With a mid-century home, there are few things that divide opinions more than the original wood. Paint it, some will say; don’t you dare, say the rest. In this 1947 home in Washington, Studio Solberg found a rather more diplomatic solution. Tucked among the mature trees that sit beside Lake Washington, the four-bedroom house already had plenty going for it: rich cedar paneling, dramatic architecture, and a setting that makes the home feel more like a storybook than a suburban address.
But its layout, dated finishes, and lack of natural light weren’t working for family life. As designer Jordyn Solberg puts it, the clients loved the area, but had ‘mixed feelings about the house itself’, so instead of turning it into something it wasn’t, she instead asked: what is worth keeping, and where could a little reinvention make all the difference?
‘Our approach was selective rather than rigidly preservationist,’ she says. ‘We didn’t feel that every original surface needed to remain, but we also didn’t want to erase the features that gave the house its identity.’ So the cedar stayed where it made both architectural and emotional sense, while painted surfaces introduced moments of relief; the kitchen was substantially reworked to connect it with the surrounding living spaces; and skylights brought daylight down into the heart of the house rather than asking the original wood to take the blame for a dark interior.
The result is neither a time capsule nor a full-gut makeover, but something much more interesting: a home that feels as though it has evolved naturally over nearly 80 years, while still working beautifully for the family living in it today.
Family Room: As you enter the family room, the home’s original woodwork and a striking tiled fireplace provide a rich backdrop for a mix of vintage-inspired furnishings, soft textiles and natural textures.
(Image credit: Studio Solberg / Photography by Alessandra Brescia)
‘The house and its surroundings were our greatest influences,’ Jordyn says, with the original cedar providing a natural continuation of what was happening outside. Because the house already felt ‘almost tucked into the forest,’ Studio Solberg didn’t want the interiors to compete with that feeling. The palette follows a mix of warm timber tones, woven materials, natural fibers, handmade ceramics, and glass, all bringing an organic, tactile quality to the rooms, while quieter colors complement rather than contrast with the views.
There is even a little architectural philosophy behind it. Jordyn points to the thinking of the period – and architects like Frank Lloyd Wright – in which natural materials and a strong relationship to the site were used to help blur the boundary between inside and out. ‘We wanted to preserve that spirit here,’ she says.
That connection also explains why the interiors feel so collected rather than overly curated. Jordyn wasn’t looking for one color, pattern or material to flow from room to room; instead, ‘the connecting thread was really a feeling: warm, intimate, collected and deeply connected to the landscape.’ It was also important to create a sense of balance. ‘Some rooms are lighter and provide relief from the richness of the cedar, while others allow you to be completely immersed in it. The materials and colors shift accordingly, but they all feel like they belong to the same environment,’ she adds.
Kitchen: Fresh tones that relate the scheme to the world outdoors bring a contemporary note to the open-plan kitchen. Cabinet Glass Panels, Custom by Crosby Glass Studio; Pendant, Etsy; Hardware, HRLBrass.
(Image credit: Studio Solberg / Photography by Alessandra Brescia)
While the property had wonderful mid-century bones and a strong sense of place, Jordyn and the clients took a room-by-room view of what was earning its keep and what was getting in the way of everyday life. ‘The objective wasn’t to preserve every original surface untouched,’ she explains, but to work out ‘where the architecture added warmth and identity, where it needed to be balanced, and where more significant changes would help the family enjoy the house.’ That gave the renovation permission to be practical as well as respectful. The cedar could stay, but the awkward kitchen didn’t have to; the characterful original details could remain, without dictating how the family used every room.
The most significant changes were concentrated around the kitchen and part of the garage. The existing kitchen was cramped and disconnected from the surrounding rooms, so its layout was reworked to create ‘better circulation and sightlines that allowed the kitchen to function as a more natural part of everyday family life’. Part of the garage became a small mudroom, making the entrance more functional, while elsewhere the interventions were deliberately lighter. ‘We made smaller, carefully considered adjustments to the sunken living room, dining room and family room. These changes helped the spaces relate more cohesively to one another without unnecessarily altering the home’s original architecture,’ Jordyn explains.
Living Room: Original cedar paneling and a brick fireplace give the living room its unmistakable mid-century character, softened by tactile furnishings and sculptural pieces. Sheepskin Chairs, Barnaby Lane; Coffee Table, Custom; Sofa, Nickey Kehoe.
(Image credit: Studio Solberg / Photography by Alessandra Brescia)
The trick with a house this rich in character is knowing when to let it take the lead – and when to give it a little breathing room. Jordyn retained the paneling where it was most important, but deliberately introduced painted surfaces elsewhere, creating moments of contrast rather than allowing every room to become wrapped in timber.
‘The key was knowing where to preserve the wood and where to create relief from it,’ she says. The sunken living room is a particularly good example: its cedar-clad walls remain, but the ceiling was dropped slightly and finished in drywall, providing a lighter note overhead and, crucially, the opportunity to introduce integrated lighting. It was a relatively subtle move, but one that helped make the room feel brighter and more balanced without taking away what made it special.
Then there was the question of what to put with all that wood. ‘It has nearly 80 years of age and patina,’ she continues, so anything too pristine or stark would ‘stick out like a sore thumb’. Instead, lighter upholstery, reflective glass, rattan, woven materials, handmade ceramics and warm metals were employed to soften the timber, while vintage and vintage-influenced pieces give the newer layers a little history of their own.
‘The goal was never to create a period-perfect mid-century interior,’ she says. Instead, the aim was for the house to feel ‘layered, personal and collected,’ with pieces from different eras brought together thoughtfully. Adding in the new skylights, which bring daylight into the heart of the house, allowed the cedar to feel ‘warm and dimensional rather than dark’. The idea was less about toning down the wood, more about giving it the right things to sit alongside.
Family Room: A deep blue curved sofa and layered textiles bring softness to the family room, set against its original cedar paneling and new built-in storage. Sofa, Room & Board; Ottoman, Custom by HM Duke Design in Zak + Fox Fabric.
(Image credit: Studio Solberg / Photography by Alessandra Brescia)
The family room, which is entered via the mudroom and then flows into the kitchen, is perhaps where Studio Solberg’s layered approach feels most impressive. The original cedar paneling and built-in shelving remain intact, creating a warm, enveloping backdrop, but the furnishings bring a much fresher note: a deep blue curved sofa, patterned textiles, vintage art and curiosities. Jordyn says the team wanted the rooms to feel as though they had ‘evolved naturally over time,’ rather than looking like a collection of brand-new pieces dropped into an old house. ‘We worked together to embrace its mid-century character while improving the elements that felt dark, dated, or impractical for contemporary family life,’ she adds.
Kitchen: Deep blue-green cabinetry, woven bar stools and warm brass accents give the kitchen a rich, layered feel, while the leafy view beyond brings the setting in. Stools, Jake Arnold for Crate & Barrel; Island Pendants, Lostine.
(Image credit: Studio Solberg / Photography by Alessandra Brescia)
Against the deep, inky blue-green of the cabinetry and paneled walls, the veining of the pale stone countertops in the kitchen feels almost luminous, while brass hardware and a sweet cafe curtain add just enough charm to stop the scheme from becoming too moody. The woven bar stools are an especially good foil to all those painted surfaces, bringing in the natural, slightly irregular texture that runs through the rest of the house. ‘The new cabinetry, lighting, and materials were all chosen to feel sympathetic to the original architecture without trying to create a literal reproduction of a 1940s kitchen,’ Jordyn explains.
Living Room: The sunken living room pairs pale upholstery, sculptural marble tables and sheepskin-covered seating for a softer take on the home’s mid-century character. Sofa, Couch Seattle; Light, Noguchi.
(Image credit: Studio Solberg / Photography by Alessandra Brescia)
In a neighborhood where people often travel around by golf cart, a sense of relaxed character was important to reflect inside the home, too. Texture was especially important here. With its soaring walls, exposed wooden staircase, and substantial brick fireplace, the formal living room has a natural sense of drama, so Jordyn kept the furnishings relatively calm, allowing the architecture to do the heavy lifting.
A pale sofa sits opposite the fireplace, while a sculptural trio of marble coffee tables, sheepskin-covered chairs, and soft textiles bring a more relaxed, tactile quality to the space. The introduction of skylights was the most transformative change. ‘Bringing daylight into the main living area allowed us to retain the richness of the original cedar in key spaces and allow the shifting quality of Pacific Northwest light to become part of the interior experience,’ she adds.
Dining Spaces: Two dining spaces, two distinct moods: a relaxed table beside the kitchen and a moodier formal room framed by the home’s original architectural details. Family Room Dining Chairs, Lumens; Mid-Century Chandelier, Etsy. Dining Room Table, CB2; Chairs, Vintage; Chandelier, Mullan Lighting; Art, Aaron Leitz.
(Image credit: Studio Solberg / Photography by Alessandra Brescia)
There are two dining spaces in the home, and while they share the same warm, collected sensibility, each has its own distinct personality. The more casual dining area sits within the family room, just off the kitchen, where a blue-and-white checked tablecloth, black wishbone chairs, and a mid-century-style pendant bring a playfulness to the original cedar cabinetry.
‘Ultimately, it was that balance of old and new, polished and imperfect, painted and paneled that helped the cedar feel intentional and relevant without losing the character that makes the house so special,’ Jordyn notes.
Upstairs, the formal dining room takes a theatrical turn with a dramatically veined stone table at the center, framed by sculptural black seating and a graphic artwork. The upstairs dining room also benefits from one of the home’s most charming original details – an open wooden screen along the central hallway that ‘creates separation without closing the room off’, allowing light and glimpses into the dining room as you move through the house.
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Fittingly, the project’s sense of ease extends to the relationship behind it. Jordyn had known the clients for years and had already worked on earlier projects within the same house, meaning this wasn’t a case of arriving with a grand vision and imposing it on an unfamiliar property. ‘We weren’t approaching the house as strangers,’ she says, but building on conversations and decisions that had developed over several years. That familiarity allowed for a more nuanced kind of renovation. And perhaps that is the detail most easily missed when looking at the finished rooms. ‘The restraint behind deciding what not to change is an important part of the project,’ says Jordyn. The skylights are a perfect example, she explains, because rather than altering the cedar to brighten the house, the team brought daylight in from above, leaving the original material intact while changing how it was experienced. ‘These choices may not be immediately obvious,’ she adds, ‘but they are what allow the original architecture and the newer interventions to coexist so naturally.’ And that, ultimately, is what makes this project feel so convincing: after nearly 80 years, the house hasn’t been made to look brand new.
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