Before & After: Three Creative Sisters Team Up to Remodel Their Mom’s Forever Home

Posted by. Posted onMarch 19, 2025 Comments0

The cheerful Seattle midcentury sports fish scale shingles, punchy paint, and stained glass windows designed by one of the siblings.

Sitting jauntily on its block, this renovated residence in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood retained the original home’s footprint. The architect (and daughter of the homeowner) opened up the living spaces inside and overhauled the exterior and landscaping to give it a more contemporary presence. Cambium Landscape created the outdoor spaces which perfectly balance hardscape with greenery.

One of the first times Cynthia Chua saw her future home in person, it was about to take an excavator to its side. Fortunately, the Seattle property was handpicked by two of her daughters, Sarah and Julia Smith, who have a keen eye for design: Sarah is an architect at local firm Best Practice Architecture, and Julia works at Unique Art Glass, a family-owned, custom stained glass studio.

Homeowner Cynthia Chau chats with two of her daughters in the kitchen of her Seattle home.

The 1950s two-level residence is set on a quiet street in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood, and it has views of Lake Washington just a few blocks away, so it seemed like the perfect place for Cynthia, a retired doctor, who was moving to Seattle from Cincinnati to be closer to two of her three daughters. (The oldest, Lauren is a creative director and amateur photographer living in Los Angeles with her three young children).

Before: Exterior 

Before: The house’s exterior, with neglected, overgrown landscaping, left much to be desired.

Before: The home’s exterior, with neglected, overgrown landscaping, left much to be desired.

Courtesy of Best Practice Architecture

After: Exterior 

Sitting jauntily on its block, this renovated residence in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood retained the original home’s footprint. The architect (and daughter of the homeowner) opened up the living spaces inside and overhauled the exterior and landscaping to give it a more contemporary presence. Cambium Landscape created the outdoor spaces which perfectly balance hardscape with greenery.

Sitting jauntily on its block, this renovated residence in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood retains the original home’s footprint. Sarah Smith, the architect (and daughter of the homeowner, Cynthia) opened up the living spaces inside and overhauled the exterior and landscaping to give it a more contemporary presence. The landscape firm Cambium created the outdoor spaces, which perfectly balance hardscape with greenery.

Photo by Rafael Soldi Photography

See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: Three Creative Sisters Team Up to Remodel Their Mom’s Forever Home
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