Once intended for a quick sale, this 1930s house now bears witness to its remodelers love and marriage. A contractor bought this modest 1937 two-story house in northern Seattle for a turnaround sale. But when he met the interior designer, progress on the house slowed as the relationship sped up, and before the couple knew it, the humble flip – had become a shared project. And as happily ever after love story endings go, their re-designed house became their wedding site and much-loved forever home. Take a peek at the changes these two made – it’s incredible. My favorites are of the living room & backyard remodels. What they did to the basement is amazing as well.
AFTER: The exterior paint color brought personality to the facade. “We didn’t want serious house colors — no grays,” West says. The new front door with its oval glass insert was a design compromise. “I’m so not an ovals girl,” she says. “We added bronze hardware, and that helped offset the door’s oval, which is brass.”
Inside, the kitchen, dining area and living room flow together. West is glad they opted to place their dining table adjacent to the open kitchen. Konasiewicz installed the high-end stainless steel refrigerator to be flush with the cabinetry and maximize the room’s open feel.
The decorative leather toad is a memento the couple found in the South Pacific.
A drum pendant from Lowe’s combined with a repurposed table painted by West create a cheery dining area. “I’d describe our style as global, eclectic and contemporary,” West says. “It’s not traditional because it’s more clean-lined. There are no rolled arms here.”
The schoolhouse-style map behind the table shows the old USSR and includes Poland, the Konasiewicz family’s country of origin.
A long, open hall runs from the front door through the main floor to sliding deck doors on the opposite end of the house.
West’s grandmother made the copper floor lantern.
AFTER: The couple replaced the original fireplace with a custom corner one that spreads its heat and light both to the living room and to the dining and kitchen areas. The living room’s orange, brown and aqua palette is a nod to the home’s vintage roots while staying solidly in the 21st century with its contemporary line and form.
Directly off the living room is a cozy den full of collected books from the couple’s childhoods, photos and mementos from travels, and a flat-screen TV. “I don’t like having a TV as the center of the living room,” West says.
The second bedroom used to be West’s home office, but it’s now used for guests.
Creamy stone tile, cocoa-colored walls and artwork create a peaceful, spa-like feel in the spacious master bathroom.
AFTER: The back master bedroom door leads directly onto the new backyard patio, complete with hot tub, hammock, fire pit, heat lamp and comfortable seating.
“We were trying to create a lot of rooms,” West says. The patio now is used as much as any room inside the house, with its warm cedar-slat walls and a gas-fueled fire pit to keep the Pacific Northwest damp at bay. With Seattle’s rain can come an inability to use even carefully created outdoor spaces. West is especially proud of making this covered outdoor patio a fully functioning part of the home.
