Manifesting your dream home may take the work of a team. Owners of an 11,000 square-foot house wanted to transform an unremarkable, though remarkably large, building into a relaxing, functional home. Roussa Cassel, a principal of Artisans Group Architecture + Planning, handled the structural elements of wall moving, elevator installing, permitting and related issues. Sparrow Design worked with the owners over a period of three years to achieve the goals both inside and outside. “It was fun to catch the whole vision,” says Cassel.
People are looking for new solutions to housing. Remote work requires a home office. Extended family members may want to live together. Single people may share with one or more people to be able to afford a private home. Elders may require proximity to the rest of the family. This lodge-like home was an opportunity for one group of people to design individual and communal spaces in creative ways. They set to work to re-do the property from top to bottom.
The home now consists of four suites, which added bathrooms and a spa with a stone soaking tub. Family and friends have fun in the game room, enjoy snacks in the ice cream parlor or quietly read in the library. The commercial, chef-inspired kitchen is a shared space. An elevator and dumb waiter were installed. The back deck became a spectacular usable space with a full kitchen, and the deck floor was level with the house floor for easy access. These elements were done with aging-in-place in mind. A chiropractic studio with public entrance was configured on the front side of the house. The team worked to harmonize varying tastes to form a cohesive living environment.
Sparrow Design planned for layered window treatments, custom rugs, appropriate lighting and new furniture. Art was commissioned to emphasize the glorious Pacific Northwest. Landscape designers crafted and installed alpine-inspired environments.
Most importantly, the team worked with the owners to understand their hopes and ideas in order to tailor every detail. “The transformation is really astounding,” says Cassel. Trust your imagination to skilled professionals at Artisans Group Architecture + Planning and Sparrow Design Company.
Design: Artisans Group Architecture + Planning & Sparrow Design
Photography: Kara Mercer
BY MARY ELLEN PSALTIS