Jardin del Colibri Cottage | Ross Chapin

Conover Commons is a community of small cottage homes in Redmond, Washington. It was built by The Cottage Company, a property developer that has made a specialty of creating “pocket neighborhoods” of six to sixteen small houses. Typically the houses are arranged around a shared green space while driveways and parking areas are kept to the edges of the property.

The twelve cottages at Conover Commons are variations of several designs by architect Ross Chapin. All the homes feature generous front porches facing the shared courtyard garden and walkways, fostering social interaction and community spirit.

With its verdant front yard, the cottage shown here was given the name “Jardin del Colibri” (Garden of the Hummingbirds). It has 990 ft² (92.0 m²) of living space, not including the garage below.

The front Dutch door brings you into an L-shaped living/dining/kitchen space with the living room set slightly apart by a wide cased opening incorporating bookshelves. The detailed millwork of the living room entry is matched on the opposite wall by the surround for the gas stove and its flanking bookshelves. Similar trim and built-ins can be seen elsewhere as well.

The ground floor has hardwood floors throughout and wood-paneled ceilings everywhere but the living room.

At the back of the cottage you’ll find a bathroom with stacked washer and dryer, a bedroom and the staircase. The upper stair landing is open to a flex space that the owners are using as a home office, but which could also be used as a nursery or exercise area. The rest of the upper floor is a large master bedroom suite with a sitting area and a raised bed alcove to the side.

While the master suite is upstairs, the presence of a ground-floor bedroom, bathroom and laundry makes Jardin del Colibri suited for single-level living, whether the occupants require that immediately or are just planning ahead for their future needs.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Photographs courtesy of The Cottage Company.

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