Steep site? No sweat. Lane Williams Architects and Shapiro Ryan Design transformed a difficult parcel in Seattle’s Madison Valley into a fresh, stylish hideaway. This custom-built modern home uses cantilevered forms, creative outdoor space, and clever shifts in perspective to take maximum advantage of every vertiginous inch.

The goals for this client’s West Seattle renovation were to open up the small existing kitchen and make it more functional for cooking and entertaining. A stellar team of designer, architect, and contractor worked closely with the homeowners to achieve their vision—a smart and trendy space as functional as it is bold.

Repatriating unused attic space to create open rooms with dramatic gabled ceilings.

Paramount for the kitchen of this Gleneden Beach retreat was to merge the indoors and out, and to lighten a once dark, cavelike feel.

This family’s cherished mid-century modern home in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood got a new lease on life thanks to a little help from White Space Design Group. A full remodel revealed open spaces, light-filled rooms, and a refreshed aesthetic that interprets vintage style through a modern lens.

Sometimes it takes a village to move homeowners from one side of the globe to another. In this case, it was Bob Boyce’s sister Ann, who convinced Boyce, who had gone to Shanghai as a graduate of Northern Arizona University for a Chinese language course in 1994, and went on to become a well-known Shanghai restauranteur, that he should move to Seattle.

Although this Northern California family had never lived in an old house before, they were so fascinated by them, they wanted to relocate to Portland, Oregon, to live in one. That desire led them to this c. 1903 Federal Style home designed by Whidden and Lewis, a prominent architectural firm of the day.

The kitchen of a dated condominium in a sterling downtown Seattle location was taken down to the studs and is now ready for the future in a luxurious remodeled clean line space that relies on warm woods, modern materials, and German engineering to create a beautiful and functional kitchen.

Axiom Luxury Homes, Blondino Design, and Ponciono Design help A family create their dream home on a golf course in Camas. With an open floorplan and a contemporary farmhouse aesthetic, bright white custom cabinetry from Hayes Cabinets is central to the bright and airy look the homeowners desired.

Color? Check. This custom contemporary home on Bainbridge Island pairs vibrant hues with floor-to-ceiling windows for a natural antidote to the Northwest’s sometimes-gloomy climate. Clean lines, an open layout, and strong connections to the gorgeous island landscape make this the perfect perch for an active family.

Some think best in in the shower. For Larry Helmke, inspiration struck on a plane. Armed with the seed of an idea, Larry and his wife Judy Helmke partnered with Mountainwood Homes to construct a dream coastal retreat on the Oregon Coast complete with naturalistic forms, captivating textures, and an intricately detailed interior.

After years of working together designing various homes, the team of Bellevue interior designer Linda Schoener of Schoener Interiors, the homeowner herself, and Seattle architect Eric Koch of Partners Architectural Design Group, has begun to age like fine wine – with each iteration of the family’s latest home becoming more elegantly understated and livable.

White Space Design Group’s collaborative process led to a design honoring the character of a craftsman-style West Seattle bungalow with a comfortable, yet sophisticated vibe that celebrates the clients’ vision and personality.

Taking cues from Puget Sound’s remarkable landscape, this custom-built sylvan retreat on Burien’s waterfront represents a collaboration between artistic homeowners and an all-star design team. Bold colors, fearless contrasts, and a layout inspired by the land combine to create a luminous space that appears to levitate among the trees.

Inspired by a hillside site overlooking the Cascade Range, Willamette River and Portland’s downtown, Allied Works Architecture created a modern masterpiece whose geometry splays open like five fingers of a hand to bring in light from above and views of the terraced landscape below from three stepback walls of soaring windows.

After razing a 1940s ranch home from this 300-foot-long hillside property that drops precipitously toward views of the ocean, Garret Cord Werner Architects and Interior Designers created a modern, yet intimate family home that nestles into a magnificent, graded landscape replete with koi pond, pool, ancient boulders and Native art.

Contemporary lines meet timeless details. This Northwest remodel combines clean shapes with farmhouse warmth and a touch of modern industrial style to create an open, light-filled nest for a growing family.

A place for everything, everything in its place. This Neil Kelly kitchen infuses a clean, modern aesthetic with thoughtful functional design to make cooking a pleasure and hosting a joy.

With its crisp lines, clean tones, and gallery-like feel, it’s hard to believe this light-filled midcentury pad in Portland, Oregon, was once a dark 1940s fixer-upper. A full facelift from JDL Development and Guggenheim Architecture & Design Studio, including functional updates for a busy life, transformed this home’s sleeping and bathing spaces from merely adequate into a gorgeous contemporary retreat.

Inspired by contemporary galleries, this sleek, minimalist home is a flexible showcase for its owners’ expansive art collection. Clean lines, minimal ornamentation, and elemental materials keep the focus on the pieces, the view, and the pleasure of one another’s company.