Custom Home in Seattle Embraces Its Quirks

Falling in love with its wooded lot and quiet surroundings, a Seattle couple purchased a 1919 Craftsman home in the city’s Pritchard Island neighborhood in 2019. While they initially loved the property’s age and character, spending all their time in the home during the COVID-19 pandemic made the space feel cramped and nonfunctional.

Still, they sought to revamp the home without removing the quirky features they'd fallen for. This led them to Seattle-based Best Practice Architecture and contractor Kable Design Build to update the 2,514-square-foot home without compromising any of its original features.

According to Sarah Smith, principal at Best Practice Architecture, the goal was simple but challenging: design a home that suits the changing lifestyle of the homeowners while working with limited space and a unique layout.

“We had to come up with some interesting solutions to spaces. This was definitely a harbinger of a lot of other things that we've been seeing in projects where people are working from home and have to have flexible spaces, really nice light, lots of storage, so you can put stuff away and be on video calls… I think doing that while also keeping the natural whimsy of the home was an interesting challenge,” she says.

The homeowners appreciated the many charms of the original structure and didn’t want to make upgrades that would completely eliminate the details that drew them to the home in the first place. Instead, the project team chose to embrace the home’s original features, highlighting the good parts of the home while thinking of creative solutions for the less desirable features.

One asset the design team chose to highlight was the home’s high ceilings and resulting treetop views. For instance, a double-height playroom with a safety net and ladder were added for the homeowners’ child, and skylights were also added, not only to bring in light but to bring the eye upward.

The homeowners also enjoyed the use of an existing upstairs office that captured treeline views, but rather than keep it as-is, the project team expanded the space and turned it into the couple’s primary suite.

“There was this overall charm, nestled amongst the trees, with some pocket views of the water that were really nice,” says Smith. “So they wanted to embrace all of the quirks and charm of the house while making it work for their modern, contemporary lives.”

The project team largely relied on color to bring the home’s unique features into modern day. Bright pops of yellow, teal, red, and orange; playful patterned wallpapers; and sculptural light fixtures can be found throughout the home.

The home also received a number of more functional upgrades, including a new mudroom that helps improve the flow of the home as well as provide storage space. An existing galley kitchen was also opened up and now includes upgraded appliances, new cabinetry, and even a breakfast nook for extra seating.

One of the largest upgrades to the home, however, was the basement. The 941-square-foot space was reconfigured into an accessory dwelling unit, complete with a kitchenette, bathroom, bedroom, and living area. Though private, the ADU remains connected to the home above and is designed to serve as a future residence for aging family members or for guests.

Having space to entertain was also important to the homeowners, and while the surrounding trees provided great views, the home lacked real outdoor space. In an effort to extend the modern upgrades to the outdoors, the project team added a steel canopy that stretches over a concrete seating area along the side yard. That patio then extends down into the rear yard, providing a deeper connection to the wooded lot.

The front garden was also redesigned around a large cedar tree with a small patio where the homeowners can take in the surrounding views with their morning coffee. 

“Craftsman houses are kind of like that, if you don't have any modern interventions—they’re very closed off,” says Smith. “They have these really cute gardens, but then how do you access it?

That disconnect became a big part of the project. "Taking full advantage of the fact that they have a great yard, a great front yard, a great side yard, and a great backyard, and they wanted to actually use all those spaces, both during the pandemic and also moving forward when life gets back to normal,” Smith says.

Project Details:

Location: Pritchard Island, Seattle

Area: 2,514 square feet

Architect: Best Practice Architecture

Contractor: Kable Design Build

Photography: Rafael Soldi