A Century-Old Seattle Home, Thoughtfully Reimagined: Traditional Roots, Modern Soul

Andy Beers and Ryan Rhodes Transform a North Capitol Hill Colonial Revival, June 2020.

When a century-old North Capitol Hill home gets a third story, a gut renovation, and a pink dining room ceiling, it somehow ends up feeling more like itself than ever. Clearly, you know the right team was at the helm.

Seattle designer Andy Beers of Ore Studios, with architect Ryan Rhodes of Ryan Rhodes Designs, transformed a 1910 Colonial Revival on a double lot with sweeping Lake Union views. The bones were there: ornate trim, French doors, a grand sense of arrival. However, an awkward layout and a chimney bisecting the kitchen and dining room worked against it. So the homeowners went further than a refresh. Instead, they took on a full gut renovation and a two-story addition. Then, once they realized the home sat below the city’s height max, they added an entirely new third floor.

The craftsmanship required was extraordinary. Rhodes and his team spent countless hours preserving and restoring trim, hand-replicating profiles no longer found in modern millwork catalogs. The home’s sinuous handmade staircase handrail — which curves and slopes in ways no machine can match — was recreated and extended by hand to reach the new floor.

Inside, Beers brought the homeowners’ love of color, geometric pattern, and a touch of glam into a design that still honors the home’s historic formality. The result is layered and confident. There are Tiffany-blue curtains trimmed in Greek key, a joyful pink dining room ceiling, and a 14-foot blue kitchen island. This island anchors nearly 40 feet of white cabinetry with brass hardware.

Each floor transitions toward the modern. Notably, the top level leans fully contemporary — yet nothing feels out of place. Meanwhile, Seattle Art Source served as art advisors on the project. Together with the design team, they placed works by Seattle artist Nikki Brook throughout the home. These pieces carry an energy that feels as considered as every hand-curved handrail. As Beers puts it, it’s “a tailored, playful version of an old house that toes the line between traditional and contemporary.” In short, it’s perfectly, unmistakably Seattle.

Read the full feature on Luxe Interiors + Design here.