Pacific NW Magazine Article

We had the pleasure of being featured in Pacific NW Magazine in the Sunday August 17th Seattle Times. Rebecca Teagarden did a wonderful job of writing the article and Benjamin Benschneider took great photos of my space.

You can click on the link or just scroll and read!

Small downtown condo lives luxuriously large

“I brought the office home during the recession,” says interior designer Paula Devon Raso. “It’s in the bedroom. And the bedroom came out here. It took quite a bit of juggling around.” And judging by the surroundings, Raso is quite an accomplished juggler.

By Rebecca Teagarden

Pacific NW associate editor

Nico, the current house Pekingese, relaxes on the linen cushion of an Oly Studio occasional chair. The antique daybed serves as a sofa while preserving the view. It is also used as seating for dinners at the table, left. Walls appear golden, but Raso calls them khaki with a creamy yellow.

There are many reasons to downsize.

For interior designer Paula Devon Raso it was a bum knee and a Pekingese with a bad back.

So, in 2003 Raso sold her two-story, 1,000-square-foot town house in the 98 Union building in downtown Seattle and took a 750-square-foot one-bedroom, one-floor unit there.
She gutted it and set about doing what interior designers do, carving out space and storage where none seemed possible, disguising ductwork and throwing light into even the deepest passages.

She painted and primped and made it her own; walls the color of a child’s blush in the bathroom, the rest of it old gold. There are cherubs on those walls and hanging from the bathroom chandelier, candles glimmering from tall holders set on the floor, antique silver trays, cups and bowls out and about, antique mirrors, etchings, drapes that puddle. Whitewashed oak floors cede to the kitchen’s honed limestone, substantial marble counters there adding old-world splendor to that compact space.

Outside, Raso turned the narrow wrap deck into a formal hedge garden, bay trees as green exclamation points. Beyond, in front-row views, lie Puget Sound, Alki Point, the Olympic Mountains, Pike Place Market and much of the city. (She has no need of the Great Wheel. Her view is better.)

When Raso finished, she thought her place was just about perfect, European glamour wrapped in a small gift box.

And then it was 2007. Everything shifted.

“Once I got the bed in here, that was something,” Raso says. And by “in here” she means the living room.

“I brought the office home during the recession. It’s in the bedroom. And the bedroom came out here. It took quite a bit of juggling around.”

Doesn’t show. The double bed (she sold her antique French number and bought this one at Restoration Hardware) next to the antique Italian dresser seems like the most natural thing in the world. “The silk curtains had been on the bedroom windows,” she says of her technique for separating, but not hiding the sleeping space.

“It’s been really tricky,” she says, a little weariness in her voice and Nico, the current house Pekingese, in her lap.

She takes it all in and says, “I wouldn’t call it French. The reason I hesitate is I think my love of European antiques ruins people’s perception of what I do.”

There are a few well-placed modern touches here, too. The dining table. Raso designed it; metal legs, MDF top, all treated to an antiqued golden finish.

She moved a daybed before the windows to serve as the sofa, and it does, while also keeping the view to the water wide open. Shifted, it becomes seating for three at the table.
“The designer Thomas O’Brien has his bed in his studio,” she points out. “And he uses that for his dining chairs.”

You will not find even one coaster in Raso’s home. “Oh, no. Never in this house.” Things are meant to be used and worn in, then worn out.

“With me, it’s all an evolution. What we like to say is that our work shows a timeless quality, and this holds up pretty well. Having storage (along the hallway, in double-sided cabinets in the kitchen, living room) doesn’t hurt. And the view.”

“I never would have dreamed to do this,” she says of her compressed home. “But it does work. And I’m saving at least $1,500 a month.

“I like to think of it as efficient

“A friend of mine says it’s like sleeping in a little Parisian garret.”

Rebecca Teagarden writes about architecture and design for Pacific NW magazine. Benjamin Benschneider is a magazine staff photographer

Time to Get Organized

April is an unpredictable month for weather. We were fortunate to have a few nice days of sun but for the most part it was rainy and dreary. What a perfect time to get organized. One of the most frequently disorganized rooms can be the home office. If you work from home or a have place where you pay bills and collect paperwork it can become overwhelming.

Some of our favorite organizational items are also decorative. We love using trays, wooden bowls and antique Japanese Tansu chests to file and conceal all of the miscellaneous paperwork, pens, clips, etc. These chests can be had in a variety of sizes and configurations. They were used to store everything from kitchenware to clothing, the only storage in a Japanese home. They suit interiors from modern to traditional. These versatile pieces add visual texture and interest. We have used them over and over in kitchens, baths and living spaces of all sorts. Two of our favorite sources in Seattle for over 25 years is HoneychurchAntiques and its sister store Glenn Richards. The two are now combined under Glenn Richards. Tansus are great to add a bit of history and interest in your home or office while contributing to storage. 

Wooden bowls and trays are a simple elegant way to store mail, keys, loose photos, theater programs, and other keepsakes.

If you're looking for some fun desk accessories that you want to show off, look no further than Poppin. They have desk accessories, furniture, and even artwork to adorn your office walls or even other rooms in your home. Their website is easy to navigate where you can search by category or color that fits your personality. 

Home offices can sometimes be hard to acquire when you live in a small space. In such cases we love the Thomas O'Brien Hallings Secretary. It affords ample storage in a sleek traditional style that will fit in with any decor. We have used this desk in a few different client's homes and they all have loved the design, scale, and functionality of the piece.

As we spoke about in our last month's blog post, we've been reorganizing our own office here at 98 Union. When you first walk-in you are greeted by a portrait of Darling, Paula's little Pekingese (now in doggie heaven). This was a gift from a friend who carried a photo of Darling to China and had an artist paint his likeness on silk.

 New sleek desks and storage carts from Ikea have fit perfectly against the windows providing ample desk space and spectacular views. We positioned our scanning and printing station in the little niche behind the filing cabinets which took a few very long cords to reach from the computer but the final result is great. New rolling carts provides drawers for current client details and organization. Our newly painted celery wall has really freshened up the office and has become the focal point to our stainless steel bulletin board wall. Inspirational tear-outs, client fabrics, and urgent paperwork adorn the boards. The existing Teknion storage cabinets stayed in place which houses a multitude of PDR's  necessities.

 A masculine home office features dark walls, a large antique Chinese table with a rattan top used as a desk, and framed artwork. Located on the second level of the home, views of Lake Washington are enjoyed while sorting through emails and bills. A mirror on the South wall reflects more natural light into the space. Wood lateral files provide needed storage. A rug with a Greek key design in a fresh green  help ground the space, and balance the dark virility of the room.