It’s awesome to look through design and architectural magazines and see amazing homes, designed by world-class architects, filled with gorgeous furniture, made with the highest quality materials and built by the best contractors. It’s all so exciting…and it all has virtually nothing to do with the way most of us live. Most of us have budgets–and not particularly big ones at that. We avoid costly architectural fees if possible. We use the furniture we have and the materials we can afford (read: IKEA). We look for contractors who won’t break the bank and will generally show up to work sober.
This rift between what’s possible and what’s real is why Dwell Magazine’s profile of Michelle and Cameron Linden’s Seattle home is so refreshing. Their 600 sq ft detached house ain’t much to look at from the outside, and their $25K budget left no room for errors or extras. And this is why the situation is so relatable. They chose to rehab the little ranch house because they preferred its central location, which was close to friends, amenities and a bike lane for Cameron to get to work. If they wanted something bigger or fancier, they’d presumably have to forsake most of these conveniences.
Admittedly, Michelle is an architect (the home doubles as her office, or at least did when this article posted a couple years ago), and the couple did many of their own renovations, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. But the home and its renovation feel very accessible and possible for most people contemplating a full renovation. It’s a comfortable, airy little home where IKEA is mixed with hand-me-down appliances and custom furniture.
While the focus of most small housing is directed toward multi-unit, multi-story apartment buildings in city-centers, there are many ways to create an edited home. The Lindens show a very real-world scenario, rehabbing a compact, freestanding, outer-city home on a limited budget. To compensate for limited resources, they employed creativity and careful material selections to create a home that looks pretty great in our opinion.
Via Dwell
Image credit: Atelier Drome