Steel beams frame the living room, where Cassina armchairs provide seating with a view. The large glass doors are by Fleetwood Windows & Doors.
This Renovated Washington Abode Epitomizes Lakeside Living
Looking back from Lake Washington, this thoughtfully reimagined Mercer Island home offers a stunning counterpoint to the water. Framed in sculptural steel and outfitted with retractable glass doors, the residence seamlessly dissolves the boundaries between interior and exterior. And come sunset, backlit onyx panels in the dining room and bar emit a soft, radiant light. But while the clean lines and restrained palette speak to an aesthetic that lauds simplicity, the behind-the-scenes machinations were anything but effortless.
“Before the remodel, everything was perfect except for the house,” recalls architect Regan McClellan about his first site visit with the homeowners, a couple with two teenagers. Set on a prime lakeside parcel, the existing structure was a dated Mediterranean-style dwelling with dark finishes, small windows and a layout that largely turned its back on the view. “It was the right size and location,” he says, “but stylistically, the opposite of the streamlined, modern look they envisioned.”
Joined by interior designer Magdalena Kita and his firm’s Laura Taheny, McClellan embarked on a comprehensive renovation executed by general contractor Steve Moeller that respects the original home’s footprint but erases nearly everything else, starting with reorienting the primary living spaces toward the water. “We maximized windows and doors to connect the house to the lake, which is what drew this family there in the first place,” says Taheny, noting that the husband grew up on the island and has a special affinity for the place.
A 6-foot-wide pivoting glass entry door initiates the home’s transparency. Just inside, the stair, once a sweeping curved structure with an ornate railing, is now a floating sculpture with rift-sawn European white oak treads and blackened-steel risers. Adjacent to the entry is a bar, where visitors receive a warm welcome with a cocktail or glass of wine. Its statement-making stone wall is reminiscent of the lichen on the rocks that line the shore outside.
At the heart of the design is a consistent structural rhythm established by steel beams and columns that elegantly frame spaces while keeping sight lines open and uninterrupted. “We sized the steel to read beautifully to the eye,” McClellan explains. “Everything is welded, not bolted, and then painted for refinement rather than left exposed for an industrial effect.” This same approach continues outside, where a steel-and-glass canopy outfitted with infrared heaters and ambient lighting for year-round comfort hovers over the poolside terrace.
Home Details
Architecture:
Regan McClellan, McClellan | Tellone
Interior Design:
Magdalena Kita, Magdalena Kita Interior Atelier and Laura Taheny, McClellan | Tellone
Home Builder:
Steve Moeller, Schultz Miller
A wall of backlit onyx and a Moooi light fixture cast a warm glow over the walnut bar. Leather Arhaus stools pull up to the Caesarstone counters.
Island Stone’s Strip cladding and walnut panels introduce textural elements to the living room fireplace wall. The coffee table is by Roche Bobois, and the rug is from Driscoll Robbins Fine Carpets.
Steel beams frame the living room, where Cassina armchairs provide seating with a view. The large glass doors are by Fleetwood Windows & Doors.
A wall of backlit onyx and a Moooi light fixture cast a warm glow over the walnut bar. Leather Arhaus stools pull up to the Caesarstone counters.
White Dekton intersects honed gray Caesarstone on the kitchen countertops. Studio Becker fabricated the cabinets with integrated matte black hardware. The counter stools are by Fyrn, and the faucet is by Waterstone Faucets.
Maxalto’s Caratos chairs surround the dining room’s live-edge walnut table by Urban Hardwoods. The solid glass drops of Ochre’s Moonlight Murmuration chandelier and the backlit Green Wave onyx wall gently illuminate the space.
In the primary bedroom, a Phillip Jeffries hemp wallcovering backs a leather-upholstered Roche Bobois bed with integrated nightstands. The pendants are by Tom Dixon, the rug is from Driscoll Robbins Fine Carpets and the drapes are crafted with a Pierre Frey fabric.
To enhance the lake vistas, the team elevated the primary bathroom’s Waterworks tub and Fantini filler. Above is a chrome-and-white-leather chandelier by Pelle; on the floor are Ann Sacks tiles.
The wife was drawn to Scandinavian simplicity and organic materials, and Kita layered artisanal touches throughout. “They wanted restraint, but the house needed soul,” the designer says. In the dining room, for example, a raw-edge table made from salvaged wood lit by a chandelier composed of solid glass drops echoes the natural textures and lines of the book-matched onyx wall behind it. “The point was to bring the materials and feeling of nature inside,” Kita notes. That feature, among many other technically demanding elements, was orchestrated by Moeller and his team. Here and behind the bar near the entry, they carefully added backlighting behind the stone in a way that produces a soft glow. “Those panels are quite thin, and we worked hard to avoid shadows,” Moeller notes.
Throughout, Kita established a color story of gray and cream with walnut accents as seen in the living room, where a stone-colored leather sectional offers a barely-there contrast to a fireplace wall composed of light-toned feathered tile and rich wood. Similarly, in the primary suite, dark-hued linens pair with a bed crafted with creamy leather. The kitchen’s dual islands—one for entertaining, one for daily family dining—are made up of overlapping layers of white-veined Dekton and honed gray Caesarstone. “Details like this matter,” the designer says. “They bring a peaceful feeling to a room.”
The finished home is now “calm and curated,” Kita observes. “It’s completely in tune with the water, the light and the family who resides here.”
In the primary bedroom, a Phillip Jeffries hemp wallcovering backs a leather-upholstered Roche Bobois bed with integrated nightstands. The pendants are by Tom Dixon, the rug is from Driscoll Robbins Fine Carpets and the drapes are crafted with a Pierre Frey fabric.