Shades of Tiffany blue and turquoise throughout the home unify the décor. In the great room, a gray-blue armchair from G.R. Hedges subtly echoes the color of the artwork above the mantel, Peter Hoffer's polymer resin "Barrie's Cut" from Foster/White Gallery; "The Knuckle," by J.P. Canlis, sits on the mantel.
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Holiday Homecoming
With a lot of help from their friends—and family—a Magnolia couple shows that you can have the best of all possible worlds


The large kitchen, made for full-house family gatherings, features Dale Chihuly’s “Float Drawing,” recycled glass Innovo counter tops and an aquamarine tatami glass backsplash by Ambiente European Tile Design.


Cheryl’s sister, furniture designer Sara Wise, created the home’s custom wenge-and-blackened steel dining table, made with glass vases down the middle. flower arrangement by Nisha Kelen of Fleurish; Bryant chandelier from Maison Luxe.


In the high-ceilinged master bedroom, furnishings such as a Chelsea bed from Masins Furniture with an indigo duvet from Yves Delorme have room to breathe. “No one element grabs your attention, yet everything works as a cohesive whole,” Grosso says.


Soft colors in the girls’ bedrooms allow them to mature into the rooms as they grow. For now, child-size Tottini furniture reflects the home’s classic-meets-modern feel.


Polished chrome fixtures from Chown Hardware complete the gleaming look of the master bath, while entire walls were “open canvases” for a bit of creativity with tile,” Cheryl says.
A finished home—a dream come true—was all these homeowners wanted for Christmas this year. Luckily Nathaniel and Cheryl Papadakis had a large extended family and an interior designer to help them complete their Magnolia home before the season of holiday gatherings began.

Designer Kelie Grosso, owner of Maison Luxe, worked with the owners to create a décor style that is sophisticated and vintage, modern and antique. In the living room, she placed a formal tufted white sofa unapologetically next to a table topped with a modern and geometric turquoise lamp. “My own personal style is a study in contrasts,” Grosso says. It was also the best vision for this busy couple with two young daughters and frequently visiting family.

When Nathaniel and Cheryl purchased the property with a view of Seattle’s skyline and Mount Rainier 10 years ago, it came with a charming—but structurally faulty—one-bedroom 1920s home. The owners alternately lived uncomfortably in the house (it lacked insulation) and rented it out, which gave them plenty of time to dream up priorities for the new house they would build on the lot: Cape Cod-style architecture with naturally weathered cedar shingles; a large kitchen open to views; an office attached to the kitchen; wide hallways and stairwell; one bedroom on the main floor and two equally sized bedrooms for their girls, Mia and Zoe.

Finally last year, they hired wreckers to down the existing structure and a builder to raise the new one. After the sheetrock stage of construction, the couple took over to finish the interior. Nathaniel put in doors, built the front entry and installed cabinets, among other things, which translated into a heightened sense of ownership. “It certainly feels more like ‘ours’ than it would under more typical circumstances,” he says. Grosso, who came into the project when construction was almost finished, wanted to make sure they kept that feeling of personalized comfort, using warm natural materials and a muted color palette.

The main rooms are painted with “Champagne,” one of several Authentic Home colors used throughout the house. One girl’s bedroom is a blue called “Sky” and the upstairs study is a surprising shade called “Spanish Moss.” Grosso calls the color scheme “sophisticated and yet fun, with just a touch of whimsy.”

To further personalize the home, Grosso and the Papadakises chose decorative objects with history. The mantel above the great room fireplace is a piece of wood from an old Elliott Bay Pier, which they found at Millwork Outlet, while the panel doors leading into the media room are original pocket doors from an old Seattle home. The sink in the girls’ shared bathroom was reclaimed from the old Garfield High School building and found at Second Use.

In contrast to the old home’s close quarters, this one is spacious. Nathaniel and Cheryl made sure their new house had an expansive second-floor master bedroom, bathroom and walk-in closet—plus rooms to match their personalities. A music producer and arranger, Nathaniel has a media room in the basement, while Cheryl, a busy Realtor and property developer, has an exercise room tucked beside the master bedroom. 

Kira Ibsen, senior designer for Ambiente European Tile Design, helped make the master bath a luxurious retreat from the hectic nature of daily chores—and holiday planning. The sink’s backsplash is white, giving the room a soothing and traditional feel, but textured vertical tiles give it a modern update. In the shower, walls of 6-inch-by-12-inch striking blue glass tiles give the room depth. A similar modern look is achieved in the kitchen, where the stove’s backsplash is made of vertical lines of aquamarine tatami glass. Ibsen notes that though one might expect subway tile there, the skinny rectangles offer just enough play on dimension to make the design thought provoking. “The kitchen was the highlight of the house, in my opinion,” she says.

Adjacent to the kitchen is a great room—another homeowner request—with pocket doors that slide on a custom metal track to close off the media room. “Ultra modern meets a rough antique—a perfect match,” says Grosso of the home’s metalwork, which includes the fireplace surround and brackets for the stair rail. It’s the handiwork of Metal Solutions designer Steven Northey, whom Cheryl calls the “Mozart of metal” because he “perfectly married the old with the new and created something timeless.”

Even the home’s location could be considered a study in contrasts. Across the street from the recently opened Ella Bailey Park, it’s a little bit urban with its dead-on view of the city and a little bit country—reminiscent of a time when neighborhood kids played outside late into the night.

“I wanted to create something they would love living in now, and a home that could continue to evolve as their family grows,” Grosso says. This year the extended family will have a beautiful space in which to enjoy a holiday feast and the rewards of their hard work.

Design Details

INTERIOR DESIGNER
Kelie Grosso, Maison Luxe
1123 First Ave.
(206) 405-2828

TILE DESIGNER
Kira Ibsen, Ambiente European Tile Design
227 N.E. 65th St.
(206) 524-2113

METAL DESIGNER
Steven Northey, Metal Solutions LLC
5840 Airport Way S., Ste. 121
(206) 682-5587

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