In 2019, realtors Lindsey and Michael Pearsall moved from Nashville to Seattle, looking for mountains and water—a setting that would accommodate their active lifestyles. With their dog, daughter, and another baby on the way, the duo settled into West Seattle, renting a house to see how they’d like the neighborhood. By 2020, and deep into the pandemic, the Pearsalls knew they wanted to stay in the city, and they were looking to buy. The couple had made three offers on the same property in Capitol Hill—a neighborhood about 30 minutes northeast of where they were living—when a midcentury house just a few blocks down from their rental went on the market.

In the primary suite, custom oak cabinetry is a partition between the sleeping area and the bathroom. Sightlines throughout the house give glimpses of the exterior architecture. Here, a window looks out onto an original brick screen at the front of the house. Minimal decor and light-toned textiles bring a sense of serenity to the space.

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“We couldn’t believe it,” Lindsey says. “We had our eye on that house. Every night we’d take the dog on a walk in this loop around the neighborhood, and we’d always comment on how much we loved it.”

Designed by famed Seattle architect Albert Orin Bumgardner and built in 1959, the house boasted original features such as a double-vaulted ceiling in the living room, a copper roof, and brick details, including the chimney and raised garden beds. It also had undergone a handful of interior updates throughout the years, resulting in finishes and architectural features that the Pearsalls didn’t love. The couple had chosen their builder, Miovic Reinhardt Associates (MRA), first, and as they started looking for architects, MRA suggested Aimée O’Carroll and Jon Gentry, founding partners of the local architecture firm GO’C.

“We didn’t want it to be extra midcentury,” Lindsey says, “but it is a Bumgardner design, and we feel like stewards of the house, so we wanted to honor the heritage. Jon and Aimée understood what we were looking for and perfectly married the modern with the midcentury.”

The plan was to tackle the renovation in phases. First, the architects converted the house’s lower level into a small living suite for Lindsey’s parents. “That was more of a functional remodel than an aesthetically driven project,” says Gentry. The second phase—an update of the primary bedroom/bathroom wing and powder room—was focused on a vision of modern luxury that respected the house’s history.

The architects set out to stay within the existing footprint as much as possible. To create more privacy for the bedroom wing, they installed a large pivot door in the main hallway to discourage guests from wandering into that area. In the primary bedroom, which is minimal and material-forward, the architects installed a large block of custom oak cabinetry, its ribbed texture nodding to midcentury furniture (as well as vertical-line details found on the house’s exterior brick screen walls) while black metal handles keep things contemporary. In the primary bathroom, where the ribbed cabinetry repeats in the vanity, there are two options for relaxation: a large, walk-in steam shower finished in Venetian plaster or a soaking tub.

“It’s important to have these special moments throughout,” O’Carroll says about the textural details, “Installing a closet can easily become very bland, but when you close the pocket door, it doesn’t feel like you’re walking through a closet on the way to the bathroom. It becomes its own architectural statement.”

The powder room, located just down the hall from the primary suite, continues with the neutral palette, but a gray-toned plaster-coated wall, black marble countertop, and dark walnut vanity (once again, constructed in ribbed wood) bring tonal variety.

One element that’s crucial to every Pacific Northwest project is light. The Pearsall’s house is a single story with a basement, so the architects punched through the roof in several places to create light wells, which they strategically placed in corners to take full advantage of the sun as it passes over each day—even if it’s behind a blanket of clouds.

“Midcentury houses don’t have tall ceilings,” Gentry says, “so we try to use neutral colors and natural light to make them as bright as possible. We positioned the skylights so that they flood the space with light. It makes a huge difference on a gray day.”

The Pearsalls agree, and are so happy with the results that they’ve hired GO’C for the next round of renovations: a music studio for Michael, and a reimagining of their backyard and pool area.

“The more we work with this house, the deeper we get into integrating and responding to Bumgardner’s original design,” Gentry says. “The way he treats light, volume, and space—we’re trying to look at that and create connections that run throughout the entire house.”

More From the Region:

Before & After: A Serene Renovation Saves a Portland Midcentury From Shag Carpet and Pink Linoleum

Before & After: A Nature-Forward Napa Valley Home Kicks Off a New Era

Project Credits:

Architecture: GO’C / @go_c_studio

Construction: Miovic Reinhardt Associates

Cabinetry Design/Installation: GO’C