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A candelabra sitting inside the fireplace is from Great Jones Home. In the living room, a large-scale sofa and armchairs are leavened by a delicate mirrored coffee table and two French fireside chairs. The English serpentine chest is from Great Jones Home. Designer Carrie Hayden transformed delicate crystal globes meant to be ceiling mounted into hanging pendants to create a more intimate ambience in the room and to provide a feminine counterpoint to the rugged dining table made from an old bowling lane. The kitchen’s traditional details include leaded-glass upper cabinet doors, glass knobs and brushed nickel drawer pulls and a chalkboard backsplash. Extra-deep 28-inch marble counters—chosen for the way they will age—keep implements and appliances within easy reach but put the sunken knife block safely out of children’s hands.

The most recent remodel of this house on a Laurelhurst hill kept its traditional essence intact, enhanced its functionality and refreshed its décor. Now it is just what its Seattle owners wanted: a relaxed family home that serves their current needs while retaining the quirks and charms of its original architecture.

“When we bought the house, it had been remodeled a few years before,” says the wife and mother of two young boys, “but the kitchen was still too small and we needed more family space.” A two-phase, three-year remodel transformed the 1920s dwelling inside and out. Working with architect Kevin Richards and Flip Builders, the couple first expanded the kitchen and opened it up to the family room. Next came a dramatic alteration of the façade, adding a contemporary concrete garage topped by a deck that is accessible from the family and dining rooms.

Throughout, the goal was to keep the house’s architectural authenticity alive while adding function and tailoring the spaces to its owners. “It was a mishmash, and we worked to integrate it,” says Richards, who favors “decompartmentalizing” older homes. Double doors were removed to improve the flow between rooms; some spaces were expanded and others compacted. The kitchen and entry got bigger, but the downstairs bathroom and laundry room both shrank. Built-in cabinetry and shelving by Neu Woodworks made the most of the available space.

The most dramatic changes took place in the expanded kitchen and new pantry, where the wife, a former culinary arts instructor, brought into play her penchant for traditional kitchens and her passion for cooking. The massive French Lacanche range is the heart and soul of the room, and many modern conveniences hide behind antiqued cabinet fronts. The massive 4-foot-by-10-foot central island was designed for versatility, topped by wide planks of distressed walnut that evoke Italian farmhouse tables. “I didn’t want anything on top of it so that I could use it for anything,” the wife says. Every inch of the kitchen was carefully planned, including the length of shelf space required for her hundreds of cookbooks, the size of the cubbies in each kitchen drawer and the dividers in each cabinet.

Once the structural changes were in place, the couple hired Carrie Hayden of Great Jones Home to revamp their arts and crafts–style furnishings and update their look. Known for her stylish eclecticism, Hayden says her goal was “to bring a timeless yet unique feel to the interiors.” The challenge was to make everything comfortable, family friendly and easy to clean without compromising sophistication.

The first order of business was better defining the spaces and introducing the colors and textures that would flow from the entry. Hayden replaced the dark palette with seafoam and caramel hues accented by a rich oxblood plucked from a favorite painting in the living room. The long, narrow rectangle of the living room was given the illusion of a larger footprint by a larger, light-colored rug, and the ceiling was painted a lighter tint than the walls to create the feeling of added height. Dark wood bookshelves framing the tiled fireplace were painted white, further brightening the room.

In the adjoining dining room, the 10-foot-long table, which the couple already owned, works beautifully for frequent entertaining. Made from the floor of an old bowling-alley lane, the table easily seats 12—and is always a conversation piece. To mix things up a bit, Hayden paired two existing antique Chinese elm chairs with the family’s set of upholstered black leather chairs.

The couple is pleased with the results. “We love the more open floor plan and the way the deck extends our living space in the summer,” the husband says. “My favorite part of the remodel is the kitchen because it’s so functional,” his wife adds, “but it all really works well for us.”

The kitchen before improvements.	The living and dining room’s starting point.
The master bedroom is a picture of serenity and sophistication.	In the master bath, twin rectangular porcelain sinks sit on a pedestal table topped by travertine.
Old and new come together harmoniously in the home’s street view (top), with the horizontal lines of a new garage, deck railing and cedar-slat fencing balancing the verticals of the original façade.	The original façade.
Overplanted beds were thinned to improve their appearance and reduce maintenance. Random-patterned bluestone paths interspersed with ground covers and moss lead to a small lawn area, where children can play.	A new patio that captures sun and views of Union Bay.

Design Details

ARCHITECT
Kevin Richards, Richartz Studios, Inc.
66 Bell St., Ste. 1, (206) 784-9652

BUILDER
Flip Builders, Inc.
1311 N. 35th St., (206) 548-0800

INTERIOR DESIGNER
Carrie Hayden, Great Jones Home
1921 Second Ave., (206) 448-9405

LANDSCAPING
Jason and Adam Suhl, Green Man Landscape and Design
2321 San Juan Valley Rd., Friday Harbor, (360) 378-4722