A Seattle Home Merges Modern Aesthetics With Vintage Design
The kitchen island is clad in fluted panels and topped by soapstone from Crocodile Rocks. Covered in a Knoll Textiles fabric, the banquette is joined by vintage Eero Saarinen chairs, a Le Corbusier table and a La Scala pendant from Mr. On the wall is a Picasso poster.
When it comes to dreams, it often pays to play the long game. Such was the case for a Seattle couple who in 2016 started looking for a waterfront property to build the home they were envisioning. Four years later, their patience paid off when they landed the perfect site on Arroyo Beach. “They had been coveting this West Seattle property for years,” says architect Alix Day, who was brought on board to help make the dwelling a reality. Working closely with general contractor Dalen Bakstad, Day created a residence that married the couple’s modern aesthetic with vintage 1970s design, all while containing plenty of space for their eclectic family heirlooms. The result is colorful, highly personal interiors that tell the story of the couple’s shared life and embrace the shoreline just steps away.
The couple had resided in many different Seattle neighborhoods but decided they wanted to pursue the type of Northwest lifestyle— boating, swimming, beach barbecues, day trips to nearby islands—made possible by living on the water. While the new residence enjoys direct beach access and enviable views of Puget Sound, the design needed to do more than just open to the landscape. “They had previously lived with an open floor plan but realized they loved the feeling of more traditional homes with separate spaces and intimate areas,” Day says. With this in mind, the architect set to work designing a two-story abode where each room tells a different story.
Home Details
Architecture and Interior Design:
Alix Day, Alix Day Architecture + Design
Home Builder:
Dalen Bakstad, Bakstad Construction
Landscape Architecture:
Tim Hawkins, Brookstone Landscape & Design
The living room features an exposed concrete wall, which contrasts with the Visual Comfort & Co. sconce. A bespoke record console by Yoshihara Furniture Co. sits in front of it, displaying a mirror and artwork by Blanca Miró Skoudy.
In the living room, the fireplace surround is a custom plaster by artist Dawn Bassett. Beside it is a Derrick Adams poster. Above, a vintage Brutalist fixture lights Milo Baughman chairs recovered in mohair and a Phase Design coffee table. The drapery fabric is by House of Hackney.
Soapstone from Crocodile Rocks makes another appearance on the kitchen backsplash. Opposite pendants by Heather Levine Ceramics are a custom blackened-brass hood fabricated by Bakstad Construction and Hestan range.
In the husband’s office, walnut shelves by Northwest Custom Cabinets hold a vinyl record collection and stereo equipment. The Erin Sullivan artwork is illuminated by a brass RH sconce.
An open shelving system allows the living room’s water views to greet visitors in the entry. The living space is outfitted with a Milo Baughman chair, Roche Bobois sofa, coffee table from Tom Gorz Collection and vintage Gaetano Sciolari chandelier.
A Timorous Beasties wallcovering envelops the media room, where shelves display artwork by Jen Ament and family memorabilia. From the sofa, joined by a Warren C. Church coffee table, the owners enjoy the vistas through sliding doors by Kolbe Windows & Doors.
Farrow & Ball’s Inchyra Blue covers the walls, ceiling, doors and trim in the primary bedroom. The draperies’ Zak+Fox fabric adds a textural Art Deco feel. The antique armchair is paired with a CB2 accent table, and the bedside pendant is by Gubi.
Working with Bakstad on the build was a natural fit for Day, as the duo have been collaborating for over a decade. The project was an opportunity for Bakstad and his team to stretch their capacity to create personalized flourishes, like the custom walnut vinyl record wall in the husband’s office. “We’ve been constructing houses in Seattle for 30 years, but this is one of the most detailed dwellings we’ve built to date,” the general contractor notes.
Starting with the exterior, Day proposed a gabled structure that harked to Scandinavian design with a dash of California cool. “Big Sur and Sea Ranch were big inspirations for me,” she muses. She captured that modern coastal feel with wood siding that will silver over time in the wind and sea spray, eventually possessing the look and feel of driftwood.
Inside, Day designed the interiors largely around the couple’s existing furnishings, which combine luxe glamour and rich fabrics with midcentury-inspired silhouettes, then added in additional texture with draperies, textiles and wallcoverings. “They are not afraid of color and pattern and have great taste,” the architect says. Walnut casework and white oak ceilings on the main floor bring a distinctly Northwestern warmth. “I wanted that mix for depth and richness,” Day explains.
An open shelving system allows the living room’s water views to greet visitors in the entry. The living space is outfitted with a Milo Baughman chair, Roche Bobois sofa, coffee table from Tom Gorz Collection and vintage Gaetano Sciolari chandelier.
The team embraced a dramatic ambience throughout, but the home reaches its maximalist peak in the media room. “Initially we thought we would paint the whole space, but it felt like we should have something more interesting going on,” recalls Day, who worked with the owners to source a wallcovering in a kaleidoscopic 1970s pattern that she then applied to both the walls and ceiling. The print complements an eclectic collection of treasured family heirlooms, including a portrait of the husband’s grandmother.
Outside, the couple’s new waterfront lifestyle is complemented by a kidney-shaped swimming pool original to the property but now softened by native plantings curated by landscape designer Tim Hawkins. The sum of the property gives the couple more than they initially imagined. “Living here in this house brings the vision my wife and I had full circle,” the owner says. “I really think this is where we were meant to be.”
A Timorous Beasties wallcovering envelops the media room, where shelves display artwork by Jen Ament and family memorabilia. From the sofa, joined by a Warren C. Church coffee table, the owners enjoy the vistas through sliding doors by Kolbe Windows & Doors.