To that end, bare windows invite in sunlight. Warm wood floors and furnishings and a palette of grays, smoky blues, and soft whites reflect the views of the Lake Washington landscape. “All the soft rain and fog creates this cocoon of calm,” Lee says. “It’s a soft, kind light—nothing too jolting— and one thing is for certain, I’m drawn to beautiful light.” In fact, she’s made it her business. At 32, Lee was diagnosed with cancer. Between her chemotherapy treatments and caring for her three small children, she had little time for contemplation. But one day she dropped a tea light into a colorful glass votive candleholder. “I just stood there watching the light flicker inside the glass. The color startled me into being still for a few moments, which was cathartic in a way I can’t put into words.” She started giving votive holders to others struggling through sickness or loss. “It was just a way to spread kindness.” That simple objective became Glassybaby. Her company makes glass votive holders in nearly every color imaginable (almost 500 to date) and pledges to donate 10 percent of revenue to people struggling to meet their basic needs and fight serious illnesses at the same time. “The fight for my life was intense,” she says. “And I had the means to fight it. But I had made friends at my chemo treatments who often didn’t come because they couldn’t afford the transportation or pay for child care.” To date, the company has given away more than $8 million. Lee spreads the colorful glass creations across her property, on windowsills, coffee tables, even a waterfront dock. “I don’t have a lot of stuff, but I do have a lot of Glassybabies. Every one casts beautiful light. And let’s face it, a home can never have enough of that.” In the kitchen, Lee had a wall removed to create space for two peninsulas and recycled some of the original wood as a shelf in front of the window. In another stroke of creative reuse, Lee and Peter fashioned this pavilion out of cobblestones from an old pathway. “We can feed a crowd out here and often use the oven for pizza parties. It’s a magical place in the evening, with all the little lights glowing.” Several missing stones in the structure make natural coves to place more of her well-used lights. A parade of Lee’s votive holders leads the way to one of the couple’s favorite perches on the property, a pair of Adirondack chairs overlooking the lake. “We may be in our parkas for much of the year, but we live out here. It’s the most peaceful place I can imagine,” she says. She has worked as a decor and home editor for Coastal Living, producing and styling content as well as art directing projects from start to finish. Liz is the founder of her eponymous company, Liz Strong Style, where she often collaborates with clients and publications, including Better Homes & Gardens, for editorial and advertorial features.
