Inside the Stunning Renovation of a 1900s Cottage in Seattle

There's nothing quite like decorating a home from scratch. It's the dream. After years of mood-boarding (and pinning), you can finally bring it all to life. As an interior designer, you get to do this for a living, so you can imagine Lisa Staton's delight when a young Indian couple approached her to reimagine their 20th-century English Cottage in Seattle. The challenge here was fusing three different design influences in one home: Indian, British, and modern American.

"The clients are originally from India but had recently moved back to Seattle from London, so they wanted the house to be infused with layers from all three cultures," Staton told MyDomaine. "We sought to respect the bones of the old house but made some modern renovations that freshened the space up. It's uncluttered and crisp, but still warm and inviting, with the character of the older home still shining through." Using their extensive Indian art collection and accessories as the starting point, Staton married it with classic modern furniture pieces and vintage midcentury finds to strike the perfect global balance. We're in love.

Since the clients often host large gatherings, Staton wanted a big sofa, plenty of chairs, and ottomans for bigger groups and flexible seating arrangements. "The room has a TV, but it is on the far side of the room, tucked down low over the Crate and Barrel console, not over the fireplace," she said. "That way it stays more subtle."

The family room was renovated so that it opened up to the kitchen. "The black-and-white theme is repeated with the cowhide rug and modern furnishings, too," said Staton. 

One of the biggest challenges with this home was the scale. "The house has lower ceilings," she said. "We wanted to be bold but stay in proportion." This meant playing around with varying furniture and décor sizes to make it all work within the room.

Despite its 1900s build, there is a ton of light in this home. Staton decorated strategically to allow the sun to filter through and touch each of the pieces. This is especially important with a monochrome palette. "We knew we wanted to establish a rhythm of crisp black and white to be the backdrop for the art," she said. "And from there, we layered rose and gold to keep things warm and a nod to India."

There's so much to love about this sun-soaked nook. We could sit here quite happily with a book for hours on end.

We hear that collective gasp upon viewing this gorgeous dining room. For us, it's all about that crystal chandelier, and Staton says that's where it all started, followed by the Wishbone chairs. "From there, we found the large graphic Franz Klein–inspired art and the live-edge table," she said. Now, who wouldn't want to host a dinner party here?

Staton transformed the traditional powder room by adding the black faucets with a more "organic" gold mirror to add that modern layer.

There is a lot to love in this home's kitchen, but we are swooning for these vintage cutting boards from Big Daddy's Antiques. The timeworn texture adds warmth and visual interest to the modern white backdrop.

This white kitchen had us at hello, and then we saw the Andy Warhol print and died a little. In keeping with the home's heritage, Staton chose classic English shaker cabinets with wood knobs to match. "We like the quiet English cottage simplicity," she said. "But we punched up the volume with the black modern stools and Andy Warhol print." Indeed.

We couldn't agree with you more, Andy Warhol. All is pretty with this kitchen situation.

The classic cottage entry is definitely a highlight of the home. Staton kept the architecture pure, adding modern light fixtures. The turn-of-the-century gilded mirror was brought back from their time in London. The modern walnut Cherner armchair strikes a pose as you enter, and Staton carpeted the stairs in a classic seagrass to keep things textural and casual.

What modern touches would you add to a traditional home?