Kim Clements and Joe Schneider are a husband and wife design team with three young boys. Their Seattle bungalow is a colorful, bright showcase of how to live abundantly with modest space.
They've designed their dining room with the now-ubiquitous chalkboard wall, but continue the industrial inspiration with a covet-inducing dining table made from bowling lanes. Check out the positioning of the rug under the table; we like how it leaves the floor bare right under the chalkboard (imagine the chalk dust), and extends the carpeted area into the room for a bit more play space.
The article also includes some good color tips from Clements, such as:
• Use artwork to choose your color palette
• Don't try to use every color
• Choose a base color that really changes in different light, so that it is dynamic and constant at the same time
• Use bold color in small splashes
The family also makes the space work by sacrificing one area designated for clutter, rather than spreading it through the whole house. It might seem hard to offer up a whole room, corner or nook for this purpose when you're already squeezing the most out of a small space, but compartmentalizing clutter is worth it.
• View the Slideshow at Sunset
Images: John Granen and Kimberly Brown Seely
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Comments (16)
This is so bright and cheerful while remaining adult and, in a surprising way, sophisticated.
I am in love with the bathroom sink and counter. Also, does anyone have a guess as to the teal/green colour that runs through their dining room?
Square footage? "Small," and "modest" are subjective terms and these images, while pleasant, don't appear to be packed with space-saving solutions.
I, too, LOOOOOVE the bathroom sink. It wouldn't fit mine, but it is gorgeous.
In the article it says, "Choose one dynamic base color “Look for a color that functions in different ways under different light, and use it liberally,” Clements says. Her blue-green-gray wall color (Russian Olive by C2) is used throughout the house but looks distinct in every room."
i am so in love with this beautiful, airy, light-filled space.
I love the bathroom and you could change out the color of the base when you want.
I love it. The colors and the light are fantastic.
this makes me want to have children.... D8
amed studio: I think that before we scoff at the word "modest," we have to remember that 5 people are living in this space.
I'm a Seattle resident myself, and these Craftsman bungalows are quite abundant in the area. Though comfortable, with big windows and gorgeous built-ins, the floor plans can be extremely limiting. I actually live in the top half of one right now... my boyfriend and I love it, but we have struggled to make the most of the space.
where is that rug from in that picture with the shelves and hanging coats??? i think i like.
One thing to think about, having lived in a typical 60's era split entry w/ 4 bedrooms and 2 baths and 6 of us (3 older sisters and myself, both parents and at least 2 dogs if not a cat or two) living in what my Mom says was 2200SqFt total between both floors and yes, it was a tight fit but we managed and most bungalows typicaly are 1.5 stories to begin with so most of the space is actually on the ground floor w/ the basement unfinished.
And more than anything, it's the inefficient use of that space in those old homes that makes fitting a family of that size comfortably a challenge and with young active boys too.
But I love what they have done even though their style isn't quite my style, it's how they used color to help keep the space cheery and kid friendly while keeping it in line for adults too.
I'm not scoffing shockthebourgeois. I'm just saying that a key detail is missing from the description both here and at sunset.com. What one family of 5 considers 'modest,' another might consider either 'luxurious' or 'cramped.' We can't make up our own minds unless we have all of the information.
I loooooove that marigold yellow garden stool...sigh.
I second Lab Director. The rug in the picture with the shelves and coats looks like it would be cute. I would love to see a bigger picture / know a source.
I thought I had seen the rug before, but turned out to bea different one at Garnet Hill. The colors are not as bright and the scale is different, but the idea is similar.
It's very airy and cheerful and well-organized. LOVE all the accessories.
I think it's very pretty, but I was a bit shocked that it was 2200 sq ft and they were calling it modest. After seeing so many teeny tiny spaces on AT, 2200 sq ft seems positively gargantuan.