062811_mary5.jpg

Name: Jeff and Mary LaCoste
Location: Crown Hill — Seattle, Washington
Size: 2100 square feet
Years lived in: 4 — 3BR, owned

Behold! It's the folks behind ModKnobs, which we featured back in 2009 (custom modern doorknobs made from hockey pucks). Rehabbing their home from the the ground up, Jeff and Mary left no detail untouched.

061911mary_thumbs.jpg

You'll find big, beautiful finishes (maple interior window frames, free-flowing kitchen/dining/living spaces, skylights, gorgeous wood floors) and delightful details (an unexpected kitchen backsplash, blue stair rises, and blue ModKnobs designed with the sentiment "Down with lame doorknobs.").

This graphic designer (Jeff) and copywriter (Mary) have turned what appeared to be a "rather small and old-fashioned" looking house into exactly the kind of fun, open space they longed for — and that meant removing several walls and replacing all of the home's drywall. This tireless pair has since moved on to remodeling an Airstream trailer to take on road trips next year (photos of the Airstream rehab included in the slideshow). As with their quirky and modern home, we can't wait to see the interior details of the Airstream; Jeff and Mary are at the true onset of yet another big design adventure.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our style: Quirky modern: clean, open spaces with eclectic antiques and artwork

Inspiration: flea markets + Jonathan Adler + HGTV

Favorite Element: wide open main floor (we removed SEVERAL walls)

Biggest Challenge: DIY remodeling...you have to learn so much, so quickly and make so many decisions

What Friends Say: Our friends say they love the fun vibe of our house, as well as the unusual objects we've collected over the years.

Biggest Embarrassment: The house looks rather small and old-fashioned from the front.

Proudest DIY: Jeff designed and built our doorknobs from blue hockey pucks. (We had an impossible time finding modern knobs that we really liked and could afford.) He's received so many compliments, he's now selling them online (in several formats): ModKnobs.com

Biggest Indulgence: We ripped out and replaced all of the drywall in our home. The walls had such a heavy-duty knock-down texture, it was actually cheaper to replace it all then to skim-coat it. (And fortunately, by opening up the walls we were able to find and fix a bunch of problems.)

Best Advice: Remodeling is a real rollercoaster ride. Pace yourself! And know that no matter how hard you try to make everything perfect, it won't be.

Dream Sources: Mary would love to spend a month scouring U.S. flea markets. Jeff would love to furnish our home in Cassina.

Resources of Note:

PAINT & COLORS

    • Daly's C2 paints

ENTRY

    • We cut our own slate tile to create a fun pattern

LIVING ROOM

    • Flea markets
    • Velocity
    • Crate & Barrel

DINING ROOM

    • Cole & Son "woods" wallpaper
    • custom buffet and light fixture
    • my grandmother's Danish table
    • vintage posters found at a Nebraska flea market

KITCHEN

    • Custom cabinets
    • white solid surface countertop from Lowe's
    • Thermador range

BEDROOM

    • BluDot felt bed
    • Mary's encaustic paintings
    • vintage Italian chandelier

BATHROOM

    • Jeff built all of our cabinets
    • Neptune freestanding tub
    • Milestone shower walls

OTHER

    • We built maple interior frames for all of our windows to hide the brown 70's-style trim

Thanks, Jeff and Mary!

Images: Maria Bianco

• HOUSE TOUR ARCHIVE Check out past house tours here
• Interested in sharing your home with Apartment Therapy? Contact the editors through our House Tour Submission Form.
• Are you a designer/architect/decorator interested in sharing a residential project with Apartment Therapy readers? Contact the editors through our Professional Submission Form.