THE STORY
TRAVEL INSPIRED HOME
This artfully curated home reflects the client’s love for world travel, art, and design. Influences from all over the world can be seen in these spaces, along with treasured family memories.
Extremely durable and environment friendly engineered bamboo flooring has been used throughout the home. No worries about scratches from the doggies running around! The dark wood flooring creates a striking contrast with the creamy white walls. Handmade décor from local artists and small businesses have been sourced very thoughtfully.
The kitchen continues the contrasting theme with dark mocha stained beechwood cabinets and light quartz countertops. Open shelving and walls display beloved Scandinavian pottery and prints. Chef grade stainless steel appliances and a large sink have been installed for the family that loves to cook together. A deep windowsill has been designed as a home for favorite sun-loving plants. Under cabinet lighting adds a subtle layer of lighting.
Porcelain flooring used in the kitchen and the adjacent dining area can withstand spills, falls, and scratches and maintain its pristine shine years from now.
The Macrame runner is sourced from a local craft fair and the handwoven seat of the dining chairs add texture and warmth to the industrial style dining table lined with patinated metal. Cherished Japanese paintings collected from travels adorn the walls.
A large dark teal cabinet adds color and extra storage to the dining room, with a combination of open and closed storage to organize all sorts of odds and ends. Plants and sculptures add an element of whimsy.
Greenery surrounding the home has influenced the colors in the living room. The previous coffered ceiling has been removed to expose the existing beams. Minimalistic Scandinavian rug and white oak furniture create a welcoming space to hang out.
THE EXPERIENCE
The design of this home is driven by a confluence of world cultures and local arts and crafts.
Sustainability was of prime concern to the client and all materials choices were made accordingly, from the bamboo flooring to FSC certified wood, to zero VOC paints.
As the family evolves, so does the home, and the design welcomes change and adapts easily.
MUD ROOM
THE STORY
The mud room is the first space the client experiences after parking the car at the end of a busy day, or the last experience before leaving the home in the morning. This design creates a peaceful transition zone for them to set the mood for the rest of their evening or day.
Dark bamboo flooring similar to that used in the rest of the home creates a sense of continuity. The flooring has been raised by one step to delineate the mud room from the rest of the garage. Equipment like the home furnace and water heater have been cleverly concealed with newly constructed walls with access panels that attach magnetically.
New pendant and wall lighting add warmth and functionality at all times of the day.
Floor to ceiling custom white oak cabinets line one whole wall of the mud room.
Organized storage is the best way to cut clutter, so compartments in the cabinets were diligently designed to address specific storage concerns of the family.
A large picture window has been added to bring in views of the beautiful woods outside. This window is a game changer to the space that used to have minimal natural daylight. Now this peaceful haven is a witness to changing seasons and weather. The House Bird approves of the view!
Handmade cushions sourced from small businesses online add coziness to the long white oak benches. The floor mirror made from Hinoki Cypress showcases elegant Japanese craftsmanship. The two plush rugs made from New Zealand wool make a dramatic graphic statement. Wall hooks are hand sculpted ceramic.
THE EXPERIENCE
This space for a third car in the client’s garage would have been right at home in an episode of Hoarders!
With a prayer to Marie Kondo, we began sorting the mess and ended up donating /tossing most of the items stored here! We finally had a clean slate to start the project.
I came up with a very simple and logical design for the space. Key goals of the design were to bring in natural daylight, add ample storage, and provide a functional space to transition in and out of the home. A new door at the end of the mud room lets the family enter right into their great room, which makes circulation much easier and quicker than before.
The first phase was the construction of the shell of the room. At the end of this phase, we had a pristine gallery like white space which was a blank canvas for the rest of the fun additions!
This new addition to the home has brought a lot of peace and tranquility to the family’s daily life. This space pays homage to the adage – ‘A place for everything and everything in its place’!
ZEN GARDEN
THE STORY
This tranquil backyard nestled in the middle of the woods is designed for a young family with two kids and two dogs.
The elongated yard has been visually shortened by creating two levels- a pebbly lower level and an upper level with canine friendly turf.
A concrete patio that spans the entire width of the yard has been constructed to provide ample space for outdoor seating and a dining area. The minimalistic metal canopy has a waterproof retractable awning that when drawn, protects the furniture on rainy days and when retracted, gives an uninterrupted view of the blue skies and foliage above.
Small, rounded pebbles cover the ground, reminiscent of a Japanese sand garden. These pebbles are also perfect for the dogs to run around on, and not track in dirt during the Seattle rains. Big concrete slabs have been cast in place, connecting the patio to the upper level at the back of the yard. Every spring, huge bouquets of Hostas sprout out flanking these slabs, forming a lush green pathway though the yard.
The sides of the yard are lined with reclaimed landscape lumber bolted down to the ground to form natural raised planters for a variety of native plants.
At the patio, the planters transition from wood to concrete. The fence is painted a soothing gray color to form a calming backdrop for the plants. A beloved sculpture is a lucky find from a local flea market and the rocks were collected by the kids at the beach.
THE EXPERIENCE
When I first saw this unique wine bottle shaped yard, it was unusable and waterlogged.
The client wanted a dog and kid friendly yard that would be usable even in rainy weather.
The design transformed the space into an outdoor experience that is hassle free and enjoyable for the whole family. Sustainable material choices like reclaimed lumber and recyclable turf were made. The turf was chosen to save water use in summers and negate the use of harmful pesticides and moss killers.
Native plants maintain themselves and the client just needs to sit back and watch as the different seasons play out with greens, yellows, oranges, and reds!