DeForest Architects: John DeForest, Melissa Nordquist, Geoff Briggs
Client & creative direction: Mattie Iverson
Interior Design: NB Design Group
Structural: Swenson Say Fagét
Contractor: Lockhart Suver

Location: Seattle, Washington
Approx. 7,150 square feet
5BR, 5.5BA
Photography: Haris Kenjar

Trained as an artist, the owner of this Tudor Revival home had a vision of creating a place for her family to experience and create art, to both appreciate and reinterpret history. The proportions, woodwork, and stained glass in this turn-of-the-century house turned out to be the perfect canvas for her inspiration. Moving up through the floors, a modern interpretation of traditional details and intricate carvings gradually gives way to a minimalist attic perch with a view of Elliott Bay.

An almost-invisible glass-and-steel entry is the only addition to the house. Its lightness is a clear contrast to the weighty brick exterior, marking it as modern while respecting the existing traditional forms.

Hidden behind what seems to be a closet door is a plywood staircase leading to the attic, where Scandinavian-inspired plywood cladding highlights the complex roofline and creates a quiet sky-lit perch with a bird’s-eye view. A curved translucent wall creates playful alcoves around the periphery.

The final product is a bright and unexpected home that is grounded, but not bound by its history, and intended to delight and adapt to the lifestyle of this young family.