North Seattle Family Home

Situated across the street from a quiet neighborhood park, this home offered the perfect location for the owners and their two small children, but the layout and square footage did not work for their growing needs. The existing one-story ranch style home was completely gutted down to the studs and the new 2 ½ story layout was designed from scratch to provide ample space for play and relaxation as a family, as well as individual children’s bedrooms and a bonus guest suite in the attic for out of town grandparents, friends and extended family to visit.

The ground floor is open with a centrally located playroom and dining table that function as the hub of the house. The large sliding wall between the two rooms provides flexibility for use as another guest sleeping space, homework room, or just to close off the kid’s “clubhouse.” Whitewashed pine floors, black wainscoting, clean lines and modern functional lighting evoke the Scandinavian modern architecture which inspired the design.

The small galley kitchen was replaced with a large light filled eat-in kitchen for cooking and gathering. The living room was opened up to the rear yard, which functions as an outdoor room for the family during the summer months, and a cozy wood stove was added to counter winter grays.

On the second floor, the master suite and children’s rooms offer large windows with views of the park greenery and tall trees surrounding the home along with ample storage space. The master bedroom with its vaulted ceilings, built in writing desk, and en-suite bathroom with rainshower were designed to create a relaxing oasis. The kids extra deep soaker tub with storage niches is perfect for water play that contains splashes and transitions easily into shower space as they grow.

On the top floor, a large guest room is light and bright with three skylights. A large soaker tub is capped with a skylight for relaxing sky views, the tile was etched to evoke the pattern of the sunlight streaming through.