We collaborated with Conard Romano Architects and Ronda Divers Interiors to transform the interior of a noted historic Seattle house into a home that has the playful style and pizzazz of its new owners.
Completed in 1933 and clad in gleaming terracotta tiles, the landmark house sits on an urban compound that includes terraced gardens, a sport court, two garages, a pool and pool house, and a commanding view of the Space Needle and Seattle skyline. Our clients couldn’t change the landmark exterior of the house and didn’t want to, but they did want the interior to feel more like their kind of place.
The design opened up the kitchen but otherwise left the configuration of the house as it was. Updated casework, tile and flooring throughout lends the otherwise classic home a more contemporary feel. A lot of attention was paid to the “bar room,” which features a new bar for entertaining but is also a space for dining, working at the desk in a hideaway home office, or sitting by the fireplace.
With remodels of historic homes, it’s often not what you do, but what you don’t do. For instance, we essentially left alone the graceful staircase. But it’s never quite that easy; we went to considerable effort to protect the original stairs during the many phases of work in the entry hall. Throughout the house, we were strategic about where to open up the plaster walls, careful to fit in new pipes, ductwork, and wiring in as few places as possible.
The pool house was reconfigured into a guest suite, open to the pool deck through a new wall of folding glass doors. The interior features a kitchenette, a bath, and a pull-down Murphy bed. Outside, we removed the old pool deck, re-waterproofed it, and installed pavers on a pedestal system.
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