“We knew that he could design something that fit our style,” Linda Beattie says of architect Tim Hossner. He helped design for the Beatties a warm, modern kitchen made for casual entertaining. Although small in square footage, the kitchen feels big because of its openness and connection to the rest of the house.
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Tree Top Kitchen
Traditional design took a back seat to this unique kitchen set in the heart of a forest. A remodel made the kitchen the center of this Edmonds home and gave it the feel of a tree house in a forest
BY
Lindsey Rowe
PHOTOGRAPHY
Michael Shopenn


Using both light and dark colors creates a “visual hierarchy” in the kitchen, architect Tim Hossner says. The ebony-stained wood visually disappears as the eye is drawn to the light-colored wood and the views through the windows.

Even the black functional pieces—refrigerator, microwave, oven—disappear into the space.

The trestle table made of cherry next to the kitchen is a family heirloom.
 

Jeff and Linda Beattie knew it was time to move on. All five kids—ages 25 to 36—had grown up and moved out, leaving just the two of them in a 3,500-square-foot traditional-style home on Whidbey Island. Jeff’s daily commute to downtown Seattle, where he works for Holland America, also meant it was time to move in—closer to the city.

In 2000, they found a half-acre property tucked into a hillside in Edmonds, sold their old home and hired architect Tim Hossner of Replinger Hossner Architects to build them a new 2,400-square-foot house.

Their directive to Hossner was to design a home that is light and airy, modern and open. The site’s steep slope made it logical to reverse the usual two-story house plan; in this house, the two bedrooms and family room are on the lower level, while the kitchen and main living area are on the upper floor. The kitchen quickly became the center around which the rest of the house developed.

The Beatties wanted the room to be a large enough space in which to entertain guests—and visiting children and grandchildren—with enough storage so that nothing clutters the counter tops. Knowing that the kitchen is visible from most rooms on the main floor, Hossner didn’t want it to be a claustrophobic, cupboard-filled space that closed in on its occupants.

“It’s about flipping the kitchen on its head,” Hossner says of his design. He and the Beatties chose a wall of windows for above the counter instead of the typical wall of cupboards, in order to take advantage of a green, tree-filled view. They tucked the cupboards into a corner instead, as a sort of exposed pantry. “They’re architectural elements; they’re not just cabinets,” Hossner says. A short stack of freestanding cupboards gives the kitchen some separation from the dining area.

The forested view above the sink is a foil to the opposite wall’s floor-to-ceiling view of Puget Sound. Vistas of woods on one side and water on the other give cooks and guests the feeling of being outdoors while remaining cozily indoors. Luckily for the Beatties, the steep slope of the hill means that no one will be able to build on the half acre of forest behind their house—guaranteeing them privacy and seclusion.

Linda Beattie wanted the kitchen to be modern and full of visual “drama,” an effect Hossner achieved with contrasting colors. The wall of storage and freestanding cupboards are light-colored fir, while counters are topped with absolute black granite and the hardy maple drawers below are stained ebony (the maple will also stand up to grandchildren). “Visually, there’s no sense that the kitchen is where all the storage and drudgery happens,” Hossner explains.

Due to all of the different types of wood in the kitchen—in the floor, cabinets, around the windows—the room smelled like it was “alive,” said the builder when it was being built, and it still retains a cabinlike smell. This sense of having nature indoors is heightened by gray painted walls, which serve as a backdrop for the shades and variations of Northwest light. The hue also tempers the contrast of dark wood against light wood.

Few decorations disrupt the flow in this home that feels like a tree house; Jeff and Linda keep their counters kitsch- and clutter-free. Linda did throw down a few rugs to warm up the cherry floors and placed vases of various shapes on kitchen shelves. Instead of having big walls filled with art, the Beatties are happy that the surrounding natural environment serves as the main visual stimulation. “We wanted the feel of Asian minimalism,” Linda says.

The Beatties went from a large, traditional home full of children to this small, modern empty nest in the trees, from a long commute to the city from Whidbey Island, to a shorter commute from Edmonds. Their new home’s kitchen is a room full of delightful contrasts—dark versus light, trees versus water—but the most important contrast is the one between the Beatties’ old life and the new.

Lindsey Rowe is managing editor of Seattle Homes & Lifestyles.

Design Details

Architect
Tim Hossner, Replinger Hossner Architects,
7203 36th Ave. S.W.,
(206) 933-8228

Builder
Stu Johnson, G. Rodney Johnson, Inc., 3020 Issaquah-Pine Lake Rd., Sammamish,
(425) 557-0633