Rachel Lauter and Sean Vanaman were not looking for a project when they stumbled upon one. The Seattle couple—she’s a lawyer and he’s a writer—were on the hunt for a house in 2020, and they had lost out on several bids by the time they toured this 1953 rambler in Seattle’s Seward Park neighborhood.

It was the lot, rather than the house, which initially sold them. It’s a third of an acre, one block from Lake Washington, with a big backyard bordered a wooded glen, so the windows and back deck have views of trees and water. That, plus the great people watching as passersby stroll toward Seward Park, just felt special. “You feel the energy of the park when it’s full of people barbecuing and swimming in the lake on a Saturday afternoon, but we have this privacy because of the woods,” says Sean.

Before: Exterior

After: Exterior

The same family had owned the home since it was built, and they’d lightly updated the kitchen and baths, and gutted the walk-out basement. Since half of the home’s 2,800 square feet were situated downstairs, Rachel and Sean knew they wanted to finish the lower level, and they decided to update the rest of the house at the same time.

A friend recommended lead architect Kailin Gregga, partner at local firm Best Practice Architecture. After meeting Gregga and other firm partner, architect Ian Butcher, the couple were drawn to their attitude and approach. “They’re passionate, serious, and thoughtful, but with great senses of humor,” says Sean.

“We quickly realized that looking for architects was much less about their particular aesthetic, or their portfolio,” says Sean. “It was much more about, ‘Who do I want to be sitting on the cold bathroom floor of a half-demolished house with, as I’m pulling my hair out and trying to solve X problem?’”

Before: Entry and Kitchen

After: Entry and Kitchen

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

After: Living Room

When the firm first visited the house, Gregga was struck by its intact features, like the exterior Roman brick, daylight basement, and big windows looking out toward the lake. “Our initial opinion was that there were a lot of really lovely things going on in the house already,” says Gregga. “We wanted to make sure that whatever we did wouldn’t obliterate the cool qualities of the space that already existed.”

They started by cleaning up the front facade, removing an unnecessary door to the kitchen, and reworking the entry—inside and out. They streamlined an uninspired concrete stoop and added a new deck off the corner to better lead visitors to the front door.

Inside, they opened up the narrow entry hall by lining the stairs to one side with an open slat treatment, removing walls, and enlarging the kitchen on the other side. A folding-glass door opens the dining room to an exterior deck, creating an easy flow between the central living areas. “We wanted great spaces to congregate in,” says Rachel.

Before: Hallway

The design team also opened up a narrow hall that previously led to the upper-floor bedrooms and bathrooms, and installed an office/library for Rachel’s extensive book collection.

“We realized that we could create an experience going from the kitchen, living, and dining space to the primary suite, and it would feel like going through a portal,” says Rachel. “It’s a beautiful color, and full of books, so it’s a happy place for me.”

After: Hallway and Office/Library

After: Powder Room

After: Primary Suite

The lower level now holds what Gregga calls an “epic family room/party zone” wrapped in a plethora of attractive storage. The team relocated the exterior deck to bring in more natural light, and installed floor-to-ceiling glass doors to access the backyard. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a utility room finish the floor.

Before: Stairs

After: Stairs

Gregga and Butcher threaded unexpected moments throughout—from the staggered entry tile, to the powder-coated metal stair accents, to the color palette, which ranges from subtle (as in the upstairs kitchen backsplash) to bold (as in the library and downstairs bathroom, which is swathed in emerald tile).

“I wear a black t-shirt and jeans to work four days a week; we’re pretty sedate in our general day-to-day look,” says Sean. “But we said, ‘It’s okay to push us on color, because we feel like you will listen to us if we say no.’” These pops of pigment speak to the joy everyone found in the process. “The house is a testament to how much fun we had the whole time we worked on it together,” says Sean.

Before: Family Room

After: Family Room

Before: Unfinished Basement

After: Guest Bedroom

After: Guest Bathroom

Before: Exterior Deck

After: Exterior Deck

More projects by Best Practice:

Once a Dingy Garage, This Charming Casita Is a Love Letter to Texas

A 1901 Craftsman in Seattle Gets a Svelte Cantilevered Addition

An Industrial-Style Home Rises Next to a Derelict Apple-Processing Warehouse

Project Credits:

Architecture: Best Practice Architecture / @best_practice

Builder: Ainslie-Davis Construction

Structural Engineer: Harriott Valentine Engineers

Custom Metal Fabrication: Michael Northrup