In 1949, one of mid-century modern’s most famous NW architects, Paul Hayden Kirk, built this early “glass house” in Hawthorne Hills. Rather than flattening the rolling hills of the Northwest to accommodate his structures, Kirk sought to make the least impact possible on the building site by making use of it natural landscape. When we started this project, our goal was to pay attention to the original architecture--as well as designing the home around the client’s eclectic art collection and African artifacts. The home was completely gutted, since most of the home is glass, hardly any exterior walls remained. We kept the basic footprint of the home the same—opening the space between the kitchen and living room. The horizontal grain matched walnut cabinets creates a natural continuous movement. The sleek lines of the Fleetwood windows surrounding the home allow for the landscape and interior to seamlessly intertwine. In our effort to preserve as much of the design as possible, the original fireplace remains in the home and we made sure to work with the natural lines originally designed by Kirk.

The transformation of this kitchen began by removing the peninsula and upper cabinets to open the space and allow for a multi-functional island. The blue stained glass backsplash is accentuated by a beautiful repeating ivory pattern. Glazed maple cabinets provide warm contrast and my client's beloved rooster collection adds an interesting focal point. Photography Peter Rymwid

© SGM Photography
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This project got its start when a proud homeowner built his residence a number of decades back on a beautiful site in Solana Beach. The new design proposed a complete reconfiguration of the interior layout and a new gallery walkway. These changes would tie together the existing house and detached garage. Simple and well executed framing made this work relatively simple, keeping the existing exterior walls and roof in place. New interior and exterior finishes were applied throughout the house. In addition to reusing most of the existing structure, sustainable features include abundant natural light and ventilation, radiant heating, solar hot water and a PV system.

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Builder: John Kraemer & Sons | Architecture: Sharratt Design | Landscaping: Yardscapes | Photography: Landmark Photography
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Photo: Brian Barkley © 2015 Houzz
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Here you can see the smaller kitchen island, custom made from wood tiles in a herringbone pattern, completed with granite countertop and farmhouse custom made copper sink. Behind is the island, you can see the light sea-foam hue of the back painted glass backsplash as well as the dual Wolf ovens. Photography by Marie-Dominique Verdier.

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