Modern Condominium Build-Out
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
A downtown Seattle condominium project of ours was recently completed and today’s post will cover the materials, methods and trades of the project. You’ve heard us say it before and you’ll hear it again: the primary ingredient of a successful project is extraordinary clients and this project has an extra dose of it. The owners brought a clean, Scandinavian aesthetic to the table in addition to dozens of creative design ideas. The completed space achieves that warm-modern quality that is sleek, spacious and unadorned, at the same time comfortable and livable. The owners understood the importance of discipline in design and it paid off with an effective use of space, rich materials and smart systems.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
When we were brought on board the unit was an empty gray-shell (exposed concrete) which is an ideal situation for architects. All the plumbing, electrical and hvac (heating ventilation, air conditioning) was entirely exposed, subsequently the as-built documents we put together were very accurate. Because of all the recent litigation around condominium exteriors in Seattle, the window and door systems are challenging to change or modify. With the heightened insurance requirements, very few groups will even perform work to a building envelope. It was decided to leave the existing window and door system as is.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
Lead architect, Andrew van Leeuwen, situated an enclosed pantry at the center of the space like a piece of furniture to provide separation of space without the restriction of floor to ceiling walls.
Heating and air conditioning is supplied near the windows through linear slot ceiling diffusers manufactured by Titus. All the hvac ducts are located in a 10” high space above the drywall lid thanks to the hard work and clever engineering of Pro-Staff Mechanical.
A second line of inconspicuous ceiling slots adjacent to the windows conceals the electronically controlled drop down shades by Iris.
The 3-sided fireplace is the HL38DFPFC manufactured by Montigo. This particular unit is great because it’s modern and minimal (no fake logs) and has a remote control option for flame height.
The “floating” bamboo floor is manufactured by Teragren and sits on a ¼” acoustic pad made by Dura-son.
Square recessed ceiling lights manufactured by Sistemalux create a sharp, organized look. Lighting design for the project was provided by Precision LD.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
A small office nook is positioned in the corner of the kitchen, making good use out of the corner window.
The cabinet package by Henrybuilt is separated into two groups: the kitchen and den cabinets are walnut while the lower sitting benches around the unit are caramelized vertical grain bamboo to match the floors. Conceptually the floors wrap up and become places for sitting and storing.
White Durat countertops at the kitchen were installed by Contemporary Countertops who did a sharp, clean job at the cut-outs and edges.
A dropped mdf (medium density fiberboard) painted soffit defines the kitchen space and creates an intentional location for ceiling penetrations (lights, fire sprinklers, speakers, etc).
The appliances in the unit are drop-dead gorgeous and include a cooktop, ventilation hood, speed oven, wall oven and dishwasher all by Miele. The refrigerator is the Sub-Zero 611 series.
Dornbracht’s very new Tara Ultra faucet sits proudly at the sink.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
A concealed soffit uplight is used at the intersection of the kitchen soffit and the dining room soffit. The Alpro dining room soffit is covered in a separate BUILDblog post here.
A re-lite to the bedroom beyond maintains natural light and views throughout the unit (left of the concrete wall).
Three “Casino” pendants lights by Tobias Grau are positioned above the dining room table. These lights have the ability to change color when desired.
The building uses a lateral system of concrete shearwalls; three of these walls were left exposed in the unit and a smooth concrete skim coat was applied over the top. The wall pictured in the dining room (above) has a small aluminum channel attached above – a modern picture rail for hanging art.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
Backlit sliding glass doors on the cabinets hug the wall and open up to floating shelves near the window.
[Photos by BUILD LLC]
The den above also serves as a guest room. The sliding Raumplus floor to ceiling glass doors fully enclose the space.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
A “Tequila Sunrise” Caesarstone countertop sits above a Henrybuilt floating walnut vanity.
Recessed ceiling lighting creates light without the fixture getting in the way. Continuous LED bar lights by LED Power are used at the soffit condition.
Bathroom fixtures include Vola faucets and shower controls -these are some of the most beautiful plumbing fixtures we’ve worked with.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
A grid of glass tiles by Pental envelopes the shower, 4” x 4” stone is sloped at the floor to a 3” deep drainage trough. The trough is capped with a perforated metal grate manufactured by McNichols Co. This makes for an even shower floor and hides the drain.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
A set of four Raumplus floor to ceiling sliding glass doors conceal the master bedroom closet. The top track is recessed into the drywall lid for a clean look.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
The gem of the project is the open tread riser stairway featured in a previous BUILDblog post. Horizontal and vertical transparent panels separate the stair from the shower below, allowing silhouettes to be seen through the stairs.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
Lift-up doors at the lower landing allow access to storage bins below the stairs.
The steel handrails were fabricated by Zinke Design and have a blackened finish.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
The landing panels are 2” acrylic panels sanded down for an even translucent effect, the vertical panels are “Varia Modern Drift Green” manufactured by 3-Form.
[Photo by BUILD LLC]
The downtown, mountain and Puget Sound views from the unit are exceptional; Modern Backyard is responsible for the exterior design at the decks and rooftop which include an irrigation system.
The project is designed and built as a 1,500 square foot cabinet. Many of the project’s greatest features are concealed (pocketed shades, pocketed doors, reflected lighting). The unit uses a Sonos system as its “brain”, which allows control of the lighting, audio, and shade systems. These systems are integrated together in a composition that has been intricately and meticulously detailed for every square inch of the project.
The general contractor is Charter Construction, whose motto is “Whatever it takes”. There are challenges on any project and Charter did whatever it took and brought the project in within the prescribed budget. Thank you to Eric and Norm who have a been a pleasure to work with.
For additional photos and information go to the BUILD website.
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By Gus, July 7, 2009 @ 3:39 pm
That’s a hot modern project guys, thanks for taking the time to share it with the rest of us.
By mike, July 7, 2009 @ 11:15 pm
if vola wasn’t so pricey, i’d push to use it on every project…
fave application: vola 090Fm 80 tub spout into a starck tub. unfortunately, the tile selection was on someone else and didn’t end up looking as clean.
there should be a kjaerholm pk22 in those photos!
how was it working w/ henrybuilt as opposed to your own shop? the project looks clean – i guess having a killer view doesn’t hurt, either!
By Samuel, July 8, 2009 @ 6:28 am
We are not quite as flush as these clients, but this really is a very impressive finished project. Thanks for sharing even though this remains a little out of reach for us.
By Knudsen, July 8, 2009 @ 9:10 am
Nice to see the final product – I’ve been following along with your twitter posts. With all the links to suppliers this post is a good resource.
By Build LLC, July 8, 2009 @ 9:13 am
@ Mike – yes a Kjaerholm PK22 would look sharp in the space.
Henrybuilt did a very nice job on the project and we enjoyed working with them. Unfortunately the individuals we worked directly with are no longer there – not sure why.
By Jake, July 8, 2009 @ 10:03 am
Thanks guys for taking the time to share. Fantastic design and fantastic specifying (an often under-appreciated skill).
By Anonymous, July 8, 2009 @ 10:43 am
Even the new high-end condos downtown are finished with cheap spec-grade interiors lately. There should be an emerging market in Seattle for higher-end condo interiors and it looks like you are ahead of the game.
By David, July 8, 2009 @ 11:03 am
Great project and informative post (as usual). Any chance of including a floor plan to further describe the “1,500 sf cabinet” concept?
By Richter, July 8, 2009 @ 12:20 pm
Modernism is commonly criticized for being cold and sterile but this design seems to have plenty of soul, or warm modernism as you put it. Thanks for the presentation.
By JohnK, July 8, 2009 @ 12:22 pm
What? No construction sequence video?
By Rachel, July 8, 2009 @ 5:39 pm
Beautiful work, as usual.
Thanks so much for sharing!
By Build LLC, July 9, 2009 @ 8:57 am
@ David – plan added, thanks for asking.
By ts, July 13, 2009 @ 10:29 pm
Is that a Tequila Sunrise dining room table?
Thanks for the lovely tour.
By Build LLC, July 14, 2009 @ 7:39 am
@ TS – it’s not a Caesarstone table, it’s actually a painted steel frame table from an Italian company. The color does come close to the Tequila Sunrise though.
By George, August 6, 2009 @ 11:08 am
Guys, great post. Thanks so much for sharing a great looking project but more importantly thanks for your transparency in your design work. As a young designer your blog has continuously demystified the design process and more importantly the inner workings of a successful and talented design office. Its a real inspiration, keep it up.
By Jonas, January 8, 2010 @ 7:22 pm
Absolutely beautiful work. I have not seen that level shower floor/trough drain done before. Do you have any details on it or could you explain it’s inner workings? I am tired of building poured pans in order to do custom tile work. This looks so much cleaner.
By Build LLC, January 9, 2010 @ 10:58 am
Jonas – thanks for the compliments. We’ll try and pull together a blog post on the shower trough detail in the next couple of weeks, stay tuned…