Architect: PRENTISS ARCHITECTS
Designer: STRETCH DESIGN
Photos: EVAN PARKER
Schultz Miller collaborated with architect Geoff Prentiss and interior designer Elizabeth Stretch to add a third floor, create an apartment on the lower level, and update almost every aspect of this contemporary house.
The changes brought the house in line with the homeowners’ vision for it and enhanced the long views across Lake Washington to Mount Rainier, without diminishing the home’s original modernist character.
To be certain the kitchen layout would function as the homeowners envisioned, we created a full-scale, cardboard mock-up of the cabinetry, including the island. Creating a mock-up of expensive features like kitchen cabinets takes time but is worth the effort to avoid surprises down the road.
It took careful attention to structural framing details to install a large corner window in the kitchen, but the result is a space that feels like it’s floating above the lake. Building the floating staircase and extending the deck off the living room also were challenging.
