A Sunny Mod Kitchen and Bath Renovation in Seattle

For any mod kitchen and bathroom renovation, it can be tricky to navigate the marriage of contemporary necessities with those original architectural and design elements that set a home apart. Add in, of course, making decisions that thoughtfully reflect the individuality of the homeowner, and the challenges can seem endless. For modern interior design boutique Modernous (MOD-er-nous), these challenges pose exciting opportunities for collaboration with clients to create spaces that are both livable and beautiful. Specializing in modern design of all eras including Mid Century Modern, their mission is to honor the intention of the original architect while breathing fresh life via technological innovations for a customized space that exemplifies the best elements of style and function. In their recent renovation of a Seattle area Mid Mod home’s kitchen and two bathrooms, principal Sally Julien shares how the team brought together the best of past and present to create functional, beautiful spaces.

Kitchen with cabinets and a sink. — The kitchen as the hub of the home must be hardworking as well as stylish. Here, Sally and the team brought in a splash of modern updates while staying true to the Mid Mod roots of the space with sleek lines and a minimalist touch.

Designing the Details

Built in 1957, this Blue Ridge neighborhood home located in North Seattle is of unknown provenance but has many classic Mid Mod architectural and design elements. Before bringing in Modernous for the kitchen and bathroom renovations, the clients had already worked with an architect to rework and expand the kitchen floor plan as well as reconfigure one of the bathrooms. They called Sally and her team to work on the detailing of the kitchen and pantry as well as create design cohesion for two bathrooms.

“We took lot of inspiration from the view out of the kitchen windows, as well as the clients’ desire to pay homage to their original pink bathroom,” Sally says of the combo mod kitchen and bath renovation. “In the kitchen we decided to keep things decidedly calm and minimal without a lot of focal points to emphasize their incredible views. We focused on texture and small details to keep the view the main event.” Some stand-out details in the kitchen include the terrazzo countertops with gold flaking and gold finished upper cabinets that pop at the end of the kitchen. “This helped to differentiate this kitchen from an ‘all white kitchen,” Sally says.

a white Mid Mod kitchen with yellow upper cabinets and a white quartz countertop in the foreground. — Simple and clean, the renovated kitchen reflects both Mid Century Modern design with a minimalist twist and light palette for a bright and fresh look and feel.

Work & Whimsy

Color plays an important part in the design in the pantry and bathrooms, where wallpaper takes the leading role in drawing the eye and creating a statement. “If I had to pick a favorite moment in the house, it is looking into that jewel box of a walk-in pantry,” Sally says. But style isn’t the only consideration the team from Modernous took when working out the design in these spaces. Bringing a balance to style and function is key to the success of any design, but especially in areas of the home that are more hardworking. “We always focus a lot on function, asking clients a lot of questions about how they live,” Sally says. “This family has pre-teen kids that have busy schedules and mom and dad both work, so there is a lot of meal prep and eating on the fly.”

Kitchen pantry with bold wallpaper and storage. — “For the kitchen pantry, where you can’t see the view, we went a little crazy with a whimsical wallpaper that ties in the colors of the kitchen cabinets and pink bathroom,” Sally says.

Creating Cohesion

One of the most exciting aspects of design is how certain elements like color and textures can be repeated throughout a home as a way of tying spaces together. This was a key to this mod kitchen and bath renovation project. In the kitchen, Sally and the team kept the design calm and minimal so as not to distract from the beautiful views out the expansive windows, while the bathrooms take a bolder approach with color and patterns.

“We recreated a modern version of the 1960s pink bathroom for the primary bath,” Sally says. “This helped to lead us into a color palette that would complement the bathroom, introducing a golden color for some accent cabinets.” The pantry, with its jewel-box like quality, offers a sneak preview and transition space between the kitchen and the to the two bathrooms tucked away in other parts of the home. In every room where Modernous worked, the goal was to fashion a memorable and functional design that felt cohesive and comfortable and honored the home’s history. “We wanted to ensure the finishes would hold up to heavy use, and pay homage to the period in which it was built, without the client feeling like they were living in a time capsule,” Sally says.

Mid Mod bathroom with patterned wallpaper and double sink. — Brilliant gold and a touch of pink make a statement in this eye-catching circular patterned wallpaper in one of the two bathrooms renovated by Modernous.

Looking for more kitchen and bath inspiration? Check out this post all about cabinets that are appropriate for a mod kitchen or this one where we round up the best kitchen and dining room products for mod style. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube for more Atomic Ranch articles, house tours, and ideas!