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Seattle architecture firm Shed has renovated Alki Lookout, a 2,706-square-foot home built in 1910 above Alki Beach. The project combines a kitchen-and-dining-room swap, colorful tile and wood finishes, improved storage, and a wildlife mural by Seattle artist Stevie Shao.
Seattle firm Shed has renovated Alki Lookout, a 2,706-square-foot house built in 1910 above Alki Beach, replacing an incoherent interior with a reworked kitchen and dining area, colorful tile and warm wood, and an exterior wildlife mural. The project matters as a case study in updating an older home while retaining much of its existing structure, according to the report by Design Milk.
The house began as a log cabin in 1910 and had been remodeled twice before Shed’s work. Principal Prentis Hale said the home had striking views of Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains but lacked a strong character. The design team worked within a budget that called for keeping much of the existing structure, making targeted architectural changes rather than describing the project as a full rebuild.
A central change was to swap the kitchen and dining areas. The former dining room sat in a circulation area and was separated from the views; the new built-in banquette places family dining beside a window overlooking Puget Sound. The altered arrangement also improved movement between the kitchen, dining and living spaces and added kitchen storage. Fir cabinetry, pink concrete countertops and a pink tile backsplash give the kitchen its distinctive color contrast.
A tiled fin wall helps organize the main living level and sets a palette that continues through the house. The report identifies its tile as Alex Proba’s Moroccan Mix for Concrete Collaborative, with salmon, yellow and blue tones. The living room pairs a pink sofa and custom fir screens with built-in window seating, while white oak flooring and warm wood provide quieter surfaces. Bathrooms use patterned tile, wallpaper and terrazzo; upstairs, a revised stair area makes room for closets, cabinetry and a bed with concealed drawers. The report says the primary suite’s storage capacity grew to about two and a half times its previous amount.
A New Layout Behind the Color
The renovation’s significance is not limited to its vivid finishes. Changing the kitchen-dining arrangement addressed a practical problem in how the family moved through the home and brought the gathering area closer to the water views. Added kitchen storage and the expanded primary-suite storage also show how focused changes can serve daily needs alongside a stronger visual identity.
The exterior mural extends the project beyond the private interior. Design Milk reports that the siding had to be replaced to address a waterproofing issue; the homeowners then commissioned Seattle artist Stevie Shao to paint local wildlife on the facade. The mural, visible from the beach, makes the house’s renovation noticeable to people outside the household as well as to its residents.
The design team’s response also offers a specific alternative to familiar seaside decoration. Rather than relying on conventional coastal motifs, the project uses abstract patterns, saturated colors and natural wood to connect the interior to the owners’ beach experiences and the surrounding landscape. That interpretation is the designers’ approach, not a claim that the house represents a broader trend.
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From Cabin to Family Retreat
Alki Lookout sits above Seattle’s Alki Beach, with reported views across Puget Sound toward Bainbridge Island and the Olympic Mountains. Its 1910 origins and two later remodels left the house without a cohesive design identity, according to Hale’s comments in Design Milk. The article does not give dates for those earlier renovations or identify the home’s original builders.
The homeowners had both lived in Southern California and wanted a house that recalled warmth, sunshine and the spontaneity of their beach experiences. Shed described the resulting palette as a “serious surf palette.” Hale said the owners’ enthusiasm for the Moroccan Mix tile helped set the direction for the project, with its colors carried into other rooms.
The renovation also responded to a construction discovery: the exterior siding required replacement to resolve a waterproofing problem. The homeowners used that work as an opportunity to add Shao’s mural, depicting whales, osprey and cranes, along with an axolotl requested by their daughter. Design Milk’s report is by Murrye Bernard and includes photography by Rafael Soldi.
““Our initial impressions of the home were that the home was perched above Alki Beach with a spectacular view of Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains but that it was fundamentally a home without a strong character.””
— Prentis Hale, principal at Shed
Project Details Not Reported
Design Milk’s report does not state when the renovation was completed, the total project cost, or the precise construction schedule. It also does not provide technical details about the waterproofing problem or the repair beyond noting that the siding needed replacement.
The article describes the design and selected materials but does not include an independent assessment of the home’s energy performance, long-term durability, or the project’s effect on the property’s value. Those outcomes should not be inferred from the reported changes. The account also does not give measurements for the mural or describe whether it required special maintenance or approvals.
No Further Milestone Listed
The source report presents the renovation as a completed project and lists no upcoming construction phase, public event or follow-up milestone. The mural is described as visible from the beach, but the report does not provide plans for additional artwork or further changes to the house.
For readers interested in the project’s practical performance, details not included in the report—such as the final cost, waterproofing specifications and ongoing maintenance requirements—would be needed for a fuller evaluation. No additional information on those points is provided in the source material.
Key Questions
Where is Alki Lookout?
Alki Lookout is above Alki Beach in Seattle, with views across Puget Sound, according to Design Milk.
What did Shed change in the house?
Shed swapped the kitchen and dining areas, improved circulation and storage, and introduced colorful tile, cabinetry and other finishes. Much of the existing structure was retained to meet the project’s budget.
Who created the exterior mural?
Seattle artist Stevie Shao painted the mural, which includes whales, osprey and cranes, as well as an axolotl requested by the homeowners’ daughter.
Why was the siding replaced?
During construction, the team found the siding needed replacement to address a waterproofing issue. The homeowners used the work as an opportunity to commission the mural. The report does not give further technical details about the repair.
How much more storage does the primary suite have?
Design Milk reports that reworking the stair area increased storage capacity to about two and a half times its original amount, through closets, cabinetry and a built-in bed with concealed drawers.
Source: design-milk.com
