Loyal Captain in The New York Times
Designed by Heliotrope Architects, featured in The New York Times September 3rd issue
Photos by Brooke Fitts
On September 3rd, 2023, our Loyal Captain project was featured in The New York Times. The kitchen and patio addition to the historic Seattle home was designed by Heliotrope Architects and built by us.
Originally built in 1933 by Norwegian ship captain Ole E. Nilsen, the two-story shingled craftsman residence in Ballard was reported to be a replica of his childhood home in Bergen, Norway. When the new homeowners decided their family required a larger kitchen, we worked alongside the architects on a new, modern 500-square-foot kitchen addition that echoes the Norwegian craftsmanship and knowledge of wood construction used in the original home while reflecting the current time period.
“Six years ago, Sonya Schneider and her husband, Stuart Nagae, bought a federally designated historical landmark in Seattle, a 5,000- square-foot, two-story home sheathed in dark, old-growth Western cedar shingles, with multiple gables, dormer windows and a cedar shake roof. It sat on an unusually large three-quarter-acre lot with mature maples, Douglas fir and a hemlock tree, in Ballard, an old Seattle neighborhood on Puget Sound.
In the early 20th century, Ballard’s shipbuilding, timber and fishing industries attracted thousands of immigrants from Scandinavia, and today the community retains its strong ethnic identity, with an annual Norwegian heritage parade and a new National Nordic Museum.
The house is a unique example of Scandinavian vernacular architecture, inside and out. It was built by highly skilled craftsmen who meticulously paneled the walls and ceilings with Douglas fir. (The boards are placed parallel for the wainscoting and vertically above it.) The living room has a double-height vaulted ceiling with a balcony loft characteristic of 19th-century Norwegian houses; its railing has carved balusters and its support beam is decorated with colorful scrolls, acanthus leaves and floral motifs, a style of traditional rural Norwegian folk painting called rosemaling, or rose painting.” — Wendy Moonan for the New York Times
In the residence’s new kitchen addition, the Dovetail Wood Shop fabricated a custom island and all of the casework with rustic white oak. For a clean, continuous look, integrated wood poles, touch latches, and bevel pulls eliminate the need for hardware throughout the extensive cabinetry. The kitchen wall features dark stained white oak and spans over 26 feet of casework, providing ample space for storage while seamlessly intersecting with the ceiling beams. The island includes a furniture-style inspired base with legs, housing the stovetop and oven in a natural white oak finish.
"The kitchen interior is equally refined: Like the house, it is fully paneled, but in a fresh, contemporary way. The cabinetry is stained white oak; the beams and columns are stained Douglas fir. The ceiling is clear cedar. The floor is polished concrete.
The space is all about clean surfaces; there is no clutter. The cabinetry has no external hardware." —Wendy Moonan for the New York Times
A bridge between old and new, the residence's new kitchen and patio addition is joined by a glass walkway. The height of the bridge had to be determined pre demo, given the variance of the elevation in different areas of the original home that would dictate the new addition's foundation. The installation process of the Quantum Glass posed a challenge of navigating tight margins while working with great care to respect and maintain the original architecture, with the west piece of glass in the 5'5" wide bridge being only 11" away from the existing chimney.
“The house and the kitchen addition are joined by a glass passageway that accentuates the distinct character of each structure. The architects refer to this hallway as the bridge.” —Wendy Moonan for The New York Times
Read the full article here.