Kent Scandinavian
Wooded estate on acreage gets a new lease on life with a Scandinavian makeover
Location Lake Meridian, Kent, WA
Size 3,11o s.f. main house, 505 s.f. cottage
Year built 1966, remodeled 2024
This split-level home, being remodeled for the first time, was prepared for listing as a luxury rental with an emphasis on functional living. The property is surrounded by a variety of mature trees that bloom at different times of the year, creating constant visual interest across the yard throughout the seasons.
A Scandinavian design approach was chosen for its clean, minimal aesthetic, while still feeling warm and luxurious, and for its ability to adapt easily to the personal styles of future tenants. This design language also allows for excellent light penetration and reflection, resulting in bright, naturally lit interiors. Light blonde wood was used extensively throughout the home, including flooring, cabinetry, vanities, and staircase railings.
In the kitchen, handcrafted Zellige tiles were selected for the full-wall backsplash to introduce a natural material that balances the clean, modern lines of the cabinetry with organic texture and variation. Upper cabinets were intentionally omitted, as storage was already sufficient and the open design helps maintain an airy, spacious feel.
A full-wall wallpaper featuring a mountain range at sunrise was installed in the living room. This element brings color and playfulness into the main living space, with hues that tie seamlessly into the accent colors used in the bedrooms.
Despite the generous size of the home, it originally lacked a primary suite. We addressed this by converting a sun-filled rear lounge into a primary bedroom with an attached, luxurious bathroom.
To support the home’s total of seven bedrooms, a total of four full bathrooms and one powder room were completed. In each of the bathrooms (except the primary), the same floor tile was used but laid in three different patterns and with two different colors. This approach allows the bathrooms to feel fresh and modern while remaining cohesive with each other.
One challenge of the split-level design (popular in the Seattle area during the 1960s and 1970s), is the main entry which opens directly into the middle of the staircase! To improve the experience of entering the house, we rebuilt the staircase to have rounded corners on all handrail surfaces, making it feel more welcoming and comfortable to move through.
On the exterior, different siding materials were used to visually define the three levels of the main house, as well as the separate cottage.
Since the cottage was built at a later time than the main house, a board-and-batten siding design was chosen to give it a more modern identity, while maintaining cohesion through a shared paint color.
