When the homeowners of this 1961 midcentury home by Pacific Northwest Architect George Lucker were considering purchasing the property, two noteworthy factors rose to the surface: one was that the house was an undeniably beautiful midcentury construction with a lot of potential.
The second was that it was in dire need of restoration. Seattle-based SHED Architecture and Design was selected to take on the task of redesigning the home to suit the needs of an intergenerational family.
Situated on a hillside in Seattle’s Seward Park, the home overlooks beautiful views of Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains. Unfortunately, the home was not making the most out of its surrounding environment due to its rundown condition.
The homeowners had a clear vision of what needed to be done, and provided SHED with the briefing to, “embrace the home’s natural surroundings, open up the floor plan, and transform the dim bathroom into a master suite”.
The kitchen, originally separated from the main living area by an obstructive wall, was opened to connect with the living and dining areas.
In order to do this, the team moved the kitchen all the way to the back and removed the extra wall, exposing the home’s stunning post-and-beam structure and filling the spaces with light, air and a seamless flow from one area to another.
Off to the side of the kitchen and dining areas, a sunroom added by a former owner was removed and turned into a large deck. An expansive sliding glass door allows natural light to pour in as well as opens to the deck overlooking the lake and mountain views.
Other updates in the main living area included replacing the floors with red oak with original red oak from the bedroom. George Lucker’s original fireplace and interior clerestory windows were in exceptional condition and left as they were.
In addition to the main open plan area, SHED also reconfigured the main entrance and bathroom spaces. The team used an exterior space, which was originally a passage between the entry and the garage, and turned it into an enclosed master suite equipped with a bathtub, walk in shower and a sink cupboard.
The enlarged bathroom soaks in light from the existing skylights, which was left in place and reflects off the white tiles on the walls.
The color scheme follows the same scheme throughout the interiors; crisp white, black accents and natural wood complement the surrounding landscape and natural light.
Thrilled with the end result, the homeowners noted: “We love the new space, indoor and out. We have a hard time remembering the way it was before, because the new is so seamless with the old.”
Photos by Rafael Soldi
