A 1958 Seattle Home Renovation Restores it to MCM Glory

A 1958 Seattle home overlooking the Puget Sound returns to its former mid-century glory.

When restoring a Mid Century Modern home, one of the primary questions to ask is, “How much of the original house can we save?” That was the question foremost in the minds of the team at SHED Architecture & Design when they first saw this 1958 Seattle home. Unlike some MCM houses, this one wasn’t in disrepair, needing huge fixes to get the home livable again. However, remodels over the years had hidden the original flow and character of the architecture. “Our job became uncovering the original intent of the architecture,” says project designer Kyle Keirsey. Here’s how they did it.

Outdated Remodels

Paul Midgen and Kirsten Adams didn’t start off viewing the home with an intent to buy it. The couple was in the area for a vet appointment and happened to see a home sale sign. They went in to check it out and fell in love. “Paul was sensitive to the fact that the moves [the previous homeowners had] made didn’t sync with the original intent of the architecture,” Kyle says.

The previous remodels had hidden the home’s original mid century roots. “The house was livable, but a lot of the original intent and character had been pulled out of it,” Kyle says. “A lot of the new remodel was transitional or traditional, even just with the paint colors. The outside was Smurf Blue; they didn’t understand that the cedar was supposed to wrap inside and outside the house.” Luckily, Paul approached the SHED team early in the process, and they were able to help him and Kirsten develop a new vision.

Origin Story of the 1958 Seattle Home

The home was built in 1958, designed by Seattle architect Al Bumgardner. Born in Illinois in 1923, Bumgardner migrated to Seattle after getting his architectural degree in 1949, attracted to the active architectural scene in the Pacific North Western hub. After working for others for a few years, he opened his own firm in 1953, and grew the firm by taking on both residential and commercial projects. His work received regular awards from the AIA (American Institute of Architects), and he even served a term as the president of the AIA Seattle chapter.

Bumgardner’s design for this home centered on light—and, in particular, the property’s location on a cliff overlooking the Puget Sound, with the natural light coming in off the coast. “There’s a sense of enclosure and release when you walk through the front door,” Kyle says. “That’s a theme that runs through Bumgardner’s work, how you capture natural light and views. It integrates the architecture into the landscape.”

front walkway to 1958 Seattle home with view of Puget Sound — The rich landscaping was already in place on the property—a benefit of working with an older home with time for the trees and plants to fill in. The front door and side lights are new custom pieces built by SHED’s cabinetry makers. “We wanted people to be able to see through to the back where the Japanese Black Pine is central to the house,” Kyle says.

New Vision

The new remodel plan that SHED created with Paul and Kirsten was to recapture Bumgardner’s original design that draws the eyes toward the views of the water. “There’s a sense that [the home] should feel accommodating, in a graceful sense,” says Thomas Schaer, principal at SHED. “This is a notable PNW mid century piece of architecture, and our primary approach is to convince clients that we can work with that space that’s already there. We try to honor the architecture.”

Some of the changes they made included a new custom front door, removing a wall next to the kitchen, closing off the back of a two-way fireplace and combining several small bathrooms into a larger useable space. “When we do a remodel, we’re able to get [the client] what they want and throw very little material into the dumpster,” Thomas says. That was the case for this home too—the team was able to use a “light touch” on areas like the living spaces, while saving time and focus for spaces that needed more organizational updating, like the kitchen.

floating staircase leading up from kitchen in renovated Seattle home — The stairwell up to the loft is in its original location, but the SHED team removed the wall between that hallway and the kitchen to add kitchen access from the bedrooms. “You had to walk around before to enter the kitchen,” Thomas says. Though they took out the wall, they kept a smaller shelf that crosses to the other side of the space, adding architectural interest. “That wall breaks down to a shelf that zips overhead,” Thomas says

In the kitchen, it was key to remove a wall that blocked the way to the primary suite. “Activities of the kitchen were [originally] the women’s realm, and they wanted privacy as they were making the perfect meal,” Thomas says. “That’s one of the most common changes we make when we’re remodeling MCM houses.” The team also put a lot of time into the kitchen cabinets, making them look less like cabinets and more like a wall in the house.

The resulting home is a seamless integration of retro and modern. “We pulled back and let the palette simplify so when the clients came in with their strong aesthetic, it was contained and intentionally woven into the design,” Kyle says. The overall feel of the house is tranquil and natural, facilitating views of the ocean. “It all feels calm and contained in richness,” Thomas says.