Kitchen Design
New Soaring Ceiling Steals the Show in a Seattle Great Room
An architect opens up an attic to create a grand kitchen and dining space with a mix of modern and classic details
Opening up the former attic allowed the architect to create a great room with a 17-foot ceiling at its highest point. In order to structurally support the new ceiling, a series of metal collar ties run across the ceiling, and a dark stained wood truss provides a dramatic focal point in the center of the room where the wall once separated the dining room from the kitchen.
The homeowners love the new open space and the ability to keep tabs on their young son as he does homework or plays games at the dining table while they cook in the kitchen. New oak flooring covered in a warm chocolate stain runs throughout the great room.
The homeowners love the new open space and the ability to keep tabs on their young son as he does homework or plays games at the dining table while they cook in the kitchen. New oak flooring covered in a warm chocolate stain runs throughout the great room.
The kitchen island, some of the cabinets and the walls in the dining area are covered in a custom paint from Benjamin Moore. The dark teal color was selected to create contrast against the room’s crisp white elements, such as the ceiling, lower cabinets and quartz countertops.
What’s the Difference Between Quartzite and Quartz Countertops?
What’s the Difference Between Quartzite and Quartz Countertops?
The homeowners turned to the backsplash on the range wall to add pattern to the great room. They found a graphic cement tile that goes perfectly with the room’s color palette. The range hood is integrated into an architectural bump-out that runs up to the ceiling. The bump-out is covered in white porcelain tile.
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More on Houzz
Design Recipe: How to Get a Modern Farmhouse-Style Kitchen
Kitchen Trend: These Jewel-Toned Cabinets Really Shine
Find a pro for your home project
Shop for cement tile
Great Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple with a young son
Location: Seward Park neighborhood of Seattle
Size: About 450 square feet (42 square meters)
Architect: Jeffrey Pelletier of Board & Vellum
The former kitchen and dining room in this 1940s brick Colonial home in Seattle were separated by a wall and had low ceilings, making the rooms feel somewhat cramped and dark. The homeowners brought in architect Jeffrey Pelletier to take down the wall and make an open great room. However, as Pelletier dug deeper into the project, he discovered an unfinished attic above the two rooms that became the key to creating a grand space with a soaring ceiling featuring an exposed wood truss, metal collar ties and crisp white boards.
Pelletier kept many of the original dining room features, incorporating them into the new look with fresh paint and hardware. “Working with existing details is so much more interesting than just ripping everything out for something new,” the architect says. The original built-in cabinet and bench along the window wall got a fresh coat of white paint and new black hardware to match the newly constructed built-in next to the original fireplace. The furniture is also a mix of old and new: The antique dining table is paired with six new modern white chairs.
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