Peterson Kitchen

residential design — green building — pacific northwest renovation — KITCHEN DESIGN

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

This tract home, built in the early 1970s, had a lot of PNW modern elements in its DNA, but it was hidden inside a cramped and compartmentalized layout.

This renovation creates a generous kitchen for a family who loves cooking and entertaining with views of the surrounding landscape.

Expressive heavy timber columns and beams are paired with warm fir-faced cabinets to define the central core of the kitchen; while built-in storage and appliances are concealed within neutral wings on either side to maximize efficiency. The island serves as a cozy spot for meals. Glazing was replaced with energy-efficient windows that allow natural light to stream in from three sides.

The transformational remodel made the owners happy to make this their forever home rather than tear down and build new. Given the embodied carbon in existing construction, renovation is almost always lower carbon footprint. (Even a net-zero house would take many decades to balance out the carbon investment already present in the existing home.)

Green Design: Reuse - embodied carbon in existing construction, energy-efficient windows