SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
FRIDAY JUNE 26 2020
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AT HOME
A remodeled home raises the bar — and the countertops — for Scandinavian coziness hese splendid pictures surely are worth tens of thousands of words, all of them happy, but you’re going to need just a couple quick additional postscripts to help frame the full picture of Aaron and Stina Brown’s newly remodeled Magnolia home: 1. They both are over 6 feet tall. 2. Stina’s mother is from Copenhagen. Together, both bonus addenda influenced a picture-perfect wholehome theme (bright, cheerful openness) and a feel (welcoming warmth), all grounded in the concept of ultimate comfort, and all respectfully rooted in the home’s 1954 aesthetic. “The Scandinavian style flourished in the 1950s, so it was exciting to see how it would pair with the existing midcentury-modern style of the original home,” says architect Kristen Becker of Mutuus Studio, who collaborated on the remodel’s design with Crescent Builds. “Characterized by simplicity, minimalism and functionality, the new floor plan worked with the midcentury layout, which had good bones and lines
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Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times/TNS
A new skylight and vaulted ceiling bump up the light factor in Stina and Aaron Brown’s previously closed-off kitchen, which now has a clear sightline past the staircase and to the entry. “I still remember the day [architect Kristen Becker] showed me the view from here to the front door,” Stina says. “It really changes the way we socialize. I said, ‘Make it happen.’ ” Becker collaborated with Crescent Builds on the remodel of the Browns’ Magnolia home.
to work with, to infuse the home with hygge, (which) translates as ‘an attitude toward life that emphasizes finding joy in everyday moments and emphasizes coziness, warmth and
family.’” Here’s how that open coziness looks (thanks, splendid photos!), and feels: A “The first major move was to open the floor plan
to bring in the light,” says Becker. “The original tight entryway and closed-off stair and kitchen were dark and unwelcoming. “The simple move of
opening these areas completely transformed the experience of the home. “By opening up the rooms to bring in light and connect the living, dining and kitchen areas to flow
together, it ironically made the space feel more cozy.” A That original closedoff kitchen, Stina says, SEE HOME, 2D
ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT OF THE TRIBUNE • FRIDAY JUNE 26 2020
Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times/TNS
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Stina Brown says a piano is a prerequisite for “a proper Danish house,” and thankfully, Aaron has played since he was young. ” I was determined to buy an upright piano,” he says. “I wanted it more modern, but no gold. That was my requirement. It’s a Sauter, a small German brand that specializes in funky modern uprights, but I ended up going with their simplest model: modern, streamlined, sleek set of lines, nickel and no gold.”
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HOME had been “gross,” with checkerboard laminate flooring and a claustrophobic sense of confinement. “Everybody is tall,” Becker says, so the ceiling here was vaulted, and the countertops subtly raised a custom 11⁄2 inches, which you’d never notice unless a helpful builder pointed it out — or you were trying to cook while stooped. “I just knew I wanted it taller,” Stina says. “This is the kitchen I’ve been working to-
ward my whole life. I actually like doing dishes now.” A Color is key to the kitchen and to all of the remodeled rooms, and to Scandinavian design: White walls meet neutral warm wood floors, dotted with bold pops of brightness. “The notion of hygge is feeling a sense of warmth and family,” says Stina. “I think a lot of the modern white is too medicinal. In Denmark, black and white is the go-to.” The Browns go to that combo here, too, with bold color bursts radiating in patterned curtains and pillows, framed artwork, a working red retro phone, glass
and ceramic pieces from Stina’s trips to Copenhagen and — naturally — a meaningful collection of plates hanging on the dining-room wall. “I’ve got my proper blue plates. Every proper Danish house has the plates and a piano,” she says. (Check and check!) A Those pieces don’t overwhelm, though — just enhance, and emit a sense of deep satisfaction. After all, minimalism transcends Scandinavian and midcentury-modern design, and people can’t get comfy when there’s no room among a glut of things.
“I’m trying to be really conscious,” Stina says. “If we don’t use it or love it, it’s gone. The kitchen, dining room, living room — all the things have a big connection for me.” Even the family dogs — Molly, Hoover and Hermione — fit right in. “The Dachshunds are so midcentury, and the Danish queen has a Dachshund!” Actually, in this hygge poster home of bright openness and cozy warmth, everything, and everyone, fits right in. Comfortably. And possibly permanently. “We’re never moving,” says Stina.
Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times/TNS
This bright and cheerful curtain fabric, by Swedish designer Josef Frank, was one of Stina Brown’s first inspirations, and it fits in perfectly with the hygge feel of the home.
FRIDAY JUNE 26 2020 • ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT OF THE TRIBUNE
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