond. Across the project, polished concrete floors and natural wood carpentry form a muted yet soulful palette, lending the live-work spaces a calming, meditative ambience.

The double-height gallery at iolair, a pure white volume rising to a pitched ceiling pierced by a single circular skylight. A geometric pieced quilt in indigo, charcoal and white drapes a plywood worktable on castors, flanked by metal stools and a paper lantern, daylight pooling on the polished concrete floor.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

An aerial view of iolair reveals its L-shaped plan and charcoal corrugated roof wrapping a courtyard set with a path of poured concrete pavers. Granite boulders, mossy stumps and layered planting fill the garden, the building's compact dark form folding around the green outdoor room at its heart.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

Lounge area inside iolair’s artist studio, where a brown leather sofa, canvas lounge chair and low stools sit beneath exposed timber ceiling joists. White walls, polished concrete floors and framed views of surrounding greenery create a calm, domestic counterpoint to the residency’s working spaces.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

The gallery at iolair, where a built-in plywood bookcase holds art monographs, ceramics and a small lamp beneath an exposed plywood ceiling carried on timber joists. A canvas sling chair and footstool sit on polished concrete, while an open doorway frames a view through to the tiled bathroom and a paper lantern glows at right.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

  • The galley kitchen at iolair, fir cabinetry and a dark stone worktop set beneath open shelves of glassware and ceramics, with garden flowers in two jugs. Beyond an open plywood door, a private bathroom reveals white stack-bond tile, a rustic timber stool and a globe pendant on polished concrete.

    Photography by Kevin Scott.

  • A shower room at iolair lined in white tile laid in a vertical stack bond, its dark grout drawing a fine grid across walls and floor. A weathered wooden stool holds rolled towels beside a polished concrete floor, the restrained palette and glazed enclosure echoing the building's quiet, utilitarian rigour.

    Photography by Kevin Scott.

  • The resident artist's sleeping room at iolair, a compact white-walled volume beneath a vaulted ceiling. A built-in plywood bed with deep storage drawers sits below a long picture shelf and coat rail; a large paper lantern diffuses the light. Polished concrete underfoot and a steep timber stair beyond keep the mood spare and contemplative.

    Photography by Kevin Scott.

  • A private bathroom at iolair, lit by candlelight and three soft, pebble-like wall sconces ranged beside a slim full-height mirror. A vintage cast-iron trough sink with a wall-mounted chrome tap anchors the corner, its black exterior set against warm plaster-toned walls and a glimpse of plywood joinery beyond the doorway.

    Photography by Kevin Scott.

The galley kitchen and stair at iolair, where fir cabinetry and a dark stone worktop run beneath open shelving along one wall. A steeply pitched plywood staircase with a slim metal handrail climbs to the work loft, a brass pendant lighting the passage through to the lounge beyond.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

The attic office at iolair, where a built-in plywood desk runs beneath the steeply pitched white ceiling. A raking skylight and a circular window frame a tree canopy, while a sheepskin-draped chair, a small mushroom lamp and a ribbed wall light fixed to an exposed Douglas fir post warm the spare, light-filled room.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

A corner of iolair's courtyard garden, where a sculptural steel firepit on a slender stem by Zackarya Leck rises above moss-covered granite boulders. Ferns, flowering shrubs and low ground cover spill across the bed beside a poured concrete paver, the planting deliberately wild against the building's dark, ordered geometry.

Raised Fire Pit by Zacharya Lech, Photography by Kevin Scott.

The scheme’s apparent austerity belies a carefully woven layer of artful detail. Orcas Island artist Zackarya Leck designed and fabricated the three-metre-tall galvanised steel Fern Totem gate that marks the entrance to the courtyard, as well as the sculptural raised firepit, the hand-forged entry door handle and the custom handrails of the work loft. The courtyard garden is also designed to become populated with installations in the years ahead, beginning with Sun and Moon, a stone sculpture by Pete Welty that anchors the space with a more contemplative presence. Together, these works embed local craft into the fabric of the project, allowing the building to carry the imprint of the community it seeks to engage.

A close study of iolair's entry door, caught in low evening light against a backdrop of foliage. The galvanised steel face shows a mottled, weathered patina, while a hand-forged handle in dark blackened metal, the work of Orcas Island artist Zackarya Leck, curves over a timber pull, registering the imprint of local craft.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

A deep window reveal at iolair frames a glimpse of foliage and street beyond, the hinged white shutter folded open to cast tree-shadow across the plaster wall. A woven willow basket and a single smooth stone rest on the sill above a brown leather sofa and a patterned cushion, light pooling softly.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

That reciprocal relationship extends to the artists who occupy it. During iolair’s pilot year, residents described the building itself as a source of inspiration, shaped by its carved spaces, shifting daylight and proximity to the courtyard garden. Having already earned an AIA Seattle Award of Honor for GO′C’s architecture, the project’s deeper achievement may lie in this less measurable response. On an island already attuned to art, nature and intimate forms of community, it feels less like an arrival than the beginning of an ongoing conversation.

Courtyard view of iolair at dusk, with the L-shaped, ebony-stained cedar volume framing a paved outdoor space planted with ferns, shrubs and boulders. Warm light spills from the studio and bedroom interiors, while Zackarya Leck’s sculptural raised firepit glows at the edge of the garden.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

The gable end of iolair at dusk, its ebony-stained cedar rising to a steep apex against a deepening sky. The circular eagle-eye window glows amber from within, framed by a young apple tree. In front of the tree is Zackarya Leck’s Fern Totem, a metalic sculpture in the shape of a oversized fern leaf.

Fern Totem by Zacharya Leck. Photography by Kevin Scott.

Front elevation of iolair on Orcas Island at dusk, showing its ebony-stained cedar cladding, steep corrugated metal roof and deep entrance canopy. A glazed opening reveals warm interior light and a glimpse of the courtyard beyond, while boulders, ferns and shrubs soften the street-facing façade.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

Street-facing view of iolair on Orcas Island at dusk, its ebony-stained cedar façade and corrugated metal roof framed by lush planting and tall trees. Warm light glows through the glass patio doors revealing shelves and a dining area inside, while a skylight punctuates the steep roofline.

Photography by Kevin Scott.

A lone figure stands at the rail of a ferry deck at sunset, gazing toward a snow-capped peak beyond the wooded San Juan Islands. The quiet, expansive view evokes the sense of retreat that draws artists to iolair on Orcas Island.

Photography by Kevin Scott.