Architect Brian Cavanaugh marries new to old

SOMETHING OLD, something new. Something borrowed, something blue.

Yes, Matthew and Sara Stubbs are newlyweds, married July 4, 2009. But the couple really has taken the old wedding bromide to heart.

You can tell that from clear down the street: 1905 bungalow joined at the hip to a 2010 contemporary; very blue front door and, beyond it, a kitchen bearing a utensil-laden pegboard, a la Julia Child.

"We opened the espresso maker, one knife and a set of sheets. All the other wedding presents stayed in boxes," says Matthew of the months spent in a nearby apartment while their house was under metamorphosis.

"We were clear early on that we wanted to keep the old house," he says. "But we didn't want an addition with an extended roofline. We've seen that, and it looks hunchbacked."

"The original house was so beautiful we wanted to keep that," says Sara.

Matthew and Sara Stubbs are homebuying/remodeling rookies. But the budget-minded pair took to it like pros. They researched neighborhoods: "When we came to Beacon Hill we said, 'Oh, light rail is right here. Restaurants are here. The walkability," says Sara.

"We spent quite a bit of time talking about what we wanted to accomplish," Matthew says.

"The first thing we wanted was a 14-foot table. And that's what we have; these are two 7-foot tables," says Sara, waving one arm at the dining space in the contemporary and the other at what was the dining room of the old house. "They're on wheels."

"We started with the tables and then made sure there was enough room to roll them together," Matthew says.

The couple lived in the old house for a bit, getting the feel of it; using one bathroom built into an exterior porch and another with plumbing that caused the kitchen ceiling to rain. They heeded her mom's advice: "If you're going to have a table that seats 20, you'll need two ovens. And his mom's: "If you're going to have a table that seats 20, you'll need two dishwashers." Then included Sara's desire: storage.

When it came time to remodel, they had a plan and an architect. Civic-minded Matthew had already worked with Brian Cavanaugh of Architecture Building Culture in Portland and Vancouver, B.C., on a project for Earth Core under the Puget Sound region's Leadership Tomorrow program. Construction manager was Greg Squires of Alloy Design Group.

Cavanaugh didn't even attempt to remake the old. Instead, he drew up the thoroughly modern "space invader," defined by HardiPanel and a cedar rainscreen that bangs right into the old cedar shakes.

Meanwhile, budget-minded creativity was forefront (translation: use of Ikea where possible). And although this is a young marriage, you know it is a strong marriage because Matthew and Sara cheerfully survived a seven-shopping-cart trip to the Renton mecca of build-it-yourselfers. Cabinet interiors are Ikea, but the fronts are walnut ordered online. The 38-feet-long kitchen/great room glass wall, meanwhile, is stock Anderson sliding windows.

Standing at the Caeserstone island, Matthew says, "We really thought about this room. How do you create that central living space?

"It's wonderful, really, having the kitchen at the heart of the house."

A heart that pumps lifeblood to both old and new.

"To me, they're hugging," Sara says. "There's no animosity. It's a warm embrace."

Rebecca Teagarden is assistant editor of Pacific Northwest magazine. Benjamin Benschneider is a magazine staff photographer.