interior designers based in Portland, Oregon working worldwide

Seattle Dutch Colonial

Kitchen with painted inset shaker cabinets, brass cup hardware, hardwood flooring, and a custom island with woven bar stools and pendant lighting.
 
 

At the height of the pandemic, a growing family approached Casework with a challenge: reinventing their recently purchased 1915 Seattle Dutch Colonial that needed to be stripped to the studs. The previous owner had held court for a half-century. The longtime empty nester had remained remarkably faithful to an unremarkable ’70s-style renovation, with the exception of updating some appliances. The classic four-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom, 3,000-square-foot home and its dormered second floor necessitated a full-scale restoration—the family wanted to preserve as much of the original structure as possible while giving it a fresh and functional update that felt in line with their style as much all while keeping in mind the character of a turn-of-the-century home.

 
 
 
Painted upper cabinets with open shelves with a teapot, cerused oak lower cabinets, custom vertical paneling, and marble counters and backsplash.
 
 

The homeowners wanted their kitchen and dining room to be inviting for large gatherings and intimate family meals. Casework blended the painted cabinets with wood cabinets, warm hues, and elegant wallpaper, anchored by a bespoke dining table that would become an heirloom in its own right. The dining room has a paneled ceiling and walls to add warmth and coziness. The kitchen contrasts the dining room wallpaper and cerused oak cabinets.

 
 
A bright kitchen with two windows above the sink. Plant cuttings in a glass vase and a bowl of vegetables rest on an island with butcher block counters
 
A dining nook with painted vertical wall and ceiling panels, a custom bench and botanical wallpaper, and wood and rattan chairs with cushions.
An ornately carved antique wooden Jacobean hutch with china, glasses, a painted dish, a vase with flowers, a silver platter and teapot.
 
 

No formal dining room was included in the renovation. Instead a table that was open to the kitchen and could serve 4 as easily as it could serve 10 was planned.

Throughout the Seattle home, Casework incorporated vintage elements to infuse the space with history and character, including a 19th-century Jacobean hutch in the dining room and custom wood furniture designed to last for decades.

 
 
 
A boucle lounge chair sits in front of a cabinet with photos, figurines, and a wooden trunk. A fireplace of marble and painted wood sits to its left..
 
 

Keywords

LAYERED hospitality


ARTFUL


ORGANIC

 
 
A living area with cushioned velvet sofa, a wooden coffee table with flowers on a tray, patterned curtains, and lamps with straw conical lampshades.
 
 
 

Casework and the homeowners embraced Soft Maximalism as a concept, brimming with color and pattern, meticulously coordinating six different wallpapers and abundant custom upholstery and drapery.

 
Floral wallpaper surrounds a vintage bathroom vanity with a rounded wood base and marble top. A small vase of fresh flowers rests on its counter.
 
 
A custom painted wood library with two columns of shelves each above 2 drawers, with books, art, and photographs with marble-topped drawers below.
Two check-patterned lounge chairs sit on an area rug with a boucle ottoman and a table with a potted plant between them, opposite a marble fireplace.
 
 
A checkered blanket lies on a boucle-upholstered bed, in a room with wood-paneled vaulted ceilings and a nightstand with a water glass and flowers.
 
 

The primary bedroom, bathed in natural light and infused with texture, is a serene retreat with wood paneling, grasscloth, and a boucle bed, all connected to the outdoors through delicate floral-themed drapery. Grasscloth wallpapering in a neutral color and wood paneling on the vaulted ceiling add richness and architectural details that make the room feel special. A space that felt warm but also calming.

 
 
A deep soaking tub sits next to a window near a double vanity with a cerused oak and marble counters, where a square vase holding fresh  flowers rests.
Casework Residential Interior Design Seattle. A closet shower with dual heads and a hose attachment is lined in ceramic tile with a glass door.
 
A snake plant in a woven pot sits outside the door of a bedroom with yellow bedding, a nightstand with a brass lamp, a fur rug, and paneled ceilings.
A nursery with a plush elephant resting on the floor, a crib and quilted blanket thrown over the side, embroidered wall art, and animal wallpaper.
 
 

Throughout the primary and children’s bedrooms, carpets and rugs added a tapestry of textures and patterns, beautifully balancing geometric plaid with organic elements.

 
 
 
 

A plaid runner on the stairs contrasts in scale with the plaid carpeting in the basement family room, where a mixture of plaids and florals combine. The dark and dramatic basement includes a playroom, workout area, home office, and guest suite. 

 
A boy holds a polaroid camera up to his eyes while sitting at the bottom of a staircase with a plaid runner, with an antique wood table and painting.
 
 
A brass sconce sits on a wall in a monochromatic painted room with a velvet sectional and pillows, and a vase with flowers on a woven straw ottoman.
A room with a recessed ceiling and molding with a woven ottoman and toy blocks, a guitar leaning against a bookcase with wood bins and a toy truck.
 
 
An outdoor seating area on a porch adjacent to wood shingle siding with a jute rug, wooden table and cushioned seating, flowers, a tray and pitcher.
Exterior curbside view of a Dutch colonial home with wood shingles, rockery and lawn with stepstones, a flower bed, and a stepped entry with columns.
 

Ready to work with us?

 
 

Credits

Special thanks to Res Loci and Toth Construction who helped accomplish the goal of saving the entire shell of the house, plus the front windows and shutters. The final result was a contemporized embrace of the intimate scale of the original house heightened by a color, pattern, and materials exploration in every room. The renovated home cohesively flows from one room to the next—each working in tandem while maintaining a unique identity.

Design: Casey Keasler, Marla Kabashima, Miranda Williams

Photography: Emily Kennedy

Interior Styling: Jorie Garcia and Casey Keasler

Press: Seattle Magazine

 
 

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