Near Seattle, Neal Barber builds a dream home for his family that fits in with the neighborhood while looking subtly different.
When architect Neil Barber met his future wife, Inga Keller, in 2019, they had decided to buy a house in Kenmore, a suburb located northeast of Lake Washington across from Seattle. “It was on a nice corner with a great backyard, and Inga had grown up in a similar ranch-style house in Santa Barbara, so it worked well for her,” recalls Neal, who opened his practice in 2021. Studio Nocturne was founded. The couple got married that same year. As they started thinking about starting a family, the couple knew the home needed to grow with them. “We were looking for a little more space and a layout that worked better for us,” Neil recalls.
Neil and Inga Barber built a new home on top of the existing foundation of their previous home in Kenmore, a suburb of Seattle, Washington.
picture: kyle johnson
The 1960s home appeared to be in good shape, but its layout was fragmented and there was only one full bathroom for all three bedrooms. In addition to a large primary suite and room to raise his family, Neil was also looking for a better home office setup, knowing he would work from home as he practiced his architecture. “Originally, we thought we could renovate and expand,” Neal says. But, as they discovered some leaks and a loose roof, the project quickly turned into a complete rebuild. “With a limited budget, we knew we needed to be smart and not overbuild,” says Neil, who designed a new family home to fit on top of the existing foundation.
Before: External
Before: The low-lying hut was simple enough, although Inga was initially attracted to the generous courtyard and the cozy living room surrounded by a corner fireplace. “It was a good example of an early 1960s farm house,” says Neal.
Courtesy Redfin and Julia Buckley
For the remodel, the couple knew they would keep the original foundation while adding more square footage. “The original house was 1,600 square feet, so it felt a little cramped knowing that we wanted to have kids,” says Neal. To stay within the same footprint, they decided to add a second story. “We couldn’t build on the south side of the house because it was encroaching on the property line, so we knew the top would be a relatively small portion of the house,” says Neal.
After: External
The new house quotes the neighborhood’s forms and materials, but remixes them into a more contemporary combination.
picture: kyle johnson
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before and after: An architect’s home reinterprets suburbia in the Pacific Northwest
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