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Houzz Tour: Renovation Is a Man’s Love Letter to His Late Wife
An architect helps a homeowner fulfill the dreams he and his wife shared for their lakefront Washington home
The renovation of this lakefront house in Kirkland, Washington, was a love letter from the homeowner to his late wife. “Before she passed away, she had undergone a long illness, and one of the ways they got through that time was by talking about all the things they’d do to their house,” architect John DeForest says. “They spent lots of time dreaming about it and envisioning it.” After the homeowner lost his wife, he worked through his grief by fulfilling their mutual dream. “Bringing the vision they had shared to life was a tribute from him to her,” DeForest says.
“I was unsure of taking on this project because it was such a funky house,” he says. “But from the moment he opened the door to greet me with a big smile on his face, I found that he was a wonderful guy — a very thoughtful, creative and appreciative person.”
“I was unsure of taking on this project because it was such a funky house,” he says. “But from the moment he opened the door to greet me with a big smile on his face, I found that he was a wonderful guy — a very thoughtful, creative and appreciative person.”
This is the view upon entering the house. The ceiling soars, and there’s a direct view out to the lake. DeForest opened up the lake view by installing a wall of large sliding doors along the back of the house. Almost all the windows and doors are new. The floors are too — they’re light whitewashed oak.
“The house had a beautiful spirit to it,” DeForest says. The homeowner “is an inventor and a tinkerer, and he and his late wife had a strong vision for it. We both approached the project by asking how we could build on it, burnish it and bring out the best in it. The house was like an old friend, and it was an interesting and fun challenge.”
Browse flooring in the Houzz Shop
“The house had a beautiful spirit to it,” DeForest says. The homeowner “is an inventor and a tinkerer, and he and his late wife had a strong vision for it. We both approached the project by asking how we could build on it, burnish it and bring out the best in it. The house was like an old friend, and it was an interesting and fun challenge.”
Browse flooring in the Houzz Shop
Before: The 1980s fern bar vibe DeForest mentioned included rounded oak details, seen here on the railings. The stairs had a heavy feel, and the solid door blocked light from coming into the entry.
After: DeForest created a light-filled and open entry. He eliminated the distracting and heavy details and installed a lighter staircase made of steel with spalted maple treads. “The maple has a beautiful pattern to it,” he says of the spalted wood, whose coloration is created by fungi. He used these materials on all the stairs in the house.
The kitchen is on the right. The catwalk off the top of the stairs leads to the primary suite, which is a lofted space above the kitchen. “It’s kind of like a crow’s nest,” DeForest says.
The kitchen is on the right. The catwalk off the top of the stairs leads to the primary suite, which is a lofted space above the kitchen. “It’s kind of like a crow’s nest,” DeForest says.
The homeowner loves photography and music. He is a serious amateur photographer and also collects photos he’s drawn to. “His collection is not about having some fancy art collection. It feels very personal and meaningful,” DeForest says.
The home’s original finishes included oak and soft, curved edges. DeForest cleaned up a lot of the surfaces using white drywall with minimalist detailing. This allowed the house to serve as a proper gallery for the photo collection.
In addition to displaying the photographs in an artful way, lighting them properly was important. The architect enlisted lighting designer Brian Hood. All the lights seen on the ceiling are new. Thoughtfully placed black track lights lend consistency to the design and highlight the art.
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The home’s original finishes included oak and soft, curved edges. DeForest cleaned up a lot of the surfaces using white drywall with minimalist detailing. This allowed the house to serve as a proper gallery for the photo collection.
In addition to displaying the photographs in an artful way, lighting them properly was important. The architect enlisted lighting designer Brian Hood. All the lights seen on the ceiling are new. Thoughtfully placed black track lights lend consistency to the design and highlight the art.
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Before: These were the stairs that led down to the lounge, seen from the side in the previous photo. The wood walls on the left were part of a small, awkward and cave-like loft that compressed the space. “The loft was only 4 feet deep and wasn’t useful,” DeForest says.
After: Eliminating the loft opened up the space and allowed DeForest to widen the staircase. Removing the loft required adding some new structural elements, including the black steel pole next to the stairs.
This photo helps us understand the floor plan. More stairs off the right side of the photo lead down to studio spaces. The primary bedroom is above the kitchen, beneath the spot where the ceiling beams meet.
The photo also shows what DeForest refers to as “telephone poles.” They are 18-inch rough logs. “We stained them charcoal gray. This lets them contrast with the white walls in a way that looks intentional,” he says.
This photo helps us understand the floor plan. More stairs off the right side of the photo lead down to studio spaces. The primary bedroom is above the kitchen, beneath the spot where the ceiling beams meet.
The photo also shows what DeForest refers to as “telephone poles.” They are 18-inch rough logs. “We stained them charcoal gray. This lets them contrast with the white walls in a way that looks intentional,” he says.
Before: Clearly, this was the most “1980s fern bar” area of the house. The loft can be seen above the bar. Another issue was that the wood on some of the walls wasn’t showcasing the photo collection in the best way.
After: DeForest removed the bar, the large mirror, the loft and the wood on the walls. He and the homeowner designated this area for photography and music. Black-and-white photos hang off a rail installed beneath the transom window. An Eames lounge chair looks out to the lake. The large items that look kind of like robots are giant speakers.
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Before: The kitchen was closed off from the other rooms and the lake views. “It was dark — it kind of felt like it was an engine room in the back of the boat,” DeForest says.
After: This photo is flipped 180 degrees from the previous photo. On the left side, the architect opened the kitchen up to the living room and the view out to the lake. The couple “had wanted the kitchen to be a social place. We put in a huge island with a working end and an eat-in end,” he says. “Another separate dining space in the house is smaller and more personal, while lots of family and friends can walk into the kitchen and hang out together.”
The galley countertops are Caesarstone and the island countertop is basalt.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
The galley countertops are Caesarstone and the island countertop is basalt.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
Here’s the primary bedroom loft over the kitchen. “In the primary bedroom loft, we pared back the palette even further for an almost zen-like experience under the peak of the roof,” DeForest says. “He tells me he loves the simplicity of it.”
Before: The primary bathroom was dated.
After: The renovation took the bathroom down to the studs. A large shower stall with a glass enclosure lets in the light, as do skylights. Simple vertical and horizontal lines add a pleasing geometry to the room that suits the style of the home.
This photo was taken from the lake side of the house. The dining area is in the top right corner, with studio space beneath it. The homeowner hung a favorite portrait he took of his wife, seen here at the bottom right corner.
“This was a very moving project for me,” DeForest says. “Being able to work with someone wonderful and being inspired by them to do something meaningful for them is what it’s all about.”
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“This was a very moving project for me,” DeForest says. “Being able to work with someone wonderful and being inspired by them to do something meaningful for them is what it’s all about.”
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Shop for your home
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A widower
Location: Kirkland, Washington
Size: 3,900 square feet (362 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Designers: John DeForest and Meredith Kelly of DeForest Architects (architecture), NB Design Group (interior design)
Contractor: Lockhart Suver
Before DeForest met the homeowner and saw the house in person, photos of the home had given him pause. “It was kind of like a big circus tent and I couldn’t imagine how an architect would have designed it. It seemed like they had thrown up five giant telephone poles and designed the house around them,” he says. “Also, the former homeowner was a pilot who had brought all sorts of architectural salvage back from his travels and installed it all over the house. It had sort of a 1980s fern bar look.”
However, DeForest could see past all the quirky aspects of the house and understood what the couple had envisioned. “It was a beautiful space with a beautiful lakefront setting, but the details were distracting,” he says. “It was important not to blow the renovation up too big.” The project was about carefully removing what didn’t work.
“The house looked unremarkable from the street, but once you entered into a dark and compressed entry, it opened up,” DeForest says. “It was a very surprising house and it seemed like a fun one.”
The architect wanted to bring some of the open spirit of the interiors to the exterior. He replaced a dark porch with a glass-covered steel arbor and a solid entry door with a glass one. Glass continues up the second story, creating a volume that glows like a lantern at night.
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