It was the broken refrigerator that finally pushed architect Michelle Linden to renovate. She and her husband had been living in their Seattle home for four years, and a major remodel had long been on the table.

“We were living with things that were less than what we wanted,” says Michelle, the principal designer of Atelier Drome. “We’d been kicking around ideas, but we were having trouble committing to anything.”

When the fridge broke, the annoyance of having to buy a temporary replacement was just the kick in the pants Michelle needed. But that’s not to say things quickly fell into place from there—far from it.

The renovation took two and a half years to be completely finished. It’s not that it was overly complicated, but Michelle admits she was her own worst client. “I did everything I tell my clients not to do,” she says.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

For starters, she and her husband lived in the house during the renovation in the lower-level apartment, which wasn’t included in the project, and indecision plagued her during the process.

“When you’re exposed to the whole world of design all the time, it can be hard to make decisions,” says Michelle. She leaned on her team for help and turned to other designers for feedback. The lengthy planning process allowed her to go into construction with a clear plan and final decision for every finish and feature—“It’s the one thing I did right,” she jokes.

The house dates to 1902, and several renovations over the years resulted in a “cobbled-together” space with no cohesive plan. It sits in a wooded valley, so Michelle’s main goal was to open it up to let in more natural light.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

“We really wanted to have a larger great room experience,” she says. They achieved that by knocking out a wall to open up the formerly dark, U-shaped kitchen to the living room, creating an open plan ideal for entertaining. A low-slung sectional by Croft anchors the space, and creates some separation from the front door, which opens into the room.

They also reconfigured the bathroom, dividing what was a large but awkward space (complete with a glass block wall between it and the primary bedroom) into a powder room and a proper en suite with a walk-in shower.

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Before: Bathroom

After: Main Bathroom

With guest bedrooms occupying the lower level, the couple converted the second bedroom into an airy lounge for reading and TV. They removed a ceiling added by the previous owners to expose the attic and original gabled roof, added a couple skylights, and painted the new ceiling a bright, lemon yellow inspired by a Luis Barragán home.

“I live in that room, it makes me so happy,” says Michelle. “You feel like you’re on the beach.”

Before: Second Bedroom

After: Sunroom

It’s one of many instances in which the designer’s personality shines through with an adventurous approach to color. The powder room is bathed from floor to ceiling in a muted eggplant, while the kitchen cabinets don a “bold but classic” deep teal. An emerald and black tile in a geometric pattern by Kelly Wearstler covers the bathroom floor, and in the living room, rosy pink accents, like the custom salmon-hued grout in the fireplace surround, add warmth.

“In Seattle, it can be so gray, and color brings life to the space,” she says.

After: Powder Room

To keep the colors from being overwhelming, Michelle balanced the palette with natural materials, choosing oak for the kitchen island and incorporating woven rugs and wood and leather accessories.

While construction only lasted five months—a period in which Michelle’s husband never once peeked at the in-progress space—furnishing the space was another story. “We lived in it kind of empty for a while,” admits Michelle, who didn’t start buying furniture until after construction was complete. (“Another way I was a bad client,” she jokes.)

Before: Dining Area

After: Dining Area

She put an emphasis on independent designers, and each piece was chosen with intention. The living room area rug by Grain, a local design studio on Bainbridge Island, features a pattern of graphic lines, similar to the the fireplace surround, which Michelle juxtaposed with soft, swooping arches in the coffee table by Kochi, India–based Soft Geometry and a custom tinted mirror by Alguacil & Perkoff in London.

A leather armchair from Mexico City makers Comité de Proyectos offers a perch for reading near the front window, and a mobile light fixture by Ohio-based designer Andrew Neyer hangs over a Hive Modern dining table with a built-in custom bench by Seattle furniture designer Shane Staley.

Before: Primary Bedroom

After: Primary Bedroom

It may have been a slow process, but as they say, good things take time. By not rushing into a renovation soon after moving in or buying the first sofa she saw or hastily choosing a paint color, Michelle created a space that’s thoughtful, yet bold and playful. “It makes me happy every day,” she says.

After: Facade

More Before & After:

A 19th-Century Townhouse in Brooklyn Is Exquisitely Restored

An All-Too-’80s Condo Trades Its Popcorn Ceiling for a Chic Sunroom

Project Credits:

Architect and interior design: Atelier Drome

Builder: STS Construction Services