This article is part of our Design special section about the reverence for handmade objects.

On the San Juan Islands off northwest Washington State, land meets sea along rocky outcrops, and views stretch to Canada. Weather and water command the field, and the pace of life bends to meet them.

Existence there is one of self-reliance, where stoves are fed with hand-chopped firewood, dinner is often vegetables from the garden and homes are secluded refuges, especially in winter.

“It’s one of the most idyllic places,” said Joe Herrin, an architect in Seattle who grew up boating around the San Juans. In 2002, he and his wife, Belinda Bail, bought a vacation home on the largest of them, Orcas Island, where their family now spends every summer and several weeks in the off season.

Since then, Mr. Herrin, 58, and his firm, Heliotrope Architects, have designed more than 30 houses in the islands. “We always try to create a unique sense of place with our projects,” he said on a recent video call. “When it’s a home in a stunning natural landscape like the San Juans, our goal is often to design in deference.”

Among those deferential projects is a 1,500-square-foot cabin on Orcas Island built for Traci and Lucas Donat.