Our House-Flipping Adventure

During the depth of the pandemic when restrictions were harsh and business slow, our neighbor Axel, (bless his heart), died. 

When his brother came to town to deal with his estate, he found the home run down, in disrepair and partially empty of furniture.  (Axel had already started to give away his belongings to friends)  His brother needed to sell the home and go back to his job, but with the number of repairs it was in un-sellable condition.    Vidal and I looked at each other – with my design experience and remodeling sources and with Vidal’s custom wood working skills we knew that we could make this home shine.  We offered to purchase the home ‘as is’ and told his brother that we would take care of disposing any items left behind.  Axel’s brother was relieved, he didn’t have to do any more work, we saw the challenge and opportunity and jumped in with both feet!  Although it took longer than anticipated, the result was well worth it.  I know that Axel would be as happy and proud of the remodel as we are!

We wrapped all the exterior posts with wood as well as all exterior windows.  Front deck offers entertaining space with a privacy fence.

The open concept interior is flooded with light from windows on 3 sides as well as a skylight.  Note the wood them that incorporates a coordinating post to balance the mission style door. 

Live edge bar counter and professional faucet and sink for entertaining.

Solid surface counters, under cabinet lighting, storage accessories.  Ample kitchen storage.

Fireplace Niche to stay warm on those icy days!

Tip – extending the shower tile past the glass enclosure makes the room look bigger.

I love bathrooms that mimic the elegance of high end hotel bathrooms, it makes me feel like the special person I am!

In total 2 bedrooms, one bath (with stack washer dryer in niche), light filled bonus, fireplace, live wood bar counter and trim, professional style kitchen, open concept.  Contact Vidal or myself for a personal tour or join us in our week end open houses!  206.850.7715

Chiao!

Wanda's Wonderful Kitchen

This kitchen remodel is part of a whole house remodel that we designed for our wonderful client Wanda Kristjanson.  With the help of our structural engineer John Nissen, we were able to open up the kitchen into the dining/living room, add vertical space and give Wanda the island that she always wanted.  We were able to remove the wall between the kitchen and the dining area and create a large island with seating for guests.  We also relocated a fireplace that had been inhibiting space in the existing kitchen (see before picture)  Acacia wood flooring coupled with horizontal grain bamboo cabinets are offset by a striking black mosaic tile backsplash.

Perfect for entertaining as well as daily living, Wanda's wonderful kitchen is a good example of how your surroundings can significantly impact your level of happiness.  Wanda is happy and that makes me happy!

 Before picture kitchen:

Tale of the disappearing hood...

Planning a new kitchen involves selecting ventilation for your cooktop.  For many years, selections were limited to a variety of large overhead hoods or a down draft system that rises and lowers from the counter.  The choices are still Overhead or Downdraft but the visual presence of a hood now fades into the background.  The hood as the center of attention in the kitchen is no longer a given.

These kitchens all have ventilation for their cooktops, can you find the hood?  The Futuro hood is called the 'Skylight' which gives a hint as to the location, way up in the ceiling.  It is combined with a strong light which gives the impression that the unit is actually a type of skylight.  The second picture is the Faber pull out fan, it is the tiny 2" cabinet material above the cooktop.  You pull the trim forward to use the vent and tiny LED lights automatically turn on.   This hood can be vented or filtered (non vented.)  The third kitchen features a cooktop by Jenn Air that has a downdraft fan integrated into the actuall cooktop.  It is finished in the same color and finish as the cooktop so it blends in and becomes un noticable.  It does not need to go up and down, the power of the fan is strong enough to pull the odors down.

These new appliances give us more design options, letting us decide what we want to visually feature as well as what we want to hide!

Small Luxuries Large Impact

A small bathroom can have the same luxuries found in large mansions.  Given a small footprint for remodeling a master bathroom condo, one of the challenges we overcame was making the room feel more spacious than the actual square footage.  Removing a wall between the sink and the toilet, floating the vanity cabinet and adding floor to ceiling marble tiles that continued to the end of the bathroom accomplished that goal.  

Floor heat on a programmable thermostat always keeps your feet cozy, while a washlet feature on the wall hung toilet provides the features of a bidet.  (Anyone that has traveled to Japan can attest to the wonderful features of the Toto toilet.)

A wave of your hand turns on the lights on the mirror while the built-in clock keeps you running on time.   There is a closeup mirror set into the mirror so you can keep the counter clutter free.

Want the luxury hand shower but don’t want the clutter of multiple handles and shower bars?  Check out Delta’s In2ition shower/hand shower fixture.  Available in multiple designs to accommodate many styles, this hand shower snaps into the center of the shower head and provides multiple showering options.  

Make sure that your shower remodel includes a ‘niche’ that is large enough to store your shampoo, conditioner and body wash containers.  These ‘niches’ are built into the wall so they do not take up space used for showering.    

Finally, don’t be afraid to use luxury materials such as marble or glass.  A SMALL amount of luxury materials will not cost much, but the impact can be LARGE. 

Award winning Kitchen!

Christine Suzuki, ASID, LEED AP  (me!), was awarded First Place for Residential Small Kitchen, in ASID's 2015 Awards of Excellence competition.  I love all of my design projects but it is nice when we receive confirmation that others love them as well!

This kitchen is in a small condo on Queen Anne hill. The original kitchen was a small rectangular room with two entrances, one from the hall, the second from the dining room. My role in this project was to create a space that looked and felt bigger, create an island with a breakfast bar and to add ‘a little bling.’  .  We removed the wall separating the dining from the kitchen and added an island with a breakfast bar.  We also bumped the back wall of the kitchen into the bedroom behind it giving us extra room to maneuver.  I like to minimize any protrusions into the space, so I selected the recessed finger pulls for the cabinetry.  

The opaque glass insert create a feeling of space as well.  The richness of the brandy stained cherry cabinets is balanced by the warm yellow color of the cork floor. We created a ‘feature’ wall behind the sink with glittering round metal tiles, centering the upper cabinets.  The hanging metal hood doubles as a light fixture.  All the upper cabinets are a double bi-fold tilt up style which makes it easy to access all items in the cupboards while retaining a clean horizontal line.  The large pantry cabinet to the left of the dishwasher is actually a 6” deep cabinet that is fit within the studs of the wall behind it.  

We also created an upper U shaped drawer for the sink cabinet to gain precious storage space.  The challenges for this project are typical of a condo, we needed to keep the drainage and venting in the same locations.  The cement radiant heat ceiling meant that we had to create a lowered ceiling with shallow recessed lights.  The old elevator was small and we were challenged in getting the granite counters up to the fifth floor.  The ending result, however, was outstanding and the clients have enjoyed this Seattle get away ever since.

Soft Modern Kitchen

What is soft modern?  Modern design without the ‘coldness’ of what we associate with modern.  Soft Modern incorporates ‘tactical’ elements to balance against smoothness, ‘friendly’ colors that are muted and relaxing.  Round shapes are allowed to associate with rectangular shapes.  I was happy to be selected as the designer for this Soft Modern kitchen.

 I call this kitchen ‘Earth Water & Air’ because of the materials selected and their relationship to these natural elements.  Usually, a design using ‘natural materials’ has a dominant color of browns which represent wood.  In this case, soft reflective gloss green cabinets remind us of water,  little globe lights bubble in the atmosphere.  Blue and green mosaic tile creates a sense of air or smoke going up the hood and the satin textured granite counters say ‘stone’ in the very basic sense of the word.  The granite has a very subtle color without normal busyness of granite patterning.  The ‘hand’ of the stone, a subtle but distinct texture, along with the color, was the basis of the entire design, providing our first strong relationship to nature.  The enlarged windows allow this family to be ‘one’ with the outside elements.

Take a look at all the pictures of this kitchen on our website www.christinesuzuki.com under portfolio/kitchens.  

With gratitude, Christine

Healthy Home – GLASS counters

ONE of the most important selections in a kitchen design is the kitchen counter.  A stylish healthy material that is often overlooked is Glass.  Glass counters take the spotlight (as they should) in any kitchen.  They are most often used as breakfast bars, entertainment bars or eating surfaces such as dining tables.  Glass counters can be just as effective in a small kitchen as a large one (just because you are small doesn’t mean that you cannot shine!)

Some of the benefits of glass counters include:*

1.  Glass is non-toxic.  It will not emit VOCs (volatile organic compounds) or radon gas, making it one of the most healthy materials in your home.

2.  Glass is non-porous, leaving no place for germs to hide or stains to absorb.  This is one of the few materials that I personally warranty will not stain.

3.  Glass is durable - more durable than you think.  glass is made of silica which is the main element found in granite, offering a similar hardness and long life.  Glass counters are thick and not easily broken.  Glass does not require sealing or any special maintenance.

4.  Some glass counters are made with recycled glass which give them an A+ in sustainability.

Be aware that some counter materials contain glass pieces that are bound together in a resin.   These counter materials do not have the same properties as the 100% glass counters described above.  In fact, many of them are MORE porous and MORE delicate.

Again, whenever you are selecting counter materials, obtain a sample and try to ‘kill it.’  Try to stain it, try to scratch it, try to clean the stain, use harsh cleaners, etc.  Then you can safely decide if you want this product for your kitchen counter – you will know exactly how it will react to daily use.

When you use glass counters, you raise the quality of your kitchen design while receiving the health benefits of using durable non toxic materials!

*Glassworks Inc., www.glassworksinc.com

BLING on a BUDGET or REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE

How can you get the BLING in your remodel while keeping within a limited budget?  By singing the REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE  song. Here are a few examples:

 We were able to save money in this bathroom remodel by REUSING the drain locations for the tub, shower and toilet.  Because this condo had a post tension construction floor, drilling new drain holes would have been costly.  We were able to use the savings to purchase more costly items such as the free standing tub.  

   Also, in the closet section of this remodel, we REUSED the existing cabinetry, giving it a new paint job and handles and cutting an opening for the cat to use the litter box in private.

This floating wood counter is a RECYCLED coffee table top.  (I like to call this UPCYCLING)  Purchasing a slab of wood with the ‘live’ edge and having it sanded & stained would cost considerably more for this home owner.

This living/entry area was spruced up with paint that accents the architectural features of the home creating interest and REDUCING project costs by not removing the wall.

 REUSING this sustainable cork floor

resulted in significant savings for this kitchen/dining remodel as well as bringing welcomed warmth to the Seattle condo.

Sometimes budget restrictions create wonderful unique solutions that we may not have previously considered.

As always, I welcome your ideas and feedback,  Think green and keep dry,  Christine

Dark side of SuSTAINable Materials

In the Northwest we have embraced the Green movement, embraced the move to utilize materials that are manufactured in a sustainable way, materials that use recycled materials and or can be easily recycled themselves.  So with dismay I discovered that one product that I was very excited about turns out to be VERY SCRATCHABLE and another popular product turns out to be VERY STAINABLE!

Buyer Beware!  BEWARE what the manufacturers tell you whether in person or in their websites.  Ask for telephone numbers of people that have used their products and call them to see how they really hold up. Obtain a sample from the company and try to ‘kill’ it.

The beautiful and elegant GLASS2 product turns out to be difficult to work with by both glass and stone trades people.  Furthermore, the surface is so delicate it can be scratched with your fingernail.  Not a great product to be used as a counter, and unfortunately it is being promoted as such and sold by the slab next to granite and marble slabs that are sold and made into counters. Is this why there are only 17 pictures on the website of examples of use?  We tried 2 slabs over 4 months to create a simple bar counter, without success and came away very disappointed.

VETRAZZO is another very beautiful and stunning material.  Made of recycled glass of fairly nice size chunks, it has a tendency to chip away, particularly at any edge.  (The piece of glass breaks off leaving a hole.)  So the holes are supposed to be fixed before the counter gets to the customer but…..such is not always the case.  The hole problem, however, is not the whole problem (Hah!).  The bigger problem is that the cement that the glass pieces are floating in is extremely porous.  So we have a counter product that instantly stains!!!  IF you ask Vetrazzo, they recommend removing the stain with some liquid soap and water.  Well, that does not work.  If you ask their recommended fabricators, they will tell you to use bleach, which does work.  Further along in the ‘care and maintenance’ document they mention ‘sealing’ the product which ‘is applied during installation’ then further on they recommend that you apply wax to the surface after installation (right away) and ‘a couple times of year thereafter.’ (translation: every six months)  Yet in another paragraph in the document they recommend that ‘when the mood strikes you, buff it with wax a few times a year…’ (isn’t that every four months now?)  It seems to me that if you are up front with the issues and provide a detailed schedule for maintenance you will have happier clients because they will have consciously decided to install this product with the knowledge of the level of maintenance.

I’m disappointed and disillusioned and have stains on my green fingers.

Christine

sustainable products for health & home

I have found that some of the best products for your health and home are created by committed individuals, NOT by large corporations and they are NOT sold in your local stores.  The following are a couple products that I highly recommend along with their contact information:

Univera – health supplements:  This company is the poster child for sustainability and holistic health.  The owner is a Korean philanthorpist (Bill Lee) who owns millions of acres of land across the world growing aloe and other plants that provide medicinal value in a sustainable manner. He spent millions in establishing one of the largest plant libraries in the world and his research company Unigen performs medical studies on the effects of different plant based chemicals on the human body.  They take the different plant characteristics and combine them into products that heal your body naturally with plant based supplements.  (I’m a living testimonial, I say heal, they can only say help)  Their headquarters is in downtown Seattle and they ship the products out of Lacey Washington.  Their method of sales of their product is through their ‘associates’ who share in the profits of the sales.  Every new associate triggers a donation to Vitamin Angels which supports four children for one year with essential nutrients. Univera matches direct donations dollar for dollar up to $100,000.   In this Univera world everyone wins; needy children, the person attaining optimum health, the sales associate and our precious environment.  For more info contact www.XtraEnergy.myunivera.com  Rediscover Your Vitality... Discover Xtra® 

Bio Green Clean - cleaning product:  This was i ntroduced to me by my husband and I have to say that this is the ultimate in a cleaning product.  It works on everything from counters, floors, stone, leather, metal, teeth, blood, automobiles, mirrors, appliances, coffee machines, etc.  AND it really works!.  AND, by the way, it is 100% plant derived and is so healthy you can eat it.  (It is not really recommended that you eat it, but the MSDS sheet states that you may experience some diarrhea due to the ‘emulsification of grease and oil in the digestive tract’)   Bio Green Clean believes that chemical-free living starts at home and then extends to the world around us.  That is why they developed this product to safely break down and eliminate dirt without harming you or the environment. You can obtain the product directly through www.biogreenclean.com 

Keeping Green,  Christine

The Urban Spa

The private Urban Spa is the most recent of trends in our community.  Whether it is a reaction to the stress that we experience exponentially, or our desire to pamper ourselves, we are seeking relaxation opportunities for our lives.  Many of us are creating private 'spas' in our homes to fulfill those needs.  Remodeling a bathroom into your private urban spa is not necessarily more expensive than a normal bathroom remodel.  You just need a few key items to ensure your relaxation.   Here are some basics:

To create a peaceful, relaxing area you should a) select natural materials for the flooring, walls and counters b)  allow the textures from the natural materials create pattern and interest c)  select colors that are soothing (no fire engine reds) d) select fixtures that have simple lines (no ornateness)

Options for your home spa:  a)  heated towel warmer (this can double as the towel rack) b) steam shower (steam shower fixtures are available through Kohler) c) heated flooring d) music (sound system) e) tubs with heat, jets or bubbles f)  large open showers with body sprays, rain shower heads and hand showers g) bench to lay down on both in the steam shower and outside the shower  h) sauna  i) foot massager  j) foot baths (yes they exist! see MTI's foot bath) k) specialty shower enclosures l) aroma therapy & light therapy (available through most tub & shower manufacturers - see Kohler DTV electronic interface

As with any remodel, the key to success is planning. Call me and we can create your eternal relaxation spa!  Chiao!