Nods To The Scottish Highlands Elevate This Washington Home

When a family made a cross-country move from Washington, D.C., to Bellevue, Washington, they embraced their next hometown with enthusiasm, right down to the design of their freshly constructed residence. “This was to be a whole new experience in a new part of the country, so they were interested in giving it a Pacific Northwest style,” says interior designer Brian Paquette, who was brought on board to tailor the dwelling to the owners’ tastes. He was delighted to dive into the local vernacular, but, as a transplant himself, he felt that a home should reflect both past and present. Instead, Paquette proposed the interiors honor the family’s journey, balancing change with memory.

Previously, the couple had lived in a historic Craftsman, but when they discovered this under-construction abode close to nature, they snapped it up. “We were used to city living and cityscapes, and the modern architecture of this house was a chance to embrace the region’s landscape, light and feel,” says the wife, who collaborated with designer Elizabeth Wenning on finishes and lighting. “Our focus was natural materials—stone and wood—and creating a luxurious feel,” Wenning explains. To generate visual interest, she found reeded ceramic tiles for the fireplace wall that “add texture and create bands of light and shadow,” she says, and a striking, purple-veined marble for the pantry. “Mixing materials brings energy to the spaces,” Wenning continues, noting the kitchen’s stainless steel and brass fixtures, as well as its cabinetry, the upper portion of which is white oak while the lower run is stained dark walnut.

Those cabinets served as a jumping-off point for Paquette’s approach to the interiors. “I liked that Elizabeth used different finishes,” he explains. “And since this family likes color, I wanted to add more.” In traditional Pacific Northwest style, he deepened the palette with moody blues and greens and added ochre for warmth. “But along with the Northwest look, we also wanted to reference the clients’ travels,” Paquette says. The owners found their minds returning to one special place. “Brian had us gather images, and we found ourselves drawn to The Fife Arms in Scotland, a place we’ve stayed,” the wife explains. “The hotel was inspiring because it displays things in such interesting ways. There’s a focus on nature and layers of plaids, prints and paintings— and I saw a bit of that in Brian’s work with the way he layers fabrics and colors.”

Working with senior designer Brea Valenzuela, Paquette distilled the home’s themes in the entryway. The space’s Arts and Crafts-style chair is a nod to the family’s former home, while a desk takes the place of the typical console to better match the dwelling’s scale. Adorning the wall are 24 satellite images Paquette found in Paris. “The Fife Arms has walls of collections, things like antlers or interesting pictures, so we used that idea here to match the volume of the architecture,” the designer explains.

In the living room, Paquette created multiple seating areas with low-slung furnishings to “bring the eye down and make it cozy,” he says. “We love that the room is so big—the windows are amazing—but we needed a homey family room, as well as a place for entertaining,” the wife adds. Past the kitchen, the dining room is grounded by green grass cloth on the walls, a live-edge table (“What could be more Pacific Northwest?” the designer asks) and light wood chairs, with a surprise touch of Yves Klein blue in the vases by Los Angeles ceramist Bari Ziperstein. “It all feels very collected,” he says.

Paquette infused this palette into every room. “With a consistent color scheme, you feel like you can glide through a house,” he says. But the designer did take a more monochromatic approach in some spaces, like the husband’s home office, coated in a deep, grounding blue. And in the primary bedroom, Paquette went tone-ontone with dark gray hues, bringing in plaids and stripes, inspired again by the couple’s favorite hotel. To the homeowners’ delight, Paquette also worked with their children, asking each for vision boards. “This is a huge change for our family, and we really appreciated how he included them to make them feel welcome,” the wife says.

“Creating a sense of place is critical, and we did that with the Pacific Northwest style they wanted while also looking at their past,” Paquette says. “Those elements combine to express what their lives will be like moving forward.”