SHED Architecture & Design renovates home for Seattle restaurateur
Local studio SHED Architecture & Design has renovated a 1920s building into a compact two-level home with a black exterior and interior references to its history in Seattle.
The 1927 building was previously a studio for Seattle impressionist artist Louise Crow, then a church, before the 1,000-square-foot structure (92-square metre) was converted into a house for Quynh-Vy Pham, the owner of venerated Vietnamese Phở Bắc restaurants in the city's Little Saigon neighbourhood.
Pham inherited the property from her late brother, who had originally begun the renovation.
Set on a 2,835-square-foot (263-square-metre) lot with non-conforming conditions, the Phở Bắc House sits between two large houses in Seattle's Leschi neighbourhood near Frink Park.
SHED Architecture & Design (SHED) added a second storey and a half-storey for storage to expand the space to 1,858 square feet (173 square metres) while maintaining the original structure.
"The Phở Bắc House is the result of a layering of histories, both personal and local, to create a compact home that reflects the way that Quynh-Vy lives, works and entertains,” said SHED project architect Rebecca Marsh.
"The design pulled from the history of the existing structure, its past functions and the desire to honor her brother's legacy.”
Set up from the street level, the north facade is characterised by a large window surrounded by charcoal grey fibreglass shingles – an economical nod to the building's original cedar.
The 1927 window was enlarged to bring in more natural light and painted pink to reference the restaurant's signature hue and the owner's brother's early renovation efforts. The previous frame was repurposed into an interior screen and stair guardrail, preserving part of the structure's history.
The interior layout prioritises natural light, circulation and openness, arranging social spaces to flow from interior to exterior.
With framed views of the Cascades and Lake Washington, the linear house has living, dining and kitchen spaces on the ground floor that open to a large back patio. The upper floor is private with two bedrooms, a shared bathroom and a sitting room that leads to a roof deck overlooking the street.
A half-level is tucked into the street-side retaining wall for storage and mechanical space.
"Ceiling heights vary throughout to create dynamic connections between rooms, giving the compact home an open and generous feel,” the studio said.
The material palette incorporates durable, cost-effective new materials with reused elements from the property – such as a brass pendant from the former church that hangs in the stairwell and the salvaged beams in the dining room.
The historical moments are accompanied by walnut finishes and pink details.
SHED collaborated with Brooklyn-based Space Theory for flexible storage solutions, including a bench that spans the length of the home and serves as integrated seating, storage, display space and a media centre.
Meanwhile, the dining room is framed in upper cabinets – reached by a library ladder – that extend the kitchen storage.
Recently, SHED has completed other residential renovations in the Pacific Northwest, including a Portland house centred around a skylight, a West Seattle home with a jagged roof inspired by Swiss mountain peaks and a Shoreline residence converted from a midcentury assisted living facility.
The photography is by Rafael Soldi.
Project credits:
Architect: SHED Architecture & Design
Contractor: Ambrose Construction
Structural engineer: Todd Perbix
Casework: Space Theory
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