Home to the iconic Space Needle, and known for its steep hills and expansive views, Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood is also notable for its 19th-century Victorian homes. However, the Queen Anne style of architecture, which often features steeply pitched roofs, wrap-around porches and multi-paned windows, is not the only architectural style to be found here. This Mediterranean-style home, which a local family purchased in the spring of 2015, is one that stands out from the crowd.
As seen from the backyard, it features a half-subterranean basement with a media room not visible from the front of the house. The main floor includes the living room, kitchen plus scullery, dining room, day room with fireplace, library, wine room and a powder bath. The upper floor is home to the primary suite, two bedrooms connected by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom, an office and laundry room.
Ideally situated, the home overlooks Highland Drive, Elliott Bay and downtown Seattle. However, the homeowners realized that they weren’t using their backyard as much as they had hoped. “The lots in this neighborhood are pretty small, so we wanted to maximize every square foot of our property,” the wife says.
They began working on plans for the backyard, which included adding a retaining wall, increasing the size of the yard and adding a pool. The couple also decided to replace an existing outdoor patio on the main floor of the home with a larger version that would overlook a new swim spa and fire pit seating area. Once those plans started to materialize, however, the couple decided that they also wanted to renovate the interior.
“We always thought we would do an interior remodel and we realized if we waited much longer, our teenaged daughters would be off in college and wouldn’t get to enjoy it,” the husband says.
The couple turned to interior designer Allison Lind to discuss design ideas. “It started small with a refresh, but as we talked more about their goals and what they wanted, it expanded to full scope and really personalizing every inch of the home,” she says.
In turn, Lind brought in Allie Merrill as an assistant and Joey Fentress of Proform Builds as the contractor. “I still use this project as a top example of how things should go, not only for homeowners, but also for interior designers and contractors working together,” Lind says. “Joey had a project manager who was on site constantly, and we would have weekly or biweekly meetings so that nothing was overlooked. From start to finish, this project was about customization and getting everything perfect for the clients.”
The team began working on the first phase of the project: to modernize the interiors. Previously, the home had a traditional Mediterranean feel with ornate cabinetry and a 90s color palette of yellows and browns. It also had a few problematic areas that limited the homeowners’ use of space and therefore required a bit of remodeling.
For example, a small room off the kitchen was previously used as a TV room and den. However, it was cramped and oddly located within the footprint of the main floor. Meanwhile, a standalone fireplace that was previously between the living room and dining room visually interrupted the space and was never used.
“We had this really good-sized floor, and we spent all our time in the kitchen, the dining room and this little TV room,” the husband says. “All the rest of the space was wasted.”
To solve these issues, Lind removed the standalone fireplace and reoriented the living room. She also used crisp paint throughout the day room that now showcases a plaster fireplace, comfy chairs and an area rug with soft blues and greens. The black lighting fixture gives the space structure and contrast.
Lind also took down a wall, thereby enlarging the kitchen, and turned the small den into a scullery that also now doubles as a mud room. “Small tweaks made such a difference in how we use our home,” the husband says. “We’re definitely optimizing the entire footprint of the main floor.”
When redesigning the kitchen, Lind decided to take a multilayered approach. “The homeowners are fun, engaging and welcoming,” she says. “At one point we looked at doing a big slab wall, but it’s not as interesting or warm. I wanted to do something in the kitchen that pulls you in and makes you want to sit on a stool and chat with them.”
To that aim, Lind chose “Chantilly Lace” and “Glacier White” from Benjamin Moore as a backdrop for Calacatta Gold marble countertops, the same material that she used for a shelf above the range and as a backsplash. “Finding the marble in the kitchen directed the overall palette,” she says.
Lind added further interest by adding a terracotta backsplash above the marble shelf. Meanwhile, white oak cabinetry and oversized light fixtures add a layer of warmth. Lind also shied away from anything too heavy or overdone by using glass fronts on the cabinetry and scullery door as a way to further pull occupants into the space. “The pantry door was vintage reclaimed, and the Proform team meticulously repaired it and brought it back to life,” she says.
The library, also located on the main floor, is a space that the designer calls extra special. “The doors were original to the house and were incredible,” she says. “So we played off of those and opted to keep the dark woods as a contrast to the rest of the house, which became so much brighter. We wanted to keep that cozy, whiskey room vibe.”
Upstairs, in the primary bath, Lind chose mosaic marble for the floor and paired it with matching herringbone tile in the shower. She also surrounded the shower with zellige tile. “The marble is elegant and timeless, and the tile brings in organic softness,” she says.
While the majority of the home is creamy and soft, filled with calm neutrals and moments of contrast, Lind decided to up the ante in the powder bath. “It has—in my opinion, in a good way—material overload,” she says. “It has a wall of Ann Sacks mosaic tile, and the rest of the walls are in this three-dimensional textured and fringed wallpaper. The clients are multifaceted people, and the home needed that special moment. The intensity is so fun.”
Once the interiors were completed, the team once again turned to the backyard, the space that started the whole project, for the second phase of work. Derek Reeves, with Sculpted Sites, was brought in as the Landscape Architect. The homeowners, who had moved out during the interior renovations, moved back in during this time.
The exterior of the stucco home received all new paint, new light fixtures, and a new second floor patio overlooking a swim spa, fire pit and extended lawn. “There was a patio, but it was very small,” Fentress says. “It had a spiral staircase, so it wasn’t very practical. We made the patio much larger, so the footprint is a bit larger than the bottom porcelain tiled patio, and we moved the stairs to the other side. We reconfigured how the stairs function and how they access the backyard.”
The patio now overlooks a custom swim spa (with a swim lane for the husband) from KrisCo Pools & Spas, surrounded by concrete pavers. The new seating area features an OVA slim fire feature by Lumacast, surrounded by comfy chairs and sofa for a relaxed setting.
Overall, the project took about one-and-a-half years to complete. “Our team was incredible, but none of that would have been as effective if we didn’t have the clients’ trust,” Lind says.
“I always had a vision of what I wanted the home to look like,” the wife says. “Our house has a Mediterranean feel, but the design was late 90s. It was very pretty, but it wasn’t our style. I had imagined something more modern—like something you would see in Santa Barbara or Montecito. Clearly the vision came together really well.”
PROJECT SOURCES
INTERIOR DESIGN & HOME DESIGN
Allison Lind Interiors
allisonlind.com
CONTRACTOR
Proform Builds
proformbuilds.com
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Sculpted Sites
sculptedsites.com
Cabinetry
Beech Tree Woodworks
beechtreecustomcabinets.com
Shoptalk - Allison Lind
Allison Lind, design director, Allison Lind Design allisonlind.com
When you created your own firm, what were your goals?
I find joy and purpose in creating personalized, thoughtful spaces that people call “home.” I just wanted to wake up every day and be excited to create something meaningful.
How did first serving as a head stylist for luxury magazines impact your design eye?
Because magazine trends are constantly changing, I needed to change as well. Constantly being exposed to different styles and points of view showed me that styles shouldn’t fit perfectly into one box. As individuals, we all shift and grow, so our homes should be a reflection of who we truly are, not just key words we’d use to describe our style.
Your firm doesn’t have a set “style”, but rather you shift based on individual client needs. Tell us about this process.
Every person is unique in their own way. So when you have multiple people involved—a couple or a family—there are so many personality traits and quirks that fill the home. The home itself should reflect all of that.
Does the ambition of designing unique spaces mean that the bar is continually raised for you personally?
My clients are unique. That’s why I love what I do. Each day is different because every person and project is different. Projects have their own bar to reach: the end of the job when I finally get to see clients living in their homes. The best part isn’t the walk through or first reveal, it’s the first dinner party or family gathering I get to experience, with platters of food covering the new dining table, spilled wine on the new counter, real life.
Tell us about a recent collaboration that was integral to one of your designs.
Our designs are nothing without a great contractor to implement them. Working alongside a talented team is absolutely integral to a beautiful result, and the thoughtfully and carefully crafted space our clients live in.
In your opinion, what is the most fundamental element of interior design?
The people and their personalities. Any good designer can create a lovely outcome, but my constant goal is capturing the human spirit residing within the space. Homes are an integral part of the history of the people inside them; babies coming home from the hospital, teenagers getting photos at the entry before heading to prom, a beloved family dog scratching the hardwood floors. That’s home. It’s the job of interior design to create the environment for that.
You’ve traveled extensively, which cultures have impacted your design perspective the most?
All of them! I always say to my kids that the world is a beautiful place because we are all so different.
Your work has been recognized throughout print and other mediums, what do these honors signify for your firm?
Each time we are featured it’s a pinch-me moment. I am constantly in awe of the talent of other designers in our area and beyond. To be featured alongside any of them is humbling and to be highlighted for doing something that I find this much joy doing is a dream.
What’s the first thing you notice when you walk into a room?
First, if there is a dog. Second, where the homeowners immediately gravitate toward.
What is a design rule you use again and again?
Layered lighting. Every space needs it.
Outside of design what interests you?
I am a staunch animal-rescue advocate. We have three rescue pets and have fostered 25 dogs and counting.
