A 1958 Midcentury trendy house will get serene replace in woods of Washington

Ueda Design Studio has fantastically restored this midcentury trendy house for a household of 4 within the peaceable Wedgewood neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The Alden Mason Home, crafted for the famend Seattle artist Alden Mason in 1958 by architect Charles A. Marsh Jr. and builder Tom Paulsen, stands as a real Northwest mid-century trendy retreat, nestled within the woods like a treehouse.

Quietly positioned subsequent to a delicate creek within the woods close to Lake Washington, it’s nearly surreal that this oasis is inside the metropolis limits of Seattle. A direct reflection of the artist’s profound admiration for nature, the home is embraced by the serene ambiance of its environment. Inside, one is welcomed by the interaction of sunshine filtering by bushes, the soothing melody of creek water, the mild rustle of leaves within the breeze, and the dance of sunshine and shadow by skylights all through the day.

Proceed beneath to learn the venture narrative supplied by Naho Ueda, the proprietor and principal architect of Ueda Design Studio.

DESIGN DETAILS: ARCHITECT / INTERIOR DESIGNER Ueda Design Studio BUILDER Mercer Builders KITCHEN CABINETRY House Principle DINING TABLE Chadhaus WALL SCULPTURE Alden Mason PAINTINGS (in front room): Simeon Nikolov; Artwork print (purple, @ stairwell): Robert Rauschenberg; Portray (in eating space): Do Ho Suh

Acquired by the present proprietor after Alden Mason’s passing in 2013, the couple immediately fell in love with this Mid-Century masterpiece. But, like many houses of its period, it confronted challenges—chilly winters and a compact kitchen and loos. The home was desperately in want of a contemporary contact to fulfill the wants of at the moment’s household.

As architects, our ordinary pleasure lies in creating one thing totally new or reworking outdated buildings into modern houses. Nevertheless, this venture was a departure from the norm. The house’s distinctive magnificence deserved to be effectively preserved. The homeowners needed to take care of its unique character, main us to method the venture much like a historic restoration. We honored and celebrated the home’s essence, listening to its historical past and envisioning its future wants.

HOUSE TRANSFORMATION

An enthralling pathway alongside the creek results in the home, serving as an ideal transition from the skin world to the heat of house. Upon opening the doorway door, the eye-catching open-tread stairs lengthen a welcoming gesture. The unique lobby lacked storage, a problem for this household of 4. To handle this, we seamlessly built-in shoe cupboards and a coat closet into the unique partitions. Utilizing supplies much like the unique, we ensured the brand new additions complemented fairly than overwhelmed the unique design.

Adjoining to the doorway lobby, an workplace on the west aspect and a music room on the east aspect now occupy areas as soon as devoted to the artist’s portray studios. Whereas the artwork kind has developed, these rooms stay artistic studios—a up to date nod to the artist’s legacy. In the course of the elimination of laminate flooring in these studios, the invention of paint stains on the concrete ground allowed us to attach with the home’s historical past, envisioning Alden Mason immersed in his creative endeavors—a reflective second.

Ascending the stairway takes us to the principle stage, the place a skylight above gives ample pure gentle. The presence of a wall sculpture by Alden Mason is a right away and creative greeting. By the home windows, a view of plentiful bushes and the mild sound of water kind a fascinating backdrop for this stunning artwork piece.

The lounge takes middle stage, harmonizing a detailed reference to the outside, the presence of the artist’s sculpture, a metal fire, and trendy furnishings into a stupendous and timeless house.

COMFORT

Making certain the consolation of this 65-year-old Mid-Century home has been our paramount goal all through this venture. Working inside the given funds, our main focus was on enhancing heat throughout winter. We launched hydraulic radiant ground heating on the principle stage and put in wall radiant heaters on the decrease stage. The addition of those new radiant heating, HRV (Warmth Restoration Air flow), and roof insulation, has considerably improved the home’s thermal efficiency. Now, it stays comfortably heat throughout winter months.

ARCHITECTURAL APPRECIATION

As architects, we take pleasure in being part of the crew entrusted with reworking this stunning and traditionally important residence initially constructed for our beloved artist. The synergy among the many proprietor, builder, and architect was evident all through the venture—all of us shared a deep love and respect for the home.

Above: The sink is from Stone Forest, whereas the tap is from Hansgrohe. The ground tile is from Daltile.

Our admiration extends to homes that age gracefully. Some houses retain their magnificence through the years, whereas others turn into much more enchanting, gaining depth in house, richness in supplies, and the distinctive aromas of wooden. The interaction of sunshine and shadow additional enhances their attract. We firmly consider that this home is a kind of timeless gems that solely develop extra fascinating with the passage of time.

Above: Within the bathe, the showerhead was sourced from Hansgrohe.

All three loos acquired considerate updates. The first tub noticed growth, with a brand new bathe positioned beneath the present skylight, as soon as reserved for a main closet. Darkish tiles had been chosen for a serene and dramatic ambiance, complemented by the glow of brushed bronze bathe fixtures and taps. The addition of a darkish wooden display screen wall enhances the sense of privateness on this intimate house. New cupboards have been added all through the home, respecting the unique character for each fashion and selection of supplies.

What We Love: This midcentury trendy house’s distinctive magnificence was thoughtfully preserved. The architects did a wonderful job of sustaining this Washington house’s unique character, and the studio handled the entire venture nearly like a historic restoration. They actually leaned into the house’s clear, easy vibe and gave it a contemporary replace with out dropping what made it particular.

Inform Us: What particulars on this midcentury house renovation attraction most to you? Tell us within the Feedback beneath!

Observe: Try a few different unimaginable house excursions that we now have showcased right here on One Kindesign within the state of Washington: This Queen Anne fashion house in Seattle will get essentially the most dreamy makeover and Earlier than & After: 1958 midcentury house in Seattle will get a stunning replace.

The kitchen underwent an entire transformation, aiming for timelessness, magnificence, and performance. Conscious of the varied wooden species already current all through the home, we opted for a mix of walnut and white laminate for the brand new cupboard.

This alternative seamlessly connects the kitchen to the remainder of the home whereas sustaining a vivid and chic ambiance. A brand new skylight over the kitchen contributes to this ambiance, and a tube-type kitchen exhaust hood cleverly connects the kitchen and the fireside within the residing house.

PHOTOGRAPHER Kevin Scott

One Kindesign has acquired this venture from our submissions web page. When you’ve got a venture you want to submit, please go to our submit your work web page for consideration!