My Houzz: A Sanctuary With Bohemian Flair in the Pacific Northwest
See how a retail display artist and a Pilates instructor personalize their midcentury rambler
Ellie Arciaga Lillstrom
January 4, 2016
Houzz Contributor. Photographer and stylist based in Seattle, WA.
Laura Burkhart and Jake Michael let their bohemian sensibilities take the lead when it comes to furnishing their midcentury rambler. They’ve added touches inspired by the American Southwest and its peaceful desert setting and also carved out space for their creative work: an art studio for Burkhart, who travels the country to build storefronts and floor sets as a display artist for Free People, and an exercise and office space for Michael, owner of Paper Crane Pilates.
They also love that the home is located in the Lake Forest Park suburb north of Seattle. One big draw of the neighborhood is their neighbors, who happen to be Burkhart’s parents. “We love what we call ‘The Family Compound’ and the community feel that we’ve created here,” she says. “Though living next door to their parents may not be everyone’s cup of tea, we share a fence and added a gate between the backyards so we’re able to let our two dogs run back and forth to play. Our Rhodesian ridgeback has never been happier.”
They also love that the home is located in the Lake Forest Park suburb north of Seattle. One big draw of the neighborhood is their neighbors, who happen to be Burkhart’s parents. “We love what we call ‘The Family Compound’ and the community feel that we’ve created here,” she says. “Though living next door to their parents may not be everyone’s cup of tea, we share a fence and added a gate between the backyards so we’re able to let our two dogs run back and forth to play. Our Rhodesian ridgeback has never been happier.”
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Laura Burkhart, Jake Michael and their Rhodesian ridgeback, Phinney
Location: Lake Forest Park, Washington
Size: 1,200 square feet (111 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Year built: 1962
One trademark of the decorating style of Laura Burkhart and Jake Michael is an earthy mix of natural textures, seen here in a nook of their living room, where a soft sheepskin complements an Eames leather lounge chair topped with a woven kilim pillow.
“Before moving in, we ripped up the old carpets to find weathered hardwood floors that were the perfect base for our beloved rugs,” Burkhart says. The couple also added a few layered cowhide rugs to give more texture and depth to the room.
Who lives here: Laura Burkhart, Jake Michael and their Rhodesian ridgeback, Phinney
Location: Lake Forest Park, Washington
Size: 1,200 square feet (111 square meters); three bedrooms, two bathrooms
Year built: 1962
One trademark of the decorating style of Laura Burkhart and Jake Michael is an earthy mix of natural textures, seen here in a nook of their living room, where a soft sheepskin complements an Eames leather lounge chair topped with a woven kilim pillow.
“Before moving in, we ripped up the old carpets to find weathered hardwood floors that were the perfect base for our beloved rugs,” Burkhart says. The couple also added a few layered cowhide rugs to give more texture and depth to the room.
The couple’s decorating style also reflects their life together. Mementos from their travels and from projects they’ve dreamed up together are seen in vignettes throughout the home. One such display in the living room includes some of their favorite photo booth strips under the coffee table’s glass top. The tabletop also holds other pieces that reflect their style. “I have a strong affection towards antlers, crystals and the color turquoise,” Burkhart says, “so they can be found accenting each space in the home in some way.”
Houseplants are likewise found throughout the house, such as this money tree that greets guests in the living room entry.
The dining room-kitchen area is one of the couple’s favorite spots. They especially enjoy the large sliding glass door that lets in lots of natural light and opens up the space to the deck and backyard. “We love the way these two spaces become one on summer days,” Burkhart says.
A recently finished DIY project is Phinney’s custom-made, personalized dog bed, which shares some of the details and textures found elsewhere in the home.
The couple brought only their favorite pieces from their last home when they moved in, trying to simplify their possessions to create a stripped-down feel in the new space. Still, they were able to maintain the aesthetic they’ve grown to love over the years. “Much of what we own has been found at local thrift stores,” Burkhart says. “We love mixing vintage pieces with modern, industrial touches and rich global textiles.”
The skull in the dining area is a souvenir Burkhart found on her last trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. “We are Northwest through and through, but we love adding touches of all the other places that have influenced and continue to inspire us,” she says.
The skull in the dining area is a souvenir Burkhart found on her last trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. “We are Northwest through and through, but we love adding touches of all the other places that have influenced and continue to inspire us,” she says.
Burkhart and Michael put their DIY skills to good use when designing and making this open corner shelving. “We’ve tried to carefully pair form with function,” Burkhart says, “building and installing small things here and there that make sense for our daily needs as well as showing our style.”
The master bedroom is furnished with an eye toward crisp and restful simplicity. It showcases a couple of the improvements the couple have made to the home. “We painted all of the walls and ceilings bright white to give us a clean slate and a blank canvas and replaced all the light fixtures with our own,” Burkhart says.
A stately bird of paradise plant adds a dose of green next to the bed.
Other DIY touches are evident in nearly every corner of the home. “We used copper tubing and steel pipe to create our own hooks, shelving, lighting elements and details throughout,” Burkhart says.
“The entry wall sort of sums up our life visually,” she adds, “with photo strips from the past 10 years, snaps of our wedding day, a Moroccan textile from one of my favorite Free People displays and a pair of antlers and a dream catcher found on our travels to Jackson Hole.”
“The entry wall sort of sums up our life visually,” she adds, “with photo strips from the past 10 years, snaps of our wedding day, a Moroccan textile from one of my favorite Free People displays and a pair of antlers and a dream catcher found on our travels to Jackson Hole.”
Burkhart’s background in store displays shines in her own DIY wardrobe and jewelry setup.
Though they’ve made a number of changes already, the couple haven’t completed all the projects they have in mind. “The house is small and in need of several updates, since it was last done in the ’70s,” Burkhart says. “But we’ve been making it our own little by little and adding our touches where we can.” One of their most notable additions is the antler light fixture above the stove area in the kitchen.
The couple’s affinity for natural tones is seen in and on the kitchen’s open shelving.
This small geometric shelf in the kitchen is another DIY project.
Burkhart uses her creative home workspace as a painting studio, and it’s where she often works on projects for her job as a display artist for the retail chain Free People.
During the mild Pacific Northwest summers, the couple often entertain in their backyard and outdoor dining area. They installed the fire pit area themselves, and it gets plenty of use in the warmer months. They’ve made it a tradition to toast marshmallows for s’mores and stargaze late into the night.
To ensure maximum play space for their beloved pup, Phinney, the couple added a gate between their yard and Burkhart’s parents’ yard so he can enjoy running free with their dog.
The couple also built a small container garden that they enjoy tending in the spring and summer.
The couple also built a small container garden that they enjoy tending in the spring and summer.
The couple in their favorite spot, the kitchen-dining area. “There is a laundry list of updates we would love to take on in the future to make this our dream house,” Burkhart says, “but in the meantime, we’ve made it a cozy and comfy home for our little family, and a place we both love coming back to at the end of each day.”
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My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
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See more photos of this home
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style:
Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
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ohhhhhhh! this house is a dream! love everything
@freedo23 - the big plant in the dining room is a Dracaena marginata, (aka dragon tree.) It's a well-grown one, obviously been with these people a long time, so it doesn't look much like the same kind of plant you're going to see in a plant store. There's a smaller plant there too, but I can't see it clearly enough to tell what it is.
WOW!!This house like you think something might happen, the kitchen and the garden are magnificent and beauty design.