House Spy Friday: Seattle Arboretum Craftsman

I have a soft spot for Craftsman cottages.. they were so very common in the northwest, but over time are slowly disappearing. Often they are smaller footprints than most modern families want, so if they are in good neighborhoods they get remolded or removed to make way for a bigger investment, if they are in a poor neighborhood they are often run-down from years of neglect and rental. So it's always fun to find a craftsman with classic appeal. Seattle is actually a good place to find these examples.

So my sneaky house tour this week is this gem near Seattle's Arboretum. It has been modernized but still has so much of it's original features, it's really quite lovely.

I love the dreamy dusty blue and white paint. It has the curb appeal of a tiny cottage, but the looks is deceiving, the house is actually over 3,000 square feet. It has a basement apartment, which could really be a boon for a homeowner who is looking to rent space in this neighborhood, so close to the university.

Living room is done in soft textures and warm colors, and the orginal windows are so large and pretty with the mullions above.

Classic craftsman fireplace with built-ins and more leaded glass. I'm loving these blue velvet chairs.

The dining space has more leaded glass windows.

The kitchen looks vintage...but I'm thinking these cabinets are more from the 50's.

It's actually looks to be quite a large eat-in kitchen. It has a vintage "farmhouse" feel. Including the cool vintage step stool. My great grandma had the exact same stool in her craftsman kitchen.

The bathroom looks quite original, the hexagon tiles on the floor, the sink, tub and built-ins, all look period. So nice to see a house with it's original character

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The bedrooms are done soft and sweet. The blue in here is perfect and the chair rail with white is perfect.

Perfect cottage style room.

This attic room looks very large, I would love to have skylights like that.

I was so happy to find a craftsman that still has so much of it's original goodness and obviously well cared for I had to add it to my blog.

House Spy Friday: Lincoln Park Cottage

Today I'm feeling whimsical... time to look at some Seattle area cottages to see if I can find something artsy with a bit of color.

I found a few great houses.. but this one caught my eye.

It's about 1,000 square feet. So definitely a cozy cottage.. I like the gray shingles with a bit of charcoal. I also love homeowners who are not afraid have their raised bed gardens front and center.. though it looks like they got staged with some ornamental plants, I would take those back out. There is nothing wrong with walking by your veggies regularly, or even better plant herbs along the side next to the walk. Nothing like the smell of basil and thyme in the summer.

A nice simple living room..pretty wood floors. Though I do think a wall other than yellow would show their color better. (Seattle seems to be the land of yellow living rooms)

I'm loving this dining space. The tomato painted walls with the green farm table and mixed up chairs. I love the simple pendant light and the HUGE window!

How fun is this kitchen? It looks like the homeowners are collectors of LeCreuset and have a mixed collection of colors. I also spy some bright enamel canisters, vintage coffee tin and lime colored mixer. The kitchen cabinets look vintage with simple white paint and bin pulls. The doors have been removed to show off collections and love the shelf with spices.

I'm not sure I would have ever thought to do a nursery in bright grass green. In this space it really works, look at all those windows! I love the vintage dresser and the white furniture. Simple decor and a cute bunting. 

This outdoor space is so peaceful. It really feels like you could be out in the country. I could see those trees strung with fairy lights for late night get togethers. 

Another view of the yard and it looks like the neighbors have a nice Craftsman home. Lots of green and bet you would get a lot of different birds visiting any feeders you put out. You would hardly know your living in the city. 

House Spy Friday: Seattle Tudor Cottage

This Seattle Tudor caught my eye this week. The street appeal is fabulous. It even has some tastful pumpkins in the photo. Perfect subject for today, it's actually got a bit of a fall feel in the air after our odd summer in October we have been experiencing.

The front yard has perfect landscaping, the window boxes and the vines give it that storybook feel.

I love the wood details on the front porch and the rustic wood door.

The celing has box beams and the old world fireplace is beautiful.

Light and bright kitchen with pretty windows.

I love this staircase. The cut out spindles, I would love do do something like this in our home. 

This pretty blue bedroom has a romantic fireplace and practical and pretty built in shelves.

The back yard is small, but it feels private and is nicely landscaped.

Overall it feels a bit English cottage. I love a house with interesting details.. I would love to see it done up for Christmas.

House Spy Friday- Bremerton Beach Cottage

Bremerton Wa. is located across the sound from Seattle.. and only a 45 min ferry ride. It's actually a reasonable choice if you are wanting a waterfront summer cottage. As the home prices are much more reasonable vs Seattle area. In fact we were tempted by a few of them ourselves while house hunting...and if it wasn't for the longer commute for hubby and the fact that some of the schools are rated fairly poorly, we may have bought one.
Today's little gem is in Bremerton and it is waterfront, though not on the main body. I actually had this house in my favorites a couple years ago, and I found it's back on the market. Maybe if it's back by the time we retire, we will go look at it.

The color is perfect for it.. the marine blue shingles, the white trim and shutters and bits of color in the patio furniture. I love the mature trees and shrubs, they look well cared for, but not formal.

I'm usually not a huge fan of this much wood. However in this cottage it feels very sweet and cozy. The rustic built in's next to the fireplace, the huge amount of windows. I LOVE the dutch door!!This feels like a room meant to curl up with a good mystery and a cup of tea and listen to the rain pattering outside. 

And you can gaze outside and watch the weather on the water.

The dining area has more of the paneling... I could see this cottage going two ways. You could go with rustic and keep the pretty knotty pine. Or you could white wash, or paint the trim for a crisp nautical look. Either way would look really cute. The wood floor in here is fabulous, it looks like reclaimed barnwood, it's kind of peiced together in places. This cottage has tons of character. 

Top it off with a bright white farmhouse style kitchen. It looks like it has a nook to one side. Large pantry cabinet and I spy another dutch door! swoon..

The doors look original with crystal knobs. I see bead board in the bath and maybe hex tiles. I'm not fond of the ceiling tile.. but that could be replaced by plank or bead board. 

This master is adorable. Look at the scalloped edge wood trim, again you could keep it cozy wood, or go painted. I spy a hidden door under the window, do you see the little knobs. Again ceiling tile needs removed and a plank ceiling would look cool in here. There was actually another view of this room, it's bigger and there is a sitting area to one side. Again.. just loads of character!

A romantic little fish pond, fire pit for s'mores and a beach. 

Down on the cove, the tide was low when the photographer came.. I spy some other cottages around the water, looks like a sweet little neighborhood and good place to putter around in a kayak. 

House Spy Friday

I have a confession to make....
I look at real estate pages quite often. I love looking at homes and getting ideas for things to do with mine. Colors, landscape ideas.. furniture placement. Though often the homes are staged now a days, it's still fun to do. So I'm one that messes up the realtor's stats on their listings...because they are recording who is interested and viewing the online gallery...but I'm not buying, just window shopping.

So I'm going to start doing a House Spy Friday. A post to show some of these little treasures out on the market. Most of the homes will be smaller cottages, though some will be bigger if they have creative or fascinating architecture or decorating.

I'm starting off with a brick tudor from Seattle. It's actually a very common style of home in that area, but what caught my eye was the pretty finishes inside and the dreamy conservatory. I would so love to have one just like it, including the sweet cream colored stove.

The inside is staged with a clean coastal vibe. 

The kitchen's colors compliment the wood tones. 

I love how small city homes often make creative use of space. This home has an attic that was converted into a master bedroom, bath and closet. The whole suite feels like a luxurious tree house.. I would love this space. 

And of course the conservatory, so appropriate here in our climate. I would love a lovely glass room to sit out and enjoy the changing colors of the trees.. but yet stay warm and dry. A place that would have plenty of natural light to read or sew. That little cast iron stove is adorable.

The conservatory was integrated into the landscape well.. they had to do some work to use the slope effectively, but the result is varied spaces that could be made into cottage garden "rooms" with some added potted plants and an arbor. 

That concludes our little house spy for the week. I'm sure I will have another gem to show next Friday.