Posted: April 2009

  
Situation

In the early 1900’s, early Tudor revival style houses began appearing in Seattle neighborhoods. The smaller middle class versions were usually brick and one and a half story and identified by a steeply pitched front gable. These smaller Tudor homes populate neighborhoods such as Ballard and Maple Leaf.  In 2009, the gingerbread home charm and old world details and characteristics remain attractive and appealing.  However, what’s doesn’t fit with today’s lifestyle is the often awkward 2nd floor space due to the steeply pitched roof.

A young couple in their late 20’s living in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of Seattle faced just that. They loved the open space of their first floor complete with a dream kitchen remodel.  However, the home’s second floor consisted of 3 extremely awkward spaced rooms and a bathroom. They avoided spending time upstairs because of the oppressive, cramped space.

Enter Alicia Silva of Synergy Design Studio. The couple hired Alicia to make their 2nd floor more livable. The goal was to transform the second floor into usable space that they can grow their family in. With their lifestyle as inspiration, Alicia’s guiding principal was to incorporate nature and environmentally friendly products.

Green Sanctuary

The remodel involved designing a new bathroom and combining two of the three rooms to create a master bedroom.

The concept for the bathroom was a waterfall. Alicia introduced three key elements to create a minimalistic and serene bath. The first was raising the ceiling 3 feet and installing skylights. The impact was immediate.  The footprint of the small bathroom increased through height.  Specifically, the shower gain 1.5ft. The skylights brought in natural light and again making the room appear bigger. The second was installing an acrylic resin wall separating the shower and the tub. With the reflection of light, it resembled a waterfall.  The third and final element was a pebble rug installed as the floor of the shower. Sacred symbols inspired the pattern of the pebble rug.

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