The house is an original 1915 carriage house in the diverse Capitol Hill neighbourhood of Seattle.
‘The client has impeccable taste so we wanted to keep up appearances with the design of this classic home,’ says Heidi. ‘The house had previously undergone some renovation work in the basement to make it more useable. However, the kitchen felt closed off from the rest of the house, and as the owner is an avid cook and entertainer, this became a top priority when planning the design.’
SeeDesign house: Small, elegant home with smart storage, designed by Heidi Caillier
THE PROPERTY
‘We really wanted to respect the heritage of the house,’ says Heidi. ‘It is rather small at 1200 sq ft but it is incredibly charming and still maintains a lot of its original character.’
‘There is a quiet to the house so I knew we wanted to keep the finishes edited and simple. This was the driving design ethos for this particular project.’
KITCHEN
‘Creating a dream kitchen was crucial for the homeowner so we made sure to communicate with her throughout the design process. We figured out how to open up the space without pulling down all the walls. Again, remaining true to the age of the home, we decided to mimic existing archways to create a graceful opening that stops the kitchen from feeling isolated.’
The majority of the detail work was done to match existing features. ‘We added new windows in the kitchen that we had custom made to match the original windows for an authentic aesthetic.’
'Galley kitchens can be difficult to accommodate – you have to add nooks and crannies or they can feel dull and sparse. We created that range nook for that purpose.
I usually opt for open shelves in kitchens but this client has wonderful accessories so we knew it would look beautiful in this space.The finishes have been kept simple. We painted the wood paneling, cabinetry and walls the same colour.’
LIVING ROOM
‘The eye-catching sofa is the perfect piece for the compact living room.’
‘The palette feels natural and organic with some softness brought in with the blush and florals. I wanted the living room to feel to feel like a generous mix of old and new, which is very much the clients aesthetic. All of the pieces were considered very carefully for scale and material.’
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READING ROOM
DINING ROOM
‘The dining room was built to mimic the rest of the home. The curved built-in cabinets and furniture provide storage and surface space for displaying objects and lighting while allowing a graceful path to the bench.’
We looked at many light fixtures for the space until we chanced upon the perfect one which not only feels scale-appropriate but has the right note of elegance for the simplicity of the furnishings.
BATHROOM
'That bathroom layout provided us opportunity to maximise on the details here. We created a bath storage nook in the dead space next to a rather small bathtub, and added a miniature vanity unit.'
‘I adore wood flooring in bathrooms. They are not for every client but this client has grown children and keeps an impeccable home so we were not worried here.’ By using the same colour in this room, it helps space feel larger than it is.
Photography/ Haris Kenjar
Interior design/ Heidi Caillier Design
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