Kollutchen

Extract from Portrait of Seattle Magazine feature by Melissa Dalton:

"In this Puget Sound home, every room is an invitation to engage the senses. In the living room, a baby grand piano sits with several wall-mounter guitars, awaiting impromptu musical sessions. An art glass chandelier shimmers over the dining table, with splendid water views seen through the windows. (...)

"They were looking for a true refuge, and a home that delights all of the senses", says interior designer Beth Banks of Eclectic Designs. Banks collaborated with architect Dennis Marsh of AOME Architects and Bob Gradwohl of Gradwohl Construction, LLC for the extensive sensory overhaul. (...)

With tall ceilings throughout the home, Marsh zeroed in on details that "break the scale,", he says, and foster comfortable rooms that flow easily into one another, perfect for a client that loves to entertain friends and family. Take the dining room, which was formerly an open air, "quasi outdoor space,", that the team insulated and enclosed to become a conditioned interior room. "We wanted to have an intimate scale there, particularly when it has such a dramatic view from at least two sides,", says Marsh. (...)

Since the homeowners are art lovers, and artistic and musical themselves, it was also important to plan for their extensive art collection. Built-in, recessed niches run down a long hallway, creating a connection and a 'portal' between spaces, says Marsh, and highlight three-dimensional art and pieces collected from their travels. Other places in the home, like the asymmetrical fireplace surround in walnut and plaster, are standalone artistic compositions, and further bring down the scale. (...)

Since moving in, the owners are indeed delighted with their new surroundings, even opening up the finished home to friends for artistic retreats."