On Top Of The World
'Awesome' is achieved with simple lines and a stairway to heaven
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 BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES The house looks particularly dramatic at night. Interior lights shine through the curtain walls, making the house glow like a beacon near the top of Queen Anne Hill.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES With so much glass in the center of the house, and neighbors just a few feet away, privacy was a big issue. The Johnsons looked at a number of glass options and chose reeded glass (by All New Glass) for the curtain walls, because it has ribbing on the inside that obscures vision but doesn't block light. At roof level, reeded glass gives way to clear glass to expose the view.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES In the kitchen, natural-finish maple cabinets (by Cabinetworks) are slip-matched by placing sheets of veneer side by side to create a very vertical, repeated pattern. Both the Absolute Black granite counters (by Stoneworks) and the cabinetry continue into the dining area. The cabinetry next to the wet bar conceals a dumb waiter.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES The stairwell is bright with natural light and very modern, thanks to open risers between the oak treads, steel stair stringers and walls of windows (called curtain walls) rising on either side.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES A small side garden designed by Daniel Lowery of Queen Anne Gardens showcases a piece of outdoor art by Little and Lewis, Inc. (George Little and David Lewis, Bainbridge Island-based sculptors and gardeners).
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Because Scott Johnson is a commercial architect, and Gretchen Johnson manages retail construction, the commercial elements they borrowed for their residence not only make it modern but also serve as their personal signatures.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES In the master bedroom, the Johnsons installed new windows with simple, solid trim that seems to turn their view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains into pieces of artwork. |
FOR MUCH OF the past two years, Scott Johnson straddled two worlds. In one, he was, as a principal with NBBJ, the lead architect on a $450 million project in Moscow. In the other, he was remodeling his Seattle home for $250 a square foot. The Moscow project involved a pair of skyscrapers while the Johnson home is just 17 feet wide. The projects were wildly different, but Scott says he found the change in scale challenging and exciting.
Back from his final trip to Moscow, Scott stands on his new rooftop deck with his wife, Gretchen Johnson, looking out over Elliott Bay at the Olympic Mountains. In a city where views are a dime a dozen, this one is priceless. As the Johnsons squint into the sunshine, they are, literally, on top of their world.
Both love Modernist architecture, and Scott had always dreamed of designing his own house. But when they moved back to Seattle from San Francisco in 1988, the Johnsons thought they'd end up in an old, classic house because they wanted to be on Queen Anne Hill. Scott moved back first and was not supposed to be house-hunting when he saw the then-new spec house with its inspiring view. He jumped on it.
But after 16 years, the house was ready for new windows and a new roof, and Scott and Gretchen's Modernist sensibilities were itching to update their '80s Swedish-finish hardwood floors and pale purplish-gray walls.
Over the years, the Johnsons had talked about what they wished they had, so by the time Scott began the drawings in early 2004, they had a clear idea of what they wanted: more light, and an open floor plan to better expose their view. Scott laughs when he explains he did all the drawings in his spare time, taking longer than he could possibly have imagined. Finally, in October 2004, they were ready to go.
Commercial elements come home
Because Scott Johnson is a commercial architect, and Gretchen Johnson manages retail construction, the commercial elements they borrowed for their residence not only make it modern but also serve as their personal signatures. Among the features:
• A curtain wall. Aluminum frameworks assembled on site span 23 vertical feet on the north side of the house, 16 feet on the south, supporting the large windows they hold.
• Richlite. While commonly used for kitchen countertops and skateboard parks, this low-maintenance, paper-and-resin material is used to side the home's rooftop enclosure.
• Steel stair stringers. Often left exposed in modern apartment and office buildings, these support beams are gaining popularity in residences.
• A store-front door. The Johnsons liked the commercial door's simple aluminum design, and the way it continues the lines and the glass of the southern curtain wall.
Luckily, the one room that would not be touched by the remodel was Gretchen's office, where she schedules and tracks construction of retail stores for Limited Brands. With Gretchen on-site, and her wealth of experience in project management, the result of this home-grown venture is no surprise — it's a flawless, deceptively simple space perfectly suited to the couple's lifestyle and sensibilities.
The view that motivated their original purchase opens up right from the front door. The entrance hall that used to be a closed space is now bright with natural light coming from walls of windows to the north and south.
The kitchen, dining and living rooms were turned into one long space that seems to point at the view. Scott loves to cook, and the Johnsons enjoy entertaining. With this remodel, guests can congregate in the kitchen area while Scott works his magic at his Emeril-worthy DCS gas range. No one feels crowded, and nothing interrupts the flow.
As striking as the view is from the main floor, it's even better from the master bedroom upstairs. Huge windows in the southern and western walls frame a practically uninterrupted view of Puget Sound.
A last flight of stairs leads to the roof deck. As the stairs hit the roofline, the glass in the towering wall of windows changes from ribbed to clear, and the effect is mesmerizing. You arrive in a glass enclosure with 75 feet of deck stretching east to west, opening up the view all around you. Gretchen declares it "just awesome." Scott's work projects may scrape the sky, but it's doubtful their views get any better than this, not even in Moscow.
Leora Y. Bloom writes about beautiful homes and delicious 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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