The way we live seems to change every year these days, but a consistent request for new construction includes a private primary suite and indoor-outdoor experience. Taking that concept to the extreme: an entire new floor is dedicated only to this sanctuary space for the owners along with an expansion into the backyard. The original house had 4 different floors, making it a split level and therefore the additional floor added a fifth level. This project soon became more an engineering feat than an architectural project.

The new primary suite floor appears to hover above the original main floor brick and includes an outdoor deck off the primary bedroom, wood burning stove, large walk-in closet, and a primary bathroom with a curb less shower. The new main floor stair connects all floors together and with skylights above provides natural light all the way down to the main floor spaces.

The approach for the indoor-outdoor experience included enlarging the dining and kitchen space and capturing it with custom built, extra tall and wide sliding entertainment doors that connect to the expansive new backyard deck. The covered deck has a BBQ area with its own open skylight to allow smoke to egress while at the same time providing cover, lighting, and heat for outdoor dining. This was a very special project and one of the joys of my career.

Laurelhurst House III

The owners of this original 40’s brick home were looking to add modern details without sacrificing the original charm of the property while also adding a major addition. As a family of 6 with 4 kids and pets the original floor plan was too constricting for them. A major interior refresh, including finishing the previously unfinished basement, coupled with a major main floor addition allowed the family breathing room and space to grow. Maintaining a healthy balance between old and new was an important consideration for the duration of the design.

The exterior concept was to use a scissor truss to vault the new addition so that the outside framing fit with the neighborhood, but at the same time provided modern, soaring and precious additional ceiling space on the interior. The new dining room has near floor-to-ceiling windows, making the dining room the jewel box corner of the home. A set of French doors off the kitchen allow for easy access to the side yard picnic and fire pit space. The new kitchen design included backlit cabinet lighting that highlights the vaulted ceiling, flush outlets, a beverage station, appliance garage, and hidden butler pantry for extra storage. The interiors concept overall was to focus on bringing natural light into the home, being playful with color accents, and focusing on a beach-toned palette.

Laurelhurst House II

The owners of this project have natural eye for interior design with construction experience. However, they were lacking the ability to visualize a façade that fit their floor plan and vision. The firm was hired to provide various exterior cladding opportunities for the shell of the home and ultimately a sultry dark concept was chosen. This darker scheme anchors the house to its lot with integrated metal privacy panels that help recess and shield the property from the street as it is a corner lot. Materials ultimately selected for the siding includes fiber cement lap- siding and artisan panels with a proven track record in the Pacific Northwest for longevity and low maintenance. Soffits have a hint of stained cedar, which adds warmth to the exterior.

Madison Valley House

Located on a slight slope, this original brick 1951 home had a unique opportunity: if a second floor addition was added, the house would have a view of Mt. Rainier. The expansion therefore, took advantage of this view and the proposed new second floor addition would have the primary bedroom face Mt. Rainier. A special window with a thin corner mullion and extra structure built into the design allowed for a large expanse of glass in that room, thus maximizing the mountain view. The ceilings were vaulted throughout the second floor addition to make it feel more spacious, including the new primary bathroom. The primary shower, especially feels light and airy with a new, large skylight and corner windows surrounding it.

An industrial feature of the new addition includes a large floating tread stair, the focal point of the home, that takes you from the main floor to the second floor level. The treads are custom stained glulams for extra durability and the structure supporting it powder coated black steel. The open stair allows for more natural light to flow down to the main floor of the home, making a once dark stairwell a bright and cheerful space. 

Magnolia House 2

This Magnolia residence was originally built in 1945. It underwent a major remodel in the 2000s that vaulted the ceilings and reconfigured the floor plans leaving only the chimney and portions of the basement as remnants from the original home. Fast forward 20 years and it was time for that remodel to be remodeled. This project was unique, however, in that the client also requested furniture and lighting selections for the rework, making this project a complete transformation from ceiling paint colors and sheen down to the rug selection and weave.

The main goal: a modern Scandinavian theme that manifested itself in many subtle ways, from new shiplap over the fireplace, to new black matte steel stair guardrails that replaced wood banisters, sanding and staining the original red oak floors light gray, opting for new white painted kitchen cabinets, and choosing nautical color choices ranging from Sea Haze gray to Hale Navy blue. As is typical with major remodels, all the electrical was redone, adding helpful outlets in better suited locations, under cabinet lighting, new pendants, wall sconces, and floor lamps for layered control of lit space throughout.

Magnolia House

A modern renovation of a mid-century Black & Caldwell classic on Mercer Island, a result of design work done in tandem with Swivel Interiors. Our clients had just returned from a respite in Scandinavia and were ready to let go of their dark and dated finishes. The exposed beams remain in place, refinished in a darker hue, but the original cedar ceilings were replaced with white drywall instantly brightening the main floor of the home and the private primary suite wing.

The private primary wing of the residence no longer suited their lifestyle and a new vision of office suite off of bedroom, walk-in closet instead of built-ins, and an overall better use of their primary bathroom space was conceptualized.

For the main level living room, a large-scale cut limestone mosaic now wraps the four-sided fireplace anchored with a blackened steel surround covering the old brick. Everything – flooring, walls and trim shifted towards a lighter palette allowing the transformation we desired.

A special thank you to the clients, who were also the contractors, for trusting us with conceiving a fresh vision for their special home.

Mercer Island House

The concept for this addition was “Teen Pavilion.” This translated to a new guest bedroom that doubles as a wine-making studio, a new pool table room, and a family room complete with popcorn maker, ping pong table, and see-through fireplace. The owners added a fire pit and hot tub to their landscaping making the concept as a whole a teenager paradise. So as not to be left out, the parents redid their entire primary suite on the upstairs floor, redid the stairway, and upgraded the backyard deck off the kitchen. The floor of the teen pavilion is flush with the existing daylight basement of the residence and was capped with a concrete finish. The fireplace captures that same gray tone with hand troweled stucco on the interior and new masonry from Mutual Materials on the exterior.

Bellevue Addition

This 1956 mid-century modern home sits on a sloping lot abutting a park. The original floor plan was very compartmentalized and the finishes dated and was not taking advantage of its sunset views nor the landscape. The major addition and remodel included a new layout, larger windows and doors, to take advantage of the vistas as well construction of a new two car garage greatly coveted in the Seattle area as well as a roof top deck above the garage. As with most mid-century modern homes, the framing was in good condition and the existing vaulted ceilings were retained. The exterior was reclad in stained cedar, which creates a striking contrast against the gray painted brick of the fireplace and the new concrete garage.

View Ridge House

These clients had a strong vision for their program: 2 adored dogs that needed outdoor space, a private yoga studio, a larger family room, a cook’s kitchen, and their primary suite on the main floor. As the project evolved it became apparent that the primary suite needed to be the largest wing of the home and to make room, the original living room became their bedroom. The new family room is the vaulted portion of the home with soaring near two-story windows and a see- through fireplace that provides heat both inside and outside. The new primary bath boasts a steam walk-in sauna shower, free standing tub, and a 11-foot vanity, which still holds the office record of longest vanity countertop. The basement was completely refinished and has a bedroom with office suite, laundry room, and full bath as well as precious storage space. The home is one of the oldest in the neighborhood, built in 1916, and after this major remodel has many more years of life to come.

Laurelhurst House

This project has many Asian inspired elements such as a long and hidden entry approach, natural cedar that wrap and guides you along the path through the landscape and into the home, as well as black accents of steel, siding, and low sloped and hipped roof lines. Windows and doors in the home are placed with care; their size, operation, and location were very deliberate to accent either certain interior elements such as an open stairway with pendant lights to views from the living room and kitchen of the Puget Sound. The owners are entertainers and like to cook, so dedicated time was spent making sure the kitchen aligned with their storage and cooking needs.