The airy main foyer features a graceful staircase. "I always wanted to live in a two-story house," says Kathy, who grew up in a one-story in Yuma, Ariz. A bright painting by New Orleans artist David Harouni heralds the kitchen entry.

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Kathy McKean's 'insider' design advice

Sandy and Kathy McKean like to display things collected from their travels, especially their 2½-year around-the-world epic jaunt. The stone scarab is from Egypt, the bell from Bali. Kathy purchased the figurine while traveling with her dad in China.

As an interior designer, Kathy McKean keeps her eye not only on what works but on what's "in," which constantly fluctuates with the rhythm of current events, art and other trends. Lately, she's noticed a renewed interest in dark wood floors and river rock fireplaces. And the hit movie "Something's Gotta Give" triggered a desire for a clean-cut Hamptons look.

Whatever the trends, McKean thinks designing generally starts with things that are fun to look at, whether it's wallpaper or objects d'art. In her living room, for example, there's a thangka painting of the deity White Tara from Nepal, a bowl of perfectly matched pinecones and a Japanese wooden chest bought at a Seattle antique shop. Collectibles add personality and warmth, she says. If you want to go a little wild in your own home, McKean suggests starting in one of two places — the powder room or the dining room — "because you don't use them every day."

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WHO BUYS a house sight unseen? Only a couple desperate, or remarkably secure in their aesthetic judgments. Or in the case of Kathy and Sandy McKean, both.

They bought the house in 1989, when prices were threatening to put any house out of reach.

Away in California, the couple pored over photographs sent by a friend. Based on the graceful interior stair to the second floor, they made an offer on the Mount Baker brick manse, and it was theirs.

Then came the work.

They did the first stage almost immediately, but the final stage was not completed until last year. Fortunately, Kathy is an interior designer, so during the long haul to completion the house was always well put together and richly quilted with interesting things, including art, fabrics and evocative colors.

The original 1926 house had parlor rooms and servants' areas, so the initial effort included revamping the spatial allocations of a bygone era. They combined three small rooms with the kitchen to make a sweeping new one, roughly 25 feet long. "I wanted a big kitchen so everyone could be in the kitchen with me," explains Kathy. Plates from France, Portugal and Italy decorate the walls, along with aboriginal paintings from Australia and colorful masks from Sri Lanka. They were purchased on the couple's 2 ½-year, 'round-the-world trip — Sandy's dream, to which Kathy acceded a few years after they married.

The seven-sided front parlor room, a remnant from a previous era, cried out for some fun treatment. Kathy responded with upholstered walls and a trompe l'oeil ceiling by artist Melissa Koch.

When the upstairs bathroom started leaking a few years ago and caused a hole in the ceiling below, they knew it was time to realize Kathy's dream for the house. Kathy had always loved fixing up interiors, and even as a girl in Yuma, Ariz., was forever wallpapering the bathroom with contact paper or moving furniture around. Becoming a professional interior designer was a natural step.

This second remodel was fairly extensive, though the full extent is not readily apparent because the McKeans were committed to a seamless integration. Upstairs, they combined two bathrooms to make a generous master bath; the nursery was transformed into a guest bath. They borrowed four feet from the hallway to add built-ins to the master bedroom.

A 25-foot-long kitchen was fashioned from four tiny rooms. It is the center for everyday living and casual entertaining.

Though the changes were considerable, the couple successfully kept the tone and detailing of the original house. This second remodel cost about $175,000, roughly the same as the original remodel. Interestingly, the semi-finished basement remains one of Sandy's favorite areas. Maybe it's a guy thing; he likes to see the upgraded electrical wires and plumbing pipes, all up to snuff and accessible. He says it feels homey. He also likes knowing that all the basic improvements have been top drawer — "no corners were cut."

Golden hues in the dining room bring together English country-style furniture, sophisticated wallpaper and an Asian rug. Ceramics are one of Kathy McKean's favorite collectibles, and appear in almost every room.

While Sandy extols the delights of the mostly unseen, Kathy's domain is in plain sight. In the second remodel she oversaw repainting and redecorating the downstairs. After 10 years in the business, Kathy had acquired a storehouse of decorating desires, and in this remodel she was able to unburden herself.

The dining room, for instance, boasts a green-gold wallpaper she nabbed years ago, just because she loved it, and a tortoise-shell light fixture she'd long admired but could never place. With the gold wallpaper, and golden hues of the oak table, the dining room practically glows. It's the perfect place for celebrating all that this home has come to be.

The master bathroom was created from two smaller baths. The basket-weave floor pattern, made from little pieces of cut granite, preserves the sensibility of the older house. "I love the way Kathy does bathrooms," says husband Sandy. "The proportions, the knobs. Everything."

The living-room fireplace is flanked by leaded-glass pane windows that extend almost to the floor. Kathy painted the windows and fireplace dark, emphasizing their proportions.

David Berger is a Seattle free-lance writer. He can be reached at dab@aol.com. Barry Wong is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff photographer.