(Welcome to Ally from Seattle. She is one of the bloggers trying out for a place on the Apartment Therapy editorial team, covering different cities in the NW. Comments welcome!)
Name: Ally
Location: Seattle, Washington
Ally is sharing a "House Call" of her own home with us as part of her tryout. She writes: Our house is a green built contemporary in the middle of Seattle. We instantly fell in love with the open layout, exposed beams, concrete floors, and all the natural light. It was a dream of a blank slate but decorating proved to be a bit of challenge....
The reason was that we had just moved from Paris with a haul of European antiques and I wanted to make that and my love for everything Scandinavian work together in a contemporary Pacific Northwest house.
I feel like I’ve been able to pull it together for the most part by sticking with a similar palette and just a few statement pieces in each room. In the living room, for example, antique Flemish and French paintings hang in a cluster over a contemporary sofa and coffee table from Roche Bobois. In the bedroom, a baroque mirror adds some interest to a plain all white bed. And in the dining room, we hung an antique Baccarat chandelier that we brought with us from France over a Kartell dining table. (We had the house wired to accommodate the European wiring.)
We've had amazing response to our Apartment Therapy House Tour Submission Form. While we will work with homeowners of our favorite homes to feature full tours, we will also share the best as House Calls — short, quick tours of readers' homes. Submit your home here.
-Ally
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I love this light in this house and what you've done with it!
I love Ally's terrific style. I think she'd be a great addition to the Apartment Therapy team.
Harsh, dude. They just moved in and I do think they did a great job mixing the styles. Just because you can source some items doesn't mean it's not a good decorating job.
I'd love to live there.
Very nice. I would have liked a little more information on the pieces you love, where you purchased them and what made you love them.
KJanssom, seriously you need a nap.
I personally love what they've done with their place. It's a fine line combining to very different styles and it's difficult to do well. For most, it's ends up looking like a choppy mess. Bravo!
Since, I live in Seattle and I'm in the process of building a green home and I have similar design sensibilities, I would love to hear more about your home. What attracted you to it? Why Seattle?
Dreamy. House tour please!
What a lovely austere elegance this house has. You can really see the Parisian touch in the restrained opulence (the antique paintings, the mirror, the beautifully curved chair) which is harmoniously set in a contemporary surrounding. A very individual and coherent look.
This is lovely, and also the only time I've ever seen an unmade bed look stylish - so extra points!
Yes, I want a house tour, too!
I love the mix of modern and old, which I think is done just right here. Brava!
BEAUTIFUL HOUSE! Would be a Great Addition to the team!
And accented with a pair of French bulldogs! Bacon, you have company.
I adore that chair by the window. It looks like the perfect reading spot. What a lovely home!
Right Bank, you would be an amazing addition to the team. Not only do you have style -- you also write really well!
Beautiful! Ally would definitely make a great addition to the team, she's a great writer!! And very fun posts :)
Thank you, everyone for such nice feedback.
Kidmoe and grumbler101: Thank you especially for your kindness. I think your comments must have made him/her delete his comment(?) It was pretty brutal, wasn't it?
grumbler: The antiques I mention were from the Marche Aux Puces in Paris as well as the 2 Louis chairs in the dining room, the other chairs are Arne Jacobsen from Fritz Hansen, the white mirror was from a sample sale at the Seattle Design Center, and the striped rug is from Ikea. I think that covers it but if I've left anything out, do let me know.
theprefabproject: The house was right size for us - not too big, not too small, with a small garden (for those months when it is nice out!) and the open layout was perfect for how we live and The green aspect of it was an added bonus.
gorgeous home! i'm loving the eclectic style and the combo of modern and antique pieces is just gorgeous. i think ally would be a wonderful addition to to the apartment therapy team!!!
love the rumpled, unmade bed. so pretty. in a sea of images sporting the OVERLY made bed this is refreshing. my vote is for ally!
Quite apart from the amazing quality of the light in this house (which I love!) you have done an amazing job of combining the very different styles.
It's mixed up, but doesn't look messy, and pared down without looking bare. In fact, this looks like such a comfortable house to live in!
Alex your home is exquisite. I might start reading Apartment Therapy if you are added to the staff. I read your blog every day because I almost always learn something new about fashion, designm travel or myself.
Love, love, love. Color scheme, chandelier, windows, ceiling, mix of styles, just lovely! Thank you for sharing and good luck! I wish the mirror above the bed was bigger, though...
ditto to what bitdot said....love all of the above
What a beautiful home! I'm really impressed with how successfully Ally has combined modern with traditional elements, and kept a really clean, neutral pallet against which the landscape really shines. Gorgeous!
Love everything about it. Ally would make such a great addition to the AT team! I love how Ally has made two different styles work together so well. And really, I love how chic the unmade bed looks.
Great house - I love how you have approached the challenge of combining such disparate styles. I'd have liked more detail about some of the pieces though! I realize that there isn't space for an essay on your approach to lighting, but a teeensy bit more elaboration would be much appreciated!
I love the chrome lamp over the couch and the MIRROR. I love mirrors...
Lovely - the chair in front of that big window looks like a fabulous place to relax!
Ally, you're place looks amazing! You have such an eye for mixing antiques with contemporary pieces.
Hope to see you as a permanent contributor to AT!
This is really special. I love the combination of styles. I applaud you for having the courage to ship a crystal chandelier from France! I don't think I have the nerves for that. What a treat to have a home filled with treasures from world travels!
I AM CRAZY OVER IT!!!!!! Just so laid-back stylish & chic!!! Love the color palette--- just SO incredible!!!! GOOD LUCK & THIS GIRL DESERVES THIS SPOT!!!!!
Mmmm...gorgeous.
very very nice mix of styles. also pushed me over the edge to get that ikea area rug that i've been contemplating for so long (i swear i'll be out the door in 15 min). at...sign her up!
such a beautiful home!
i love it but i want to see more! (and cute pics of the pets:)
I love it! I think it captures the green clean lines of the forests around Seattle and also brings in some interesting personal pieces Alek has collected. There should more photos!! Looks divine.
Ally has FABULOUS style! She'd make an amazing addition to the AT Team.
Alek has a great sense of style -- I enjoy the pieces that have been carefully put together in her home, and very much appreciate her taste. A lovely home!
Ally would make a great contribution to the team. I love that her taste is so fresh and eclectic... I love the chic french vibe. Kudos!
I'm adding my vote to the house tour election. :) I love that nothing is overdone! :)
Gorgeous! Would like a full tour, please?
Beautiful house!
Ally as always your taste is superb. What I love about the PNW is that the design vibe there is very eclectic. I adore your French influence with your modern pieces. Seattle has fabulous architecture & design savoir-faire & is not all flannel & wooden shakes is it? You'd be a fabulous addition to the Apt. Therapy Team! Cannot wait to read more....
What a bright house! I love the contrasts, the colours (white, black, yellow) and the mis-matched chairs...
I am very curious to see what your Parisian apartment looked like!
Good Luck!
xxx
I love your house more and more every time I see it. I just noticed the black ceilings in the dining room. YUM!!! The beams in the living room are the most amazing!
Ally makes style look effortless - a great mix of period pieces and modern elements fit the space perfectly
I love this mix of modern frilly. it totally speaks to me.
I can't imagine a better candidate for the job! Ally has an amazing eye for beautiful interiors and a lovely way with words. Her home is such an inviting abode that seamlessly blends timeless and modern elements. That first shot is my favorite, what a gorgeous melange!
AT, I think you've found your next editorial team member.
Ally, I love your place and writing style! I'm hoping Ikea still carries of version of the black and white rug!
Gorgeous Ally, I just love the chic French influence and the overall relaxed feel in your home. You make it look so effortless and as a fan of your blog already I would love to see you writing for AT!
What a beautifully decorated home. I love the combination of modern furnishings mixed with french antiques... that mirror and chandelier... to die for! Ally would definitely make a welcome addition to the AT team!
Ally, lovely place you got there!
@ the peopel of AT: I'm voting for Ally as your new editor! I allready love her blog and she would be a great addition to your team.
Good luck Ally. And keep up the great work.
Cheers,
Natascha
Love her style... She mixes the different looks so seamlessly. Great little home tour!
Alek is a class act, and her home speaks to that. I especially love the dreamy bedroom and vintage chandelier. Gorgeous!
Hope you get the job, lady!
Terrific photography, especially the bed. I think Ally's style would broaden AT's range.