!–paging_filter–pSeveral years ago, after living in Switzerland for 11 years, Mark and Jo repatriated to Seattle, where the couple had hoped to continue the cosmopolitan car-free existence they had adopted in Europe. But when they saw the semisecluded spot nestled along a curving, quiet Magnolia street while house hunting, they began to rethink that plan./p
p“I liked the advertisement,” says Jo about the description of the 1960 rambler, which characterized the setting as Zen-like. “It was very green and very serene,” she says. “We put an offer on it the day it came on the market.”/p
pSmartly, the couple had hired their architect, Julie Campbell of Seattle’s CTA Design Builders, before buying, thereby benefiting from some reassuring real estate vetting. First-time homeowners, they had been attracted to the all-in-one convenience of her design-build firm, and by the fact that Campbell was also an interior designer who shared their penchant for Northwest and Japanese design. brimg src=”/sites/default/files/newfiles/0314_aiahome_2.jpg” style=”float: left; margin: 10px;” height=”267″ width=”400″“The property was just so exquisite with its gardens and views [of Puget Sound],” Campbell says. “We all knew immediately that it could support the things they were after—a sanctuary where they could feel like they were kind of living in a spa situation all of the time.”/p
pWhat the 1,450-square-foot, one-story house didn’t have was a spa-worthy master suite. So Campbell’s primary architectural handiwork was to seamlessly integrate a small, airy second-story addition with the house’s existing midcentury modern base, echoing its signature sloping roofline and large overhangs.em (Photo: The new addition houses a view-rich master suite, which comes with an inviting window seat and storage area made of maple wood)/em/p
pThe new level is outfitted with large windows and with walls that ingeniously fall a few feet short of the ceiling. This latter tweak enables natural light to brightly bounce around the top floor as well as filter down into the new open stairwell and onto the main floor. (The open walls also give house cats Cosmo and Juno many enticing sites for leaping.)/p
pimg src=”/sites/default/files/newfiles/shelter032014-009.jpg” style=”float: left; margin: 10px;” height=”400″ width=”267″Downstairs, shape-shifting was kept to a minimum, although one wall between the kitchen and living room was removed to create an open floor plan. Instead, big changes were brought about by a dramatically different interior scheme. The couple wanted more natural materials, a lot of wood and stone. “It was much darker and felt a lot heavier [originally],” Mark explains, “and we wanted to lighten it up.”/p
pOne of the most aggressively dark elements was a fireplace sheathed in gunmetal. That surface was replaced with a natural stone facade (composed of individual sheets that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle) boasting blue and green hues selected for the new pale paint palette. “There are actually three paint colors,” Campbell says, “but they are all different shades of the same color. It’s a lighter one where the rooms are darker, and a darker one where there’s more light. So you don’t perceive there’s a difference as you’re moving throughout the rooms.”/p
pimg src=”/sites/default/files/newfiles/0314_aiahome_3.jpg” style=”vertical-align: middle; margin: 10px;” height=”401″ width=”600″/p
pem(Photo: The new floor-to-ceiling natural stone facade boasts a Northwest shade of Alpine Jade. [Homeowner Markesigned some of the home’s new furniture, including the painted poplar wood open-grid shelf to the side of the fireplace, an ode to Paul Frankl’s circa 1920s “Skyscraper” step table.]) /em/p
pThe architect explains, “I’m a big believer in a limited palette of colors and materials, because I think if you use the same materials throughout the house, it really provides a continuity throughout the house, which provides for a lot of calmness and tranquility.”/p
pimg src=”/sites/default/files/newfiles/0314_aiahome_4.jpg” style=”vertical-align: middle; margin: 10px;” height=”450″ width=”600″/p
pem(Photo: T/emememhe original living room had darker floors and a stark black steel fireplace surround)/emstrongbrbrimg src=”/sites/default/files/newfiles/magnolia2.jpg” style=”vertical-align: middle; margin: 10px;” height=”533″ width=”400″br/strong/emPhoto: A view into the closetemstrong/strong/em/p
pimg src=”/sites/default/files/newfiles/magnolia-home.jpg” style=”vertical-align: middle; margin: 10px;” height=”600″ width=”400″brPhoto: The home’s exterior and patiobrbrstrongspan style=”color: #000000;”emThis home was selected by architects and designers from AIA Seattle (American Institute of Architects; a href=”http://aiaseattle.org“aiaseattle.org/a) as an example of architectural importance in remodeling.br/em/spanspan style=”color: #ff6600;”brGet It Now/span/strongbrstrongArchitect, interior designer:/strong Julie Campbell, AIA, CTA Design Builders, Fremont; 206.286.1692; a href=”http://www.ctabuilds.com” target=”_blank”ctabuilds.com/a. strongPaint:/strong Benjamin Moore no-voc Eco Spec, OC-45 Swiss Coffee flat (main-floor ceilings), OC-45 Swiss Coffee Eggshell (main-floor bathroom ceilings), OC-47 Ashwoodnbsp; flat (most walls), Benjamin Moore MoorGard latex low luster custom color No. 2-11-0322 (exterior). strongCustom cabinetry/strong: Designed by CTA, built by Brian Northrop, Northrop Case, Ballard, 5416 Shilshole Ave. NW; 206.782.2664; a href=”http://www.northropcase.com” target=”_blank”northropcase.com/a.strong Cabinet pulls:/strong Sugatsune SN series stainless steel satin finish. strongOwner-designed furniture:/strong Sapele wood credenza (not pictured), black painted poplar grid shelf (next to fireplace) by Epping-Jordan Fine Woodworking; 206.245.7589; a href=”http://www.eppingjordanfinewoodworking.com” target=”_blank”eppingjordanfinewoodworking.com/a. strongMaster bedroom closets/strong: Christopher Lunsford (consultant), California Closets, Bellevue, 1048 116th Ave. NE, Suite 160; 206.793.2026; a href=”http://www.californiaclosets.com” target=”_blank”californiaclosets.com/a. strongStaircase:/strong Designed by Julie Campbell, CTA Design Builders. Windows: Sierra Pacific Windows, 2233 First Ave. S, Suite 102; 800.824.7744; a href=”http://www.sierrapacificwindows.com” target=”_blank”sierrapacificwindows.com/a. strongHardwoods:/strong Lane Hardwood Floors, Shoreline, 14700 Aurora Ave. N; 206.622.1336; a href=”http://www.lanehardwoodfloors.com” target=”_blank”lanehardwoodfloors.com/a. strongAppliances:/strong Daniel Curtin (sales), Liebherr refrigerator/Miele dishwasher/GE oven, Albert Lee Appliance, Interbay, 1476 Elliott Ave. W; 206.282.2110; a href=”http://www.albertleeappliance.com” target=”_blank”albertleeappliance.com/a. strongKitchen backsplash:/strong Interstyle Architect series tiles, Cantilever, custom color mix (matte green, glossy and matte beige), grout (CBPnbsp; No. 386 Oyster Gray), United Tile, Renton, 3001 E Valley Road; 425.251.5290; a href=”http://www.unitedtile.com” target=”_blank”unitedtile.com/a. strongCountertops:/strong Antique brown granite, satin finish (kitchen), Seagrass limestone, honed (master bath, powder room), Pental Granite Marble, SoDo, 713 S Fidalgo St.; 206.768.3200; a href=”http://www.pentalonline.com” target=”_blank”pentalonline.com/a. strongGranite rehoning, refinishing (kitchen, master bath, fireplace):/strong Jorge Perez, The Natural Stone Restorers, Enumclaw; 360.825.3199. strongLights:/strong Hubbardton Forge Kakomi series (master bath, powder room).strong Fireplace surround: /strongThomas Makaruk, Senterra LLC, Bellevue; 206.730.7165; a href=”http://www.mygranitecountertops.com” target=”_blank”mygranitecountertops.com/a. strongBarstools:/strong La Palma Kai stools, EuroFurniture, Chicago; 800.243.1955; a href=”http://www.eurofurniture.com” target=”_blank”eurofurniture.com/a/p