From Care Facility to Family Home: A Clever Remodel

Golden House

Text by Annie Price

The primary aim of The Golden House remodel project, by Shed Architects, was to rehabilitate the structure from being an adult care facility to a home for a family of five.

This comprehensive renovation and rejuvenation features an updated plan that gives the home an open, connected, and spatially interesting floor layout. Custom casework and finishes showcase bespoke design solutions and artful execution, setting off incredible Olympic Mountain Views.

The main level of the house needed to be transformed, along with the lower-level bedrooms and a bathroom. On the main level, walls and built-in casework were removed and program elements reshuffled.  

A buried galley kitchen was unearthed and re-formed around a central island overlooking dining and living spaces, allowing access to light, views, and the deck.

Moving the kitchen opened up the opportunity of a new, functional hub of the home, consisting of a home office, powder room, back pantry, and coat closets, all with direct access to both the kitchen and carport.

No extra space was added but instead the existing space was creatively re-apportioned to transform the kitchen and support spaces. Two main floor bedrooms and bathrooms were combined to form a master suite, while a third bedroom was repurposed as a TV and flex room. 

On the lower level, changes were needed to suit the three children and give them hobby and play spaces.

Here, a small lower-level bathroom was cleverly reconfigured into a multi-functional vanity, powder, and shower space to accommodate multiple users. A storage room was turned into a shared bedroom while the family room was turned into a kid’s craft and entertainment room.

On the exterior, along with general maintenance, the team removed a disability entrance and driveway in order to re-establish a large lawn for family gatherings and neighborhood games.

As well as a firepit area and landscaping. The design solution leveraged the house’s good bones, the existing post and beam structure and glazing, to create a unified main level where new elements are in harmony with the old.

Although re-engineered to work with the revised floor plan, the post and beam structure was retained and integrated into the design.

To replace the original casework, a low soffit was framed at the back of the living room to proportion the room while also defining the circulation space. In the living room, special attention was paid to the redesign of the fireplace which was faced with ground face CMU blocks and a cast concrete bench. To complete the space, low built-ins and a DJ station frame a large section facing the fireplace and view west. 

A limited but carefully chosen palette of materials was used throughout the home including cork flooring, rift sawn white oak panelling and casework.

White sheetrock walls are framed by wood structure and trim, painted black to unify the space. As a nod to the past, the original natural slate tile and metal railing were preserved in the entryway. And as a way of connecting the room to that incredible view, large mirrors were integrated into the window wall to reflect the horizon into the living room. 

Golden House
Golden House
Golden House
Golden House
Golden House
Golden House
Golden House
Golden House
Golden House
Golden House
Golden House
Golden House
Golden House
Photos by Rafael Soldi