When Dan and Sandra Wilson first toured the Seattle penthouse that would become their home, they saw potential buried under layers of 1980s excess. “It looked like a Miami nightclub from the 80s,” the couple, both designers at the firm Wilson-Haus, recalled. “The views were outstanding, and the rooms were flooded with daylight. But the finishes were dated and eccentric, which is an understatement.” Dan turned to his wife and said, “We have to buy this.”
The apartment, perched on the top two floors of a building in Seattle’s historic district, measured just 1,325 square feet. Every surface was covered in bright wall coverings, sheet metals, and glass block. They were on a tight budget but saw a chance for what they called “addition by subtraction.”
After celebrating the purchase, the couple set about stripping away the visual noise to allow the generous windows to frame the views beyond. Set in the heart of Seattle’s thriving historic district, the 1,325-square-foot apartment occupies the top two levels on the south-west corner.
Related: Blue Ridge Mountains shape South Carolina dream home
An open floor plan with a bathtub in the bedroom
High ceilings and simple volumes gave the Wilsons room to experiment with layouts. They eventually settled on an unconventional open plan.
The couple designed the lower level as a multi-purpose space. “We wanted a versatile space where we could be together,” they said.
Instead of the standard trio of tub, shower, and toilet, a black-on-black CH25 Easy Chair by Hans Wegner sits beside the tub. It’s where the couple can sit and talk. The only partition on the lower level is a 15-foot-long custom closet that doubles as the headboard.
Related: Enhancing Outdoor Spaces with Pergola Shade Panels and Sun Shades
The open plan also served a furry purpose. Their two Boston Terriers could chase each other endlessly through the space. That was a key design consideration. The project’s name, Loop Penthouse, comes from the loops the dogs would run until they were exhausted.
Upstairs feels like a cabin retreat
Upstairs, the kitchen, dining area, and living room open onto a 200-square-foot exterior terrace. Wide engineered wood floors set a warm tone. A 14-foot-long antique canoe mounted on the wall adds character. “We think of the lower floor as our pied-à-terre and the upper level as our cabin retreat,” the couple said.
The finishes draw directly from the Puget Sound. The lower-level floor is inky-black porcelain tile, punctuated by a blackened steel plate at the entry foyer. “We thought a lot about the tide and coastal location, and how many beaches form a natural color gradient as you move up from a shoreline,” they explained.
Related: Expert Piano Moving Services in Katy, TX
The dark floors on the lower level represent the bay. That dark line carries around the perimeter cabinetry as a metaphor for the way rock bulkheads and wood pilings patina along Seattle’s waterfront piers. The light-stained casework above is meant to evoke driftwood and foreshadow a modern beach-cabin vibe.
Working with what they had in the kitchen
The couple took an unconventional approach with the kitchen, too. “We couldn’t afford to replace everything, so we worked with what we had and reconfigured the existing refrigerator drawers and stainless steel cabinets,” they said. The result is a kitchen dominated by counter space rather than an upright refrigerator and wall cabinets.
Dan Wilson has designed custom homes for clients around the world, but he considers Loop Penthouse his most important project. “This project taught me to adopt constraints, to think unconventionally, and take some risks,” he said. “More importantly, it gave me great empathy for being a client. Building a custom home can be an intense process with so many choices. Going through it firsthand has made me a better partner in the client and designer relationship.”
