“It’s a ‘Renovation,’ not a ‘Restoration,’” say the new owners, describing the extraordinary undertaking to update Seattle’s once notorious “Pink Palace.” Built in 1910 and updated in 1922 by the noted Seattle architectural firm of Bebb & Gould for Elijah Grammer, a Washington State Senator from 1932-33, the home’s costly 1922 renovation added the stately staircase with bronze balustrade and enclosed the northeast terrace to become the library. The home later swapped entrances from its once laconic orientation turned busy thoroughfare to the former back entrance, which faces a quieter stre ..read more

When Brian and Karen Frank decided to update the roof on their 1957 Lake Oswego home, what should have been a few weeks in temporary housing turned into ten months and a big remodel. “We had lived in the home for 12 years,” said Karen Frank. “It was definitely time to really make it our own forever home.” Brian Frank, a skilled contractor with a thriving commercial business, was doing their renovation himself. However, as the project grew in scope, including a complete kitchen rework and a substantial addition, the couple brought on Charla Ray Interior Design to help them pull it all together ..read more

Blair and Eric Sprunk’s house sits on a prime perch on the South slope of the Queen Anne neighborhood in Seattle. From the back terrace, they can take in many of downtown’s signature sights, from landmarks like the Space Needle and undulating roofline of the Museum of Pop Culture, to ships crisscrossing the Puget Sound and distant mountain peaks. Up close, their home looks almost palatial, thanks to its rich Italian Renaissance Revival detailing, including things like the stylized porch columns topped with Corinthian capitals, bands of egg and dart and dentil molding, and scrolled brackets tuc ..read more

From the moment you set foot in this modern Union Bay home created by architects Stuart Silk and Amanda Cavassa, partners of Silk Cavassa Marchetti Architecture & Interiors, you are struck by the design and engineering feat of its central staircase. “Stunning are the sleek, dramatic dark wood railings and stone steps that rise like a solid ribbon ascending through the floors,” says Silk. What began as something with asymmetrical curves, adds Cavassa, quickly became an engineering challenge. Originally conceived as freestanding, contractor Klaus Toth found a less costly way without diminish ..read more

When it comes to designing a house, constraints help. Whether it’s the budget, dealing with a remodel’s existing conditions, or the building site itself—perhaps flat ground here, or property setbacks there—such parameters become a designer’s guidelines at the start of a project. But for this new build on ten sprawling acres near a national forest in Bend, Oregon, those limits were few and far between. That is, until the architects found one: a “peek-a-boo” view of local mountain, Broken Top. “It was just between some trees, at a particular angle headed west,” says architect John Brockway of Li ..read more

When it came time to design a vacation home in Black Butte Ranch for “the ultimate Pacific Northwest family” who love the outdoors, designers David Horning and Holly Freres sought inspiration further afield than the resort’s immediate Central Oregon setting. “The clients wanted something that felt very Pacific Northwest, but also really resonated with the wonderful times that they’ve had in Montana,” says Horning, design principal at JHL Design. “They wanted a Montana lodge-style home.” As longtime residents of Black Butte Ranch and avid outdoors people—fly-fishing, skiing, and horseback ridin ..read more

A part of Seattle’s history was transformed recently when a young couple who purchased the fictional home of Christian Grey in the novel “50 Shades of Gray” condo approached co-principals James Fung and Whitney Maehara of NB Design Group to create a never-before-seen penthouse design. Pulsing with a bold, dynamic, and vibrant cutting-edge style, it perfectly reflects the lives of these young and fearless world travelers, proof that Fung and Maehara were up to the challenge. As were their oft-chosen contractors Hoxie Huggins Construction owners Rob Hoxie, Chris Huggins, and their nuts-and-bolts ..read more

There was a time when a site like this one would have been called “unbuildable.” Located on the periphery of Forest Park in Portland, the topography slopes steeply down from the main road, ensconced in mature trees. “It’s a challenging lot, but I would say we specialize in challenging lots,” says Daniel Kaven, who alongside brother and fellow architect Trevor William Lewis, runs William / Kaven Architecture in Portland. In 2014, the firm bought nine adjacent lots to develop a collection of custom houses, called the Royal series. The homes were designed to transcend the challenging terrain to m ..read more

After earning an Art History degree from University of Oregon, and years spent working in a San Francisco art gallery, Linda Falvey returned home to Portland a single woman passionate about transforming a 1961 hillside home in need of work, into a Midcentury gem. A friend recommended Erik Ostmo of Ostmo Construction, who, in turn, suggested Arlene Lord of Lord Interior Design with whom he had often collaborated, to undertake the project. Ostmo and Lord quickly made Falvey an integral part of the team given her art historian background and gravitation toward design. Lord recalls entering the ho ..read more

Wendy Ross and Tomas Gilbert knew they wanted a home in West Seattle, but five years ago, the housing market made it difficult for them to find the perfect move-in fit. “We kept getting outbid by cash offers,” said Ross. “So, our realtor recommended we take a different approach.” Ross and Gilbert were brought to to a charming historic Tudor with one major problem – a nearly unusable kitchen. “It was a depressing, dark little place,” said Ross. “There was no dishwasher, a cramped breakfast nook that wasn’t usable, and barely more than one person could fit in at a time.” Remnants of a previous r ..read more