Magnolia Family Home
Location: Seattle, WA
Custom Furniture: One Works Seattle
Paint: Sound Painting Solutions
Photography: Cody Ulrich Photo
*Featured in the Seattle Times Magazine
A re-design for a Seattle-transplant family of five. The home needed to be family friendly, yet suitable for frequent hosting. Prominent in the design is the family’s large collection of hides and skulls. The existing layout of the brand new home worked well to fill in the family’s needs but required aesthetic refinements to suit their style. Built ins were added throughout, and finishes were updated to fit the design concept. In order to balance rustic elements with a refined urban feel, soft lines, brass accents, decorative lighting, drapery, decorative accents and tufted seating were introduced.
The custom oak veneer shelving was designed to hold specific skull sizes.
(Image to the right) In the entryway, a custom metal bench holds enough shoes for the whole family plus their frequent guests. A sculptural Mategot coat rack echoes the lines of the Elk skull. Sconces with walnut and brass details sit on either side. A large wood mirror completes the space.
(Image below) Modular white lacquer coffee table, and cowhide rug. An antique armoire that has been passed down in the family anchors the corner of the room and provides storage.
“…on display are pieces from New Mexico, New Zealand, Alaska and Mexico — and from Rinella’s childhood in Michigan: One particular deer skull with an arrowhead stuck in it “was always lying around the house as I was growing up,” he says.
Rondello pioneered all sorts of design techniques to incorporate them. In the entry, where an elk skull with massive antlers hangs over a custom blackened-steel bench, “We went big with a mirror to go with the size of the skull,” she says.
An American buffalo skull from the 1750s — Rinella found this one in Montana, where “a tiny bit was sticking out of the ground,” and then had it radiocarbon dated — sits on a custom shelving unit Rondello designed to display more than a dozen skulls (Dall sheep, musk ox, black bears, javelina) next to the living-room fireplace.”
-The Seattle Times
Clear box acrylicshelving was utilized to showcase the botanical wallpaper, creating a floating effect.
