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A 1961 Ibsen Nelsen Home Is Renovated by mw|works

The Laurelhurst MidCentury residence in Seattle, Washington, was designed by Ibsen Nelsen in 1961 and while the new owners loved it, the home’s functionality wasn’t working for them. They brought in mw|works Architecture + Design to make the interior more livable while maintaining key elements of the original design.

First on the homeowner’s list was to open the spaces up so there were sight lines throughout that connected the rooms and the outdoor spaces. One of the highlights of the original design was the courtyard garden above. The architects paid careful attention when designing the placement of the windows and doors so that there was access from the adjacent living room, as well as the entryway.

Small, single pane windows were swapped out for floor-to-ceiling ones for increased light as well as better views to the surrounding landscape.

After upgrading the insulation and installing high efficiency radiant floor heating, they were able to remove old duct work allowing the ceilings to be raised. That opened the spaces up while also reducing the energy consumption.

The interior still maintains the original, mid-century feel but with an updated, modern approach for today’s living. They worked with Inform Interiors on furnishing some of the spaces for a polished look..

Before photos

Photos by Jeremy Bittermann.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.