Subtle Retro Details Nod to the Midcentury Roots of This Washington Home

In early 2021, a young family purchased a midcentury charmer in the popular Seattle suburb of Edmonds, Washington. Perched on a hill and surrounded by nature, the 1963 house had the potential to become their forever home—but needed some serious updates. So Amy Vroom ofthe Residency Bureaustepped in to strip away the dated finishes and infuse the place with color while subtly honoring its design roots.

“They appreciated [the history of] the house,” Amy shares. “So we had to add some of that character back in. I tried to do that with the tile and the counter selections that I made, and by using slatted wood for the fireplace and at the entry—things that gave a little bit of a nod to the era, but in a fresh, modern way.”

But before Amy could focus on aesthetics, she had to swap the old, multitone wood floors for new oak planks and open up the layout. She ripped out all the cabinets and eliminated the peninsula that closed off the kitchen, then pulled back a wall and overtook the former dining zone to expand it. Now, it’s nearly double the size and offers plenty of storage by way of custom cupboards inGalápagos Turquoiseby Benjamin Moore.

BEFORE: “Everything was very beige and mahogany colored and just very much not their style,” describes Amy.

AFTER: Quartz countertops are durable, while the monochromatic geometric backsplash adds visual intrigue.

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“They were very much not interested in doing a white or gray kitchen, so that was probably why they gravitated toward hiring me,” reveals Amy, who’s known for her use of bold hues. “The darker teal color became the North Star for adding a little whimsical note to the palette.”

AFTER: “The whole entire living room, dining room, kitchen area is just enveloped by trees,” says Amy. “But I didn't want to be too on the nose with bringing in nature. I wanted to have a little bit of fun with that, so I went with a darker teal color.”

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The vibrant fronts are adorned with modern satin brassPushka Homehardware, topped with durable quartz counters, and paired with a white ceramicAnn Sackstile backsplash. For a hint of retro flare, the tiles feature a raised circle detail. “It was just a really nice way to bring a little interest and dimension without going over the top,” Amy says.

Next, Amy relocated the dining area to the unused atrium so that the family can enjoy their meals among the treetops. She painted the once-beige windows black, making them pop against the leafy views, and furnished the space with a custom striped Moroccan rug, a Scandifornia-styleHouse of Léontable, and a sculptural chandelier.

BEFORE: The old entry was bland and devoid of personality.

AFTER: Salmon-colored millwork punches up the entryway.

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在邻近的客厅里,艾米改变了plain, boring fireplace into a focal point with a floor-to-ceiling slatted wood façade and asymmetrical open shelves on either side. “The wall is actually asymmetrical, if you really stare at it,” she explains. “So I was trying to give it some purpose. The clients like to travel and they always will pick something up on their adventures, so it is a good place to display those things.”

For inviting seating, Amy opted for a set of vintage Parsons chairs that she reupholstered in a funkyS. Harrisfabric and anivory channeled Kim Salmela sofa．“这真是深,它有一个紧回来,所以我们just added the extra pillows to give support on that,” Amy describes. “It’s a good ‘curl your legs up and have a cup of coffee’ kind of sofa.”

AFTER: “I use that round, circular shape throughout the house,” explains Amy. “I did it a bit more on the nose here, with the floor tile and the hand pulls. It's a little homage to the mid-century modern age of the home with the terrazzo, too.”

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Down the hall, the playful kids’ bedroom combinesVilla Nova Bubbles wallpaperwith geometric drapery and agentle green-blueceiling. The cool tones continue in the guest bathroom, where minty handmade tiles fromCemento Collectioncover the shower. The look is complete with amatchingfloating vanity, anArizona Tile水磨石的计谋ntertop, and circular floor tiles that echo the kitchen backsplash.

AFTER: Since the clients didn't want a fully upholstered headboard, Amy opted for a wooden bed with a removable headboard cushion that can be easily cleaned.

Miranda Estes

Contrastingly, the primary suite is defined by warm shades of pink, mauve, and brown. Blush walls serve as a backdrop for a natural wood Crate & Barrel bed, a raspberry-hued velvet bench, and chocolatey S. Harris curtains in the sleeping quarters. “We basically made the drapery almost like artwork in the room because it’s embroidered and has a really beautiful pattern to it,” Amy says. “It’s very dynamic.”

To create an expansive walk-in closet, Amy punched through the wall to an extra bedroom and closed off its hallway access. She wallpapered the ceiling to give it a cozy feel, despite its large size, and incorporated drawers for everything. The adjoining bathroom is equally luxurious, with dusty rose zellige tile in the tub-equipped wet zone and aConcrete Collaborative水磨石的计谋ntertop. Who wouldn’t want to stay forever?

BEFORE: “It was kind of stuck in the ’80s and ’90s and needed a refresh to bring it into this century,” Amy says of the home.

AFTER: “The client wanted a bathtub and there wasn't really room to have it be a separate area, so I just made all of it a wet zone,” reasons Amy. “I love the sculptural shape of this tub. Against the dusty pink tile, it really stands out.”

Miranda Estes