{"id":3043,"date":"2024-10-29T00:34:56","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T16:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2024\/10\/29\/washington-state-four-square-the-client-got-hired-by-her-designer-thanks-to-this-project\/"},"modified":"2024-10-29T00:34:56","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T16:34:56","slug":"washington-state-four-square-the-client-got-hired-by-her-designer-thanks-to-this-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/it\/washington-state-four-square-the-client-got-hired-by-her-designer-thanks-to-this-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington State Four Square: Il cliente \u00e8 stato assunto dal suo designer grazie a questo progetto"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hillary and Jim Straatman weren\u2019t planning to move\u2014nor was Hillary looking for a career change. Three years ago, she was a cardiac nurse on leave with two young daughters when a real estate broker mentioned a well-preserved four square newly on the market in Bellingham, Washington. Jim had grown up in Seattle in a similar turn-of-the-century, cube-shaped structure with a prominent stair and wood-paneled rooms, a house that he always says raised him. They lived nearby and took a look for fun.<\/p>\n

The two are self-taught remodelers and old house enthusiasts\u2014since meeting at age 20 at Bellingham\u2019s Western Washington University 20 years ago, they had fixed up a tiny bungalow followed by a slightly bigger house. But they didn\u2019t begin to consider the four square until it sat and sat on the market. \u201cIt\u2019s 4,000 square feet and needed a lot of work\u2014it\u2019s filled with dark wood and had very little light\u2014the electrical system had never been touched,\u201d says Hillary.<\/p>\n

As the price got more negotiable, the couple spent nights staring at a spreadsheet trying to figure out how they might swing it. Then the house went to contract with another buyer, only to have the deal fall through several months later. \u201cThat\u2019s when we swept in,\u201d says Hillary. Read on to see how they were able to respectfully update a stately but stodgy relic on a budget\u2014and how Hillary\u2019s SOS call to the designer down the road turned out to be life changing.<\/p>\n

Photography by Haris Kenjar, unless noted, all courtesy of Lisa Staton Interior Design.<\/p>\n


Above: Built in 1906 for Lindley Hoag Hadley, an attorney  and U.S. Congressman who, Hillary says, was likely inspired by courthouse architecture, the house came replete with its original woodwork, all largely unpainted and in good condition. It opens to a grand center hall. <\/p>\n

The couple wanted to preserve the architecture\u2014without living in a museum: \u201cwe wanted it to feel old and warm but also open and airy.\u201d They did as much of the updating themselves as possible, including removing wallpaper and lugging out several flaking, lead-paint covered, 300-pound radiators (which were then sent to be stripped and powder coated). That is, until they decided to rewire. It took interviewing four electricians to find the one who was willing to work with a \u201ccrazy old house without taking out walls and lovely plaster ceilings. We needed someone who was willing to fish wire,\u201d says Hillary. While the dust was flying, they stayed in a rental they own and later with Hillary\u2019s parents; Jim, a manager at a software company, spent nights at work on the house.<\/p>\n

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Above: After installing a new electrical system, the couple realized they needed help: \u201cWe had no concept: How much lighting do we need? How high do you hang sconces? After paying to have the house rewired, we wanted to light it properly,\u201d says Hillary. \u201cThat\u2019s when I called Lisa.\u201d <\/p>\n

Lisa Staton, a neighbor, runs her own busy interior design firm specializing in residential overhauls. She came in to offer advice, which quickly led to a friendship\u2014and to Staton not only working closely with the couple on the house, but to offering Hillary a job. \u201cHillary is the first client in fifteen years of business who was such an amazing fit that she ended up joining our team\u201d says Staton. \u201cShe may not have had formal training, but Hillary is a born stylist and fantastic researcher.\u201d As for Hillary, she tells us design is her passion, \u201cat this stage, I just didn\u2019t know I could turn it into a career.\u201d<\/p>\n


Above: \u201cWith all of its dark and deep details, the house was a hard puzzle to solve,\u201d says Staton. \u201cWe wanted to quiet it down a bit, and to immediately telegraph that it\u2019s a family home.\u201d Towards that end, they pitched a tepee in front of the grand stair. And they selected a few clean-lined, 20th-century classics, such as this green marble table from Homestead Antiques in Seattle and 1960s Ib Kofod-Larsen chair, to add what Staton calls \u201ca layer of modernity.\u201d
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Above: The entry opens to the dining room, which has another of the house\u2019s four fireplaces (and was likely originally the sitting room). The pink painting was commissioned by Hillary as a tribute to her late grandmother, the owner of an interiors store, who got her started on this path\u2014and whole-heartedly encouraged the career shift.,<\/p>\n

All of the wood detailing is local old-growth fir with its original mahogany stain. \u201cI had my days of saying I just want to paint all of this, but I knew I\u2019d regret it,\u201d says Hillary. \u201cThe main floor is so architecturally busy that we tried to stay neutral with the furnishings and art, and to introduce texture to soften the spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n


Above: J.L. M\u00f8ller Model 75 chairs from the fifties\u2014two found in Seattle, two ordered from a dealer in Denmark\u2014surround a vintage Danish table. All of the house\u2019s lighting is white and sculptural: the pendant light is from Jayson Home in Chicago and the Go Lightly Sconces are a Barbara Barry design from Circa Lighting. Hillary happened upon the Sheep Ottoman at Target. <\/p>\n

In place of the existing wallpaper, the downstairs is painted Simply White from Benjamin Moore, one of our 10 Paint Colors with Cult Followings: Architects\u2019 All-Time Favorite Paint Picks. Staton notes that to \u201cbalance all the whites and reddish wood tones, \u201cwe added rhythms of crisp black throughout.\u201d<\/p>\n


Above: A glass-fronted cabinet is conveniently accessible from both dining room and the kitchen. Photograph by Hillary Straatman.
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Above: On the other side, the pass-through is concealed behind a paneled door. The kitchen is the one room the couple are waiting to tackle: \u201cIt\u2019s where the budget stopped,\u201d says Staton.\u201dThe island and linoleum floor are from a 1990\u2019s remodel gone bad,\u201d explains Hillary. \u201cWe hope to do a refresh.\u201d Photograph by Hillary Straatman.,

Above: All of the downstairs spaces flow into each other. Set in the back of the house, the southwest-facing living room gets the most natural light, \u201ca hot commodity in this part of the country,\u201d says Hillary <\/p>\n

The sofa was her grandmother\u2019s and is still in its original 1960\u2019s upholstery, \u201cfaded to just the right brownish blush,\u201d says Staton. The coffee table is Blu Dot\u2019s marble-topped Minimalista Table and the ceiling fixture is the Waldorf Triple from Lambert & Fils.  <\/span><\/p>\n


Above: Keeping things light\u2014a powder-coated steel picture ledge, \u201ccustomized to our exact dimensions\u201d by Etsy vendor True North Industrial, displays a layered collection of watercolors and prints.
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Above: One of the refurbished radiators stands behind a pair of vintage safari chairs. All of the Icelandic Sheepskins are from Hawkins New York.,

Above:\u201dThe wood trim in the upstairs bedrooms was already painted, so we felt okay repainting it,\u201d says Hillary. <\/p>\n

The master bedroom has a balcony that overlooks Bellingham Bay: \u201cWe can see the downtown marina and San Juan Islands,\u201d says Hillary. The bedside Hood Sconces are by Brendan Ravenhill, and the Simple Linen Bedding is from Hawkins New York. Hillary ordered the Linen Curtains from H&M online: $99 for two panels, hemming tape included.<\/p>\n


Above: A still-life on an Ikea dresser. The  light is the Cleo Orb Base Table Lamp by Kelly Wearstler for Circa Lighting. Hillary\u2019s mother gave her the black and white photo on the day of the 2017 Women\u2019s March\u2014it shows naked women forming a peace sign.
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Above: An LA work trip for Lisa and Hillary coincided with the Rose Bowl Flea Market, where they found the yellowed art students\u2019 drawings that are casually tacked to the wall in the guest room, now  the baby room: the family\u2019s third daughter was born recently and named after Hillary\u2019s grandmother.,<\/p>\n

Ikea\u2019s rice paper Storuman lamp, $12.99, sits on an Urban Outfitter table hack: \u201cwe took off part of the legs and had a stone top made for it,\u201d says Staton.<\/p>\n


Above: The family bath has its original built-in drawers and cabinets on two sides, but the room was updated in the 1990s, when the sink vanity and tile floor were added (the latter was in bad shape and required new grouting\u2014\u201dJim put in a lot elbow grease here,\u201d says Hillary). <\/p>\n

To unify the elements and draw the eye to the cabinetry, they painted all the surfaces Benjamin Moore Cloud White. The wire mesh chair is a vintage Russell Woodard Sculptura Occasional Chair, currently being reproduced by Woodard and DWR.<\/p>\n


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Above L:Hillary and Lisa introduced the large mirror from Rejuvenation and Triple Seven Home sconces\u2014\u201dit\u2019s a narrow space and a nice thing about these lights is that they don\u2019t take up much room but they have scale.\u201d says Hillary. The nickel New York Cross Handle Faucets are $259 from Signature Hardware. Above R: The tub is original.
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Above: The couple\u2019s two older daughters share a room painted Benjamin Moore\u2019s Opal, \u201csubtle but pink enough to make the girls happy,\u201d says Hillary. The bedding is a combination of By M\u00f6lle, Ikea, and H&M Home designs, and the pear poster, Pirum Parum, is from Fine Little Day. No, the glass vase with flowering branches, Hillary assures, is not usually in place. <\/p>\n

How did her work with transplant patients prepare her for her current position? \u201cNursing was truly life and death and gave me perspective about what\u2019s important. Even when things go wrong on job sites, this is fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Take a look at two other Lisa Staton projects:<\/p>\n