Skip to content

Take a Tour of Some of Seattle’s Prettiest Modern Homes

Snoop around other people's houses, in a socially acceptable way, on Saturday's self-guided Modern Home Tour

By Chelsea Lin April 24, 2018

modern-home-pic

If you’re the sort who spends your free time attending neighborhood open houses with no intention of buying, well, have we got the event for you: On Saturday, April 28, Modern Architecture + Design Society is hosting a self-guided Modern Home Tour  here in the Seattle area, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $40. 

Seven homes, in locations from White Center to Redmond, will be open for viewing, including architect Pietro Potesta’s Ballard home. Potesta, who runs ALCOVA Architecture out of his light-filled home office, gave us a sneak peak last week. It’s a stunning house: Built in 2015, with an open floor plan and the kind of incredibly thoughtful details you’d expect to see in an architect’s home, it’s a modern house that feels warm and inviting.

Potesta bought the Ballard lot in 2013, with the intent to tear down and put up his own design. With new construction, he says, you can take advantage of advancements in sustainability and technology—this 3,300-square-foot house, he says is far cheaper when it comes to utilities than the previous one, though it’s significantly bigger.

Tall ceilings and large windows allow for ample light, even on the greyest Seattle days. And the backyard features a mega trampoline, a fire pit, a carport and patio with seating for six. All of this on a 3,800-square-foot lot. “You really have to play with inches when you have such a small lot,” Potesta says.

Whether new construction or remodel, modern homes regularly deal with criticism that they’re cold and boxy. Having the opportunity to scope out the interiors changes that, though—there’s a reason this is such a popular style in Seattle, and it’s largely due to the use of natural light.

Get your tickets here and keep an eye on your inbox—a map will be sent prior to the event.

Follow Us

Blueprints for Building Community

Blueprints for Building Community

After tragedy struck a local restaurateur family, one of their daughters stepped in to complete the design for her brother’s unfinished home.

Although he was just 35 when a heart attack took his life, Khoa Pham’s imprint on Seattle’s international district was such that the city quickly designated April 21 as a memorial day in his honor. With his rescue pitbull, Pinky, by his side, Pham cut a colorful figure through Little Saigon and became well known…

Tuft Stuff

Tuft Stuff

Tuft Ruft turns fiber art into a social, hands-on experience in Pioneer Square.

It all started with a bout of pandemic boredom. Like many, when COVID-19 hit, recent graduate Carrie Xiao found herself stuck at home, with extra time on her hands. One day, while scrolling social media, she discovered tufting: a textile manufacturing technique that creates a garment or rug with a “pile,” or raised surface. After…

Collaborating Cultures

Collaborating Cultures

Looking to build a home to welcome family and friends, one Kirkland couple turns to a sister to design a modern house with influences from the wife’s Thai heritage.

For many years, when homeowners planned to build or remodel, architects and designers advised them to think first and foremost about resale value. From the number of bedrooms to the materials, appliances, and finishes in the kitchens and bathrooms, homes were often treated solely as an investment, with an eye to future sales. In recent…

Whale Of A Remodel

Whale Of A Remodel

The transformation of an Orcas Island home takes advantage of remarkable views

For many years, Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders entertained his Orcas Island neighbors with breathtaking acrobatics in his vintage airplane. Anders and his wife, Valerie, had purchased a five-acre compound on the isolated western edge of the island for its mesmerizing view, a subject he knew something about. As a member of the first human…