Originally published Saturday, December 10, 2011 at 7:03 PM
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Amy Baker designs Seattle condo of calm
The First Hill condo is the homeowner's respite from a very busy lifestyle. Her one-bedroom place is her home away from hotel.
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BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
"She had the tuxedo chairs; she had the coffee table and the side table and the art," says interior designer Amy Baker says. "We reupholstered the chairs in way that would unify the design. And a larger-scale pattern, oftentimes, is more modern looking." The mirror, by Allison & Ross Fine Art Services, replaces a 1980s mirrored wall. "The wall was dated, but it brought light and reflectivity. So this wall has everything the old wall had; sparkle and view."
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Baker designed the rift-cut, white-oak, dark-stained screen to stop the eye from peering into the bedroom from the entrance hall, but it does not block the view or light. "We put the bed on the opposite wall and then created something beautiful to give a sense of definition to the bedroom zone and the dressing zone," Baker says.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
The condo is all about clean lines and cool tones, easily seen here at the kitchen bar. "This used to be a closed-in galley kitchen," Baker says. "We opened it up so you got the relationship to view and to guests and to bring in natural light. We brought in off-white and gray to bring warmth into a home for somebody who's a minimalist. "
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
"My granddaughter walked in here and said, 'You're neat and tidy,' " Sandy laughs. The kitchen features Caesarstone counters. "It was a way to use an environmentally conscious material, and a material with durability above and beyond a natural stone," Baker says. The project was carried from vision to precision by contractor Krekow Jennings.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Because she travels for work weekdays, Sandy's home feels like, well, a home away from hotel. "This is the place people want to be because it's in that big bay window," Baker says of this spot in the living room.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
"I always wanted a yellow couch," Sandy says of the sofa in the media room/office. But this one is just the tiniest hint of yellow, cheerful enough to please the client, subtle enough to satisfy her interior designer. The built-ins are stained oak and warm this personal space.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
"The bedroom is Cloud White (Benjamin Moore), the casework is dark," Baker says. "You have the white environment with the charcoal-gray stone and the dark cabinetry. And then it flips when you walk into where the bath and shower are. It's a positive-negative trick with the color scheme." The counter is Graphite limestone. The tub surround is Carrara marble.
Condo is a winner
The First Hill condo project was awarded an honorable mention in the Design IN Home category of the International Interior Design Association's Northern Pacific Chapter INawards11.Design partners are Amy Baker and Daniel Skaggs; general contractor, Krekow Jennings with project manager Steve Hobbs; electrician, North Star Electric; flooring, Greater Seattle Floors; stone slab, New Elegance; stone tile, Mark Patterson of Rubble; casegoods, Interior Environments; appliances, Albert Lee Appliances; plumbing fixtures, Seattle Interiors; painting, Noah Chase.
To see Baker's work go to amybakerdesign.com.
SANDY IS ALL smiles when she opens the door.
No wonder.
Behind her is what she calls her little oasis from the world, packaged in soft shades of calm in a tidy First Hill condo high over Seattle.
"This is my respite, where I create calm in a very busy lifestyle," says Sandy, a consultant who travels from Monday to Thursday. "When I'm here it's about the weekend mentality." That makes this, her 1,450-square-foot home with one bedroom and den, her home away from hotel.
"I live very cleanly and very simply because I grew up with a hoarder," she says with a sigh. "I couldn't stand any clutter, so I like this." You don't have to search to know what she's talking about. Her home is spotless and precise. (Dust-bunny hunting is always in season.) Yet it is also elegant and feminine.
"Didn't she pick a beautiful color in here?" Sandy says. She refers both to her interior designer, Amy Baker, and to the charcoal walls of the open living/dining room. Tucked to the side is the newly opened kitchen, dressed in a more serious shade of the same.
Sandy lived here 15 years before this. Wraparound views of both lakes, Sound, city. She did a little remodeling "to get rid of some of the gold," but was too busy for more. Then she decided to retire and give her home a thorough going-over.
Except, "I flunked retirement," she laughs. "I went back."
The remodel, however, went forward.
Sandy and Baker touched every room, crafted by contractor Krekow Jennings. To keep lines clean and free-standing furniture to a minimum, Baker outfitted the condo with built-ins. Along the entrance hall: for coats, a washer and dryer, glassware and dishes. In the bedroom, for clothes. In the kitchen: for the coffee maker, other appliances. In the back hall: a wine closet. In the den: for books, DVDs, office supplies.
Sandy is quick to point out all the design elements that make up this high-style island of calm:
• The large mirror that doubles views inside and out: "I call it my Versailles mirror. What was there was an outdated wall of mirrors."
• The rift-cut-white-oak-dark-stained screen at the entrance to her bedroom: "I asked Amy, 'What can you do so you don't think bedroom when you walk in the door?' And Amy designed the screen."
• A shower where there had been none: "I'm so excited to have my shower. And the old tub, it had gold and foofies on it."
• The new kitchen: "I always thought, I'm too much of a neat freak to ever want an open kitchen. But Amy knows me, and she designed the counter so you can't see in there. For the first time, I'm dining with my guests."
In the bedroom, Baker also flipped the bed, which was not taking advantage of Seattle University views, and created a spa-worthy bathroom in Carrara marble and charcoal-gray limestone with white veining.
Sandy's one guilty pleasure bubbles cheerfully away in the living room, embedded into the wall and visible from the front door. A fountain by Tom Torrens.
"This was my gift to myself when I got my MBA in 1995."
Relaxing in a tuxedo chair, Sandy surveys the living room.
"A good interior designer; they help prevent mistakes. And they help you understand who you really are," she says.
"This is always the way I envisioned it could be. It is kind of a little jewel."
Rebecca Teagarden is associate editor of Pacific Northwest magazine. Benjamin Benschneider is a magazine staff photographer.
