SEATTLE 鈥� On her paddleboard, Lisa has logged a lot of nautical miles navigating the waters of Lake Washington 鈥� and reflecting on聽the lakefront homes encircling it.
So when she and her husband, Craig, decided to move their family from Riviera Beach (on the lake) to Washington Park (also on the lake), Lisa had聽a pretty specific vision of the home they should build.
鈥淚鈥檝e been all around the lake, and I鈥檝e seen the houses that pop out to me the most,鈥� she said.
鈥淭hey were always the bright, white houses 鈥� pretty. The term I used was 鈥榓 happy house.鈥� 鈥�
Craig and Lisa adored their classic, walkable new neighbourhood and its close-knit sense of community. Their new waterfront site, tricky but lovable, radiated waves of joy. But its existing 1940s-era home had seen happier days.
鈥淚t was very basically a summer cabin built a long time ago,鈥� said the architect, Stuart Silk. 鈥淭he ceilings were very low. Some of the floors were sloped and didn鈥檛 line up. It had been added on to three or four times, incrementally. From a cute standpoint, if you went and had a weekend getaway, you鈥檇 think it was really cosy. It聽wasn鈥檛 the kind of home you鈥檇 want to live in full time.鈥�
It is now.
First, though, design principal Silk, Stuart Silk Architects principal Mike Troyer and project manager Michael McFadden 鈥� along with builder Schultz Miller, interior designer Amy Baker and a raft of custom craftspeople 鈥� had some problems to solve: Pressing setback and sightline requirements necessitated the retention of 鈥渙ne section of the [original] wall,鈥� Silk said, and the melding of traditional and contemporary design preferences at one point called for a return to the proverbial drawing board.
鈥淲e merged both into a distinctive expression and a unique reflection of each of them,鈥� Silk said. 鈥淲e created a traditional feel with white painted wood siding and traditional gabled roofs. To create a fresh, contemporary feel, we stripped key details, such as eaves, to their bare essentials and used modern materials, including painted steel windows and zinc roof shingles.鈥�
Their success is plain to see on the exterior of this聽gleaming, gabled beauty, but there鈥檚 even more delight inside 鈥� once you鈥檝e found the custom hidden handle in the entry鈥檚 huge, textured, stainless-steel pivot聽door.
鈥淲e brought in oak, very traditional, but treated it in a contemporary way: cerusing,鈥� Silk said. 鈥淲e brought steel in from outside, with detailing in the stairs and the fireplace surround. The walls aren鈥檛 just drywall with a coat of paint; they have a specialized Venetian plaster, a luster to it. And we used wood beams in the ceiling, which give it a more informal quality. An all-white room starts to feel a little too contemporary.鈥�
This, though, feels minimal and warm, exquisitely brightened by light through towering bay windows. It also feels as refreshing as an October dip in the lake: This home is designed for, and filled with, a vibrant family that really lives here.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have a nice house, but the reality is, we have kids and pets (a 13-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son, plus Daphne the dog, a kitty, a rabbit and guinea pigs),鈥� said Lisa. 鈥淚 was really adamant it had to be livable.鈥�
With 5,300+ square feet, five bedrooms, three full baths and two powder rooms (鈥淭here鈥檚 no fighting for a bathroom here,鈥� Lisa said), there is purposefully designed real-living room (and rooms) for everyone.
鈥淭he kids each have a room. There鈥檚 a playroom, to keep all the stuff in there,鈥� Craig said. At the top of the amazingly detailed floating staircase, a pocket door shuts off a family room, so everyone 鈥渃an watch movies and eat popcorn.鈥�
Up another level (鈥渢he attic,鈥� but at its loveliest): a mirrored workout room, storage galore and a craft room for Lisa. 鈥淥ver the years, I鈥檝e learned to cut hair, make jewelry, skin care, all these little hobbies,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 for all the things I don鈥檛 know what to do with.鈥�
Off the wide-open kitchen, anchored by a baby-blue Lacanche stove inspired by the original home鈥檚 light-blue laminate cabinets (鈥渁 happy feeling,鈥� Lisa said), stretches her other hub: the pantry.
鈥淚 need a place to be a mom and a family,鈥� Lisa said. 鈥淭hey built me a long magnetic wall; we sort of collect magnets. I really like to cook and make projects, and Craig likes everything out of sight, so our compromise was a very large pantry.鈥�
It鈥檚 a very happy compromise. Which is not only the goal of the home, but its theme.
鈥淟isa is number one a mom; she doesn鈥檛 want something that鈥檚 so precious that she doesn鈥檛 feel comfortable in it,鈥� Silk said. 鈥淪he was not interested in designing a showpiece. She tried to make it happy and spontaneous and maybe slightly less serious. She knew if the architects got too serious, it might end up being too precious.鈥�
