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Northwest Living Leora Bloom

Entertaining Ideas

Big and inviting, this is a house that works, for fun

WITH A POOL TABLE in the dining room, a giant saltwater aquarium in the library, a 2,200-bottle wine cellar, a theater with a 100-inch screen, an art studio and a party room complete with a full bar, Scott and Susan Lipsky's house may have the bones of a grande dame, but they've transformed it into the ultimate throw-off-your-shoes-and-celebrate-with- 200-of-your-closest-friends party house.

Scott Lipsky, an admitted workaholic, and his wife, Susan, are working hard at having fun. But their plans for remodeling their West Seattle waterfront home didn't start off to be quite so extensive.

Built in 1912, the house has a wide-open view west toward Vashon, Blake and Bainbridge islands, framed by the Olympic Mountains; the neighbors are tucked back out of sight. "It feels like you're on a boat, and that's the first thing that strikes everyone who walks in here," explains Scott. "It's just spectacular."

When they first found the 6,000-square-foot house, they thought it was too large, but the view won them over. And once they'd hired Jim Castanes as architect, chosen Schultz-Miller as contractor, and started planning their master suite, they quickly realized that their wish list for the house was long, and they were glad for the extra space. The first big decision they made was to do it all before they moved in.

And that is how, Scott explains, "the project tripled in scope, and scale, and size, and dollars," and finally included everything they'd need to keep their friends entertained, as well as a workout room and an office.

From the beginning, the Lipskys were sensitive to the neighborhood and the long history of the house. And so, except for a new garage built to look like an old carriage house, the house looks, from the outside, almost exactly as it does in a 1937 photo.

The inside was another matter. All new plumbing and wiring necessitated replacing the walls on the main floor, although its floor plan didn't really change. The original hardwood floors were preserved, and the elaborate crown moldings were painstakingly re-created. The second floor, on the other hand, was massaged into the 21st century, with bathrooms for each bedroom and a master suite carved from two bedrooms to make a rain forest-inspired bathroom and a light-filled closet/dressing room. The result is supremely comfortable, the kind of house that invites you to make yourself at home.

Married since 2003, the Lipskys met on the front lawn of Scott's old house after Scott had retired from Amazon.com. Susan was also taking a break from her career in the tech world, and had joined a landscaping crew. On that day, they were both in the right place, at the right time.

But you can't cure a workaholic overnight, so all through the design and building process the newlyweds never slowed down. Scott was starting a company, and Susan was beginning her coursework toward a degree in landscape design and construction. Now working on his second attempt at retirement, Scott gave up a day job to pursue his interests. Chairman of the board of GalleryPlayer (his most recent startup), and a Woodland Park Zoo board member, Scott also mentors new entrepreneurs and invests in startups. Susan is a Washington native-plant steward and makes monotypes in her home studio. Whenever they can, the Lipskys travel.

Both are still learning to relax. They've found a spot that's serene, yet enables them to pursue their extracurricular activities and entertain. With plans still to add a recording studio in the basement, maybe the Lipskys will relax later.

Leora Y. Bloom writes about homes and food in and around Seattle. Her e-mail is leorabakes@hotmail.com. Benjamin Benschneider is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff photographer.

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