Best-case scenario: When the little things come together, everything comes together. Case in point: Kelsey and Ross Henry鈥檚 woodsy Seattle-area home, which seamlessly connects architecture and interior design, openness and intimacy 鈥� and, ultimately, supreme livability and a whole lot of loveliness.
The collective connective stars started to align over this rural rambler early on, when the Henrys initially figured they might just rework the downstairs bathroom shared by their teenagers, Isabel and Andy. Except they were having trouble finding a reworker.
鈥淲e were networking and asking friends. Ross was on the internet,鈥� Kelsey said. 鈥淲e鈥檇 reach out and get vibes that we were not important enough 鈥� we were kind of getting beat up and discouraged. I was on Houzz for some reason and landed on Board & Vellum鈥檚 profile. They looked interesting. That night, my husband comes home and says a friend knows a design firm, and he throws down a card. Oh my gosh; it鈥檚 the same firm. It was an energy/ universe connection.鈥�
On first encounter with the Henrys鈥� 1970s-era home, B&V architect Jeff Pelletier and interior designer Katie Mallory noticed a few missing links beyond the basement bathroom.
鈥淭he rooms were boxes,鈥� Pelletier said. 鈥淭he square footage was here; what was missing was the soul: built-ins, furnishings, warmth. There was no dining space. From the kitchen, there was no connection to the living area, no room for a dining table.鈥�
鈥淩ework鈥� morphed into 鈥渞emodel,鈥� as will happen, and the next natural thing to come together was a holistic, bigger-picture plan: a reconfigured entry; new cabinetry, a pantry and a 鈥渕ail station鈥� for the first-level kitchen; an opened-up, integrated staircase; a new, colourful mudroom; a revitalized master bedroom; lighting updates throughout 鈥� and a new, central dining area whose focus hangs on some actual, bigger pictures.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 add any space. We just made the home live larger,鈥� Pelletier said. 鈥淲e did a lot of really small moves that created spaces.鈥�
When he took in the closed-off office space off the vaulted living area, Pelletier said the first thing he whispered to Katie was: 鈥榃e have to put the dining room there. It鈥檇 be intimate in a big space.鈥� 鈥�
Kelsey is not a huge fan of the formal dining room, in name or in space. 鈥淚 call it a nook,鈥� she said: a bright, cosy, connected nook with a built-in buffet and storage/seating, a custom table and fabulous framed art. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 homework or eating a bowl of cereal, it really reflects who we are.鈥�
Kelsey and Ross 鈥渓ove contemporary art and colour,鈥� Pelletier said, so Mallory used three original pieces by area artist Liz Tranhere 鈥渁s inspiration for colour and texture. The first thing you see is the art.
鈥淗er original artwork is quite expensive, but my husband has been following her and found original pieces that weren鈥檛 framed or on canvas,鈥� Kelsey said. 鈥淭hey were considerably less expensive, so he bought them, and 鈥� boom 鈥� we had them framed, on our budget, in our way.鈥�
Elsewhere, Kelsey said: 鈥淲e have meaningful pieces from real people.鈥� The substantial Troy Pillow sculpture outdoors was a gift for Ross鈥� 40th birthday, and a stunning piece by Gerard Tsutakawa, atop the new, double-sided, Milestone-finished concrete fireplace, 鈥渋s Ross鈥� pride and joy.鈥� Work by Harold Hollingsworth, now displayed in the totally reconfigured lower level, 鈥渁lso is an inspiration,鈥� she says.
Actually, the entire reconfigured lower level is inspired.
鈥淲e transformed the formerly dark and unprogrammed basement. There were big moves downstairs,鈥� Pelletier says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 funny how much that space changed. So much square footage was underutilized. There were two rooms with no purpose; you didn鈥檛 know how to use it.鈥�
Now all beautifully usable and united, the kids鈥� rooms were 鈥渟lightly reconfigured鈥�; a 鈥渓ong, submarine hallway鈥� resurfaced as a game room; and there鈥檚 a new TV room with a low, horizontal fireplace and tonnes of built-in oak cabinetry, and a new wine cellar and office that sport happy, orange sliding barn doors.
Also downstairs: the original instigator of total togetherness 鈥� the kids鈥� bathroom, now with built-in cabinets, one sink apiece (but just one trough), a pocket door to the toilet and shower, individual storage space behind individual mirrors.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been fantastic,鈥� Kelsey says. 鈥淭his is where it all started. We knew we wanted to do the bathroom remodel and tweak, and I love that we did a 360 and just did it all. People say it鈥檚 so integrated and ties in to the concept. You either go all in, or you don鈥檛. Jeff and his team came in and opened up a whole new world.鈥�
