This Seattle Home Was Inspired By Pinterest

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Pinning A Winner

Deftly mixing contemporary and old-world elements, a Seattle design team translates visual inspirations into a stunning whole.

Dramatic Entry Sequence in Seattle

Architect Tim Hossner designed a dramatic entry sequence into a Seattle home, delivering views of Lake Washington through an entry door by Bob Johnson Woodworking and aluminum-clad windows from Sierra Pacific Windows. The warm Merlex stucco by Ecoworks Construction and the AEP Span roof speak to the traditional and contemporary elements at play.

Bauble Chandelier with Water Views in the Entryway

Designer Lisa Staton chose a John Pomp chandelier from Trammell-Gagné for the entry. It hangs from a ceiling clad in white fir custom-milled for the project. Builder Andrew Constan had to reinforce the sculptural stair’s complex design from the inside. The structure leads directly to the garden installed by Nussbaum Group and the water beyond.

Contemporary Living Room with a Pop of Tango Art and Fireplace

A painting by Bill Brauer from Patricia Rovzar Gallery brings color to the living room above a limestone Chesney’s mantel with a Bodart & Gonay fireplace imported by Wittus; Pottery Barn mirrors and Elte cabinets reside in niches. A Circa Lighting lamp illuminates one of a pair of Roche Bobois sofas flanking an antique Chinese table. The custom-size jute rug is from Turabi Rug Gallery.

Eclectic Neutral Dining Room with Art and Chandelier

The dining area mingles a range of elements, yielding a compelling mix. The traditional-feeling Dennis & Leen chandelier from Jennifer West features scaled-up crystals that harmonize with the room’s more contemporary elements, including the midcentury-inspired France and Son dining chairs. Rustic touches come from the antique table and kilim from Hedgerow.

 Soapstone Sink Overflowing with Plants

A soapstone sink with a Kohler faucet offers a stylish spot for the wife, who is an avid gardener, to work with plants and arrange flowers in a bright multipurpose space. Open shelving gives easy access to a collection of vases.

White and Wooded Contemporary Kitchen with Rug

Bar chairs from Dania pull up to an island positioned beneath a quartet of Shakuff pendants. Seaboard Cabinet Company crafted the cabinetry, and Architectural Elements created the nickel wall shelving; quartzite from Marmo e Granito tops the counters. Albert Lee supplied the Wolf range and ovens, as well as the hood by Vent-a-Hood. The sinks are Julien with KWC faucets.

Minimalist Hall and Foyer with Limestone and Colorful Art

Limestone from Paris Ceramics in Chicago defines the doorways flanking the dining room; in between is an expanse of walnut flooring from Carlisle Wide Plank Floors. The brass bar cart from Crate & Barrel adds a glamorous touch, playing off the rustic and industrial elements in the home. In an alcove off the entry, Staton paired a painting by Z.Z. Wei, from Patricia Rovzar Gallery, with a rough-hewn wood bench from Jennifer West and a carpet from Tasdemir Rugs.

Powder Room with Antique Turkish Basin

The antique Turkish basin, with custom legs designed by Hossner and his team, was the jumping-off point for the design of the powder room, giving it a sense of history. A Currey & Company mirror from DFG tempers the antique charm of the sink; the faucet is by Rocky Mountain Hardware.

Master Bathroom with Marbled Light Sconces and Floating Vanity

For the master bathroom, a pair of Hudson Valley Lighting sconces flank the Robern medicine cabinet and a Circa Lighting pendant is over the MTI tub. The vanity sinks and faucets are Kohler; the tub filler is Kallista. An antique Oushak from Andonian Rugs tops the limestone floor from Marmo e Granito.

Windows for Walls in a Master Bedroom with a Water View

Irish linen draperies crafted by Lesley Petty frame the windows in the master bedroom. The clients’ own iron bed stands on an over-dyed Persian carpet from Tasdemir Rugs. Nearby is a Camerich armchair from Alchemy Collections.

Even before there was Pinterest, she had folders—“one would be labeled powder room; one would be kitchen,” says a Seattle homeowner of his wife, who became a devoted pinner with the advent of the social media networking site. Set on the banks of Lake Washington, their home, with its effortless mix of old-world and contemporary styles, is a testament to her efforts. It wasn’t necessarily about replicating the exact furnishings or materials in the images; instead, designer Lisa Staton and architect Tim Hossner identified the common visual threads and translated them into a distinctive design. “If you look at all the pins as a whole, you can get a strong insight into the essence or emotion that a client is striving to have in their home,” says Staton. Adds Hossner, who worked on the home with project architect Robin Cinamon, “It was really very diverse stuff—modern, traditional and everything in between. But to me, it all had the feel of being very tailored and crafted.”

Built to replace an existing residence that did not take advantage of its sloping waterside site, the home that the couple envisioned would evoke an old-world elegance reminiscent of the Italian countryside yet benefit from the thoughtful inclusion of modern elements. Such a proposition made Hossner’s firm the logical choice. “We have a body of work that blends classic feeling with modern and even industrial components,” he says. “It’s living in both worlds: traditional and modern.” 

The overall design of the house follows an H-like plan with the living/dining room positioned in the center so it overlooks the water on one side and opens onto a courtyard on the other. Natural light pours into the space thanks to the floor- to-ceiling aluminum-clad windows, while exposed steel beams bracket the area, giving it a modern edge. With deep niches on either side, the fireplace wall stops just short of the wood-clad ceiling to create a loft-like feel. In addition to the wood’s warm, rough-hewn aura, the generous archway leading to the kitchen brings a villa vibe to the abode. 

Weaving two sets of stylistic impulses presented both aesthetic and practical challenges, such as the exterior staircase overlooking the water. “I had an impulse for the stair to cut through the house and lead to the waterside as a major compositional aspect in the house,” Hossner says. “The wife was interested in an old-world winding stair, which led to our subtly sculpted design.” Says builder Andrew Constan, “Tim included a mostly hidden steel bar within the custom walnut handrail”—a challenging detail to execute. The structure takes guests to the lower-level garden. 

As Staton reviewed the wife’s pins, she noted that the homeowner often gravitated toward airy homes in Europe featuring a light palette, and layers of antiques and natural materials such as sisals and linens. “It was actually as much about texture as color,” she says. Drawing from the inspirational pins, Staton kept the color scheme to mostly cream tones with the occasional black, gray and metallic hue. An exception is the couple’s artwork, composed of pieces Staton describes as vibrant and bold. The textural elements include Irish linen for the draperies, sofa pillows made from old Turkish rugs and from linen remnants discovered at an antiques store. Instead of a polyurethane finish on the walnut plank flooring, the design team went with an oiled finish for a more old-world look. 

“The house has a duality of traditional and modern elements, so we wanted the same energy in the furnishings,” says Staton. “It was a big priority for the clients that we not get too modern and that the house stay warm with feminine touches.” In answer, she opted for sleek leather sofas in the living area—a stylish yet practical choice in a home that is often filled with grandchildren—and flanked the seating duo with an antique Chinese bench that has been transformed into a coffee table. The dining area boasts similar juxtapositions such as a refectory table surrounded by blond-wood chairs that have the feel of Danish midcentury modern pieces. “It gives the room a sense of rusticity and luxury,” the designer says. 

Light fixtures, too, bridge the gap between traditional and modern. In fact, they complete one of Staton’s favorite spaces in the house: the powder room. There, contemporary teardrop-shaped pendant lights flank a small 100-year-old Turkish sink, outfitted with a patinated faucet and steel legs, designed by the architect. “It became an art form and a great example of an old-world piece that gives a richness of depth we cannot recreate with new man-made items,” says Staton. “It was a perfect alchemy, just the right push and pull of modern and traditional to make them all sing happily together.” 

Alexandra Drosu