AIA-award-winning modern offers serenity near the Arboretum
The Helen Street House, located at 1012 26th Avenue East, was first built for a couple moving back to the city after living on a rural property for some time. While they were ready for a city-sized home, they still sought the calm, indoor-outdoor living they’d had in their country life. The home’s siting right along the Washington Park Arboretum provided a great opportunity to blur the line between the indoors and the natural world while still maintaining a walkable location.
The design by Seattle firm MW Works won an AIA Seattle Honor Award in 2014, and prioritizes openness with simple details and versatility of space. An outdoor foyer over a kind of rock-garden moat welcomes visitors. With a wide, sliding door, a dining room becomes part of a patio. Even in the kitchen, elements like cabinetry and appliances are wrapped in narrow, natural-wood packages to feel like part of the landscape.
While the home was designed for a downsizing couple, size is all relative: This house is pretty big, with three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, and a 2,850-square-foot interior on a 4,000-square-foot. The entire top level is a private suite, with a sizable walk-in closet, a large bathroom complete with clawfoot soaking tub, and a a bedroom with a window bench. Two bedrooms on the basement level still get their outdoor connection, with a quiet, semi-recessed patio off a den.
Listed by Kevin O’Doherty, Windermere | Priced at $2.4 million
