Mod-Zen Airbnb near Seattle

Shooting lots and lots of Airbnbs around Seattle, I always look forward to seeing each space and seeing how the owners have brought out its unique qualities to make an excellent guest space. In this vacation rental, the owners worked with a contractor to design a custom wood wall divider with sliding panels to make for a really zen feel, while also offering two sleeping spaces. The panels also filter the light really beautifully and honestly I had to resist the urge to just put down my camera and take a nap. ;) Interiors photography is such a joy for me — I get to relive all the best parts of playing countless hours of The Sims as a 12-year-old, designing and redesigning spaces. The spaces we surround ourselves with are a part of us, whether we’re living in them permanently or just airbnb-it for a weekend trip.

Hope you enjoy the photos of this beautiful space!

Washington Coast Vacation Rental | Seattle Airbnb Photographer

I’ve been following Beachhousewa on Instagram for a while now. I’ve admired the beauty of the homes and the level of attention to detail. It finally worked out for me to stay with them and to photograph their newest cabin listing, the Lewis.

As expected, it was pretty remarkable. The house is not only beautiful, but they’ve truly thought of everything from having an extensively appointed kitchen to a range of media and games to instruments to play during your stay. Best of all, it’s walking distance to the Pacific Ocean.

It was such fun to photograph this space. The abundance of natural light made for light and airy photos, and the lines in all the woodwork were so pleasing — I kept gasping behind my camera. :)

The Lewis Cabin can be rented directly through Beachhousewa here.

Renovation Reveal: Primary Bathroom

This might be the biggest transformation of our renovation project. When we first walked into the primary bedroom we were stunned by the views of Seattle and Lake Washington. We were also really surprised at the size of the room — it spanned the entire back of the house wall to wall, but it shared a small bathroom with the two other bedrooms on the top floor. We knew that we’d be adding a bathroom to the room when we bought the house. It was hard to imagine something that didn’t exist, and there was a lot of taping involved to get the idea of the scale, but in the end I’m so happy with it.

Because we were renovating during the pandemic we were affected by delays in product availability and long lead times. This West Elm vanity was not the first we had chosen for the space, but I was actually thrilled we got the chance to re-think our plan when our initial choice was delayed. I love that it brings a mid-century modern vibe to the bathroom and the wood tone is so rich. I am also a big fan of the marble countertop. I always thought marble would be too fussy but I haven’t found that to be the case at all!

I was enormously pregnant during our design and shopping process, so Mike would hop into tub after tub in showrooms to see if he liked the fit before I had to waddle in. We love the one we chose (and probably sat in about 40!).

As for the floor tile? You guessed it, another pivot in choice. We had one picked out that we loved (especially with the first vanity), but became unavailable as well. This purple hex tile was a little bit of a playful spin for us. We solidified this choice when we were in the hospital after our second was born. Literally, I was in a hospital bed when we hit “order.” While we’ve kept much of the house really neutral and classic I wanted to have a little bit of fun, and the bathroom feels like a good place to take a color risk. I’m so glad we did — it really worked with the other cool tones from the subway tile.

We decided to go with the green glass subway tile because we loved the luminosity of it. It also feels a little like a retro pool shower room finish to me, which I love. We continued it all around the room at mid-height.

And for a good before and after, here’s the listing photo! The bathroom now sits in the back third of the space. We have a large pocket door dividing it from the bedroom.

Here is our list of fixtures and finishes:

Vanity lights: West Elm

Wall sconces: Allmodern

Vanity: West Elm

Light above tub: West Elm

Tub: Kohler

Tub filler: Signature Hardware

Vanity faucets: Signature Hardware

Mirrors: Wayfair

Subway tile: Home Depot

Shower floor: Floor & Decor

Towel fixtures: Wayfair

Floor tile: Home Depot

Rug: Ikea

Paint Color: Alabaster - Sherwin Williams eggshell on walls, semigloss on trim

Why I Photograph Interiors | Seattle Real Estate + Home Editorial Photographer

I spent most of the year 2020 scrolling Zillow. We had sold our house in Chicago and were feeling desperate to get out of our apartment building and into a home. With the pandemic, we changed a lot of our plans, including accelerating our family planning. The urge to settle in and make actual roots in Seattle after sooo many years of renting got REAL.

We spent every weekend driving around neighborhoods, my belly growing, John growing, and wondering if I’d get that tingly *this is it* feeling. It was thrilling and exhausting.

We finally found our place and have been renovating for the last year. It’s a work in progress but it’s ours. And now, after having gone through that, I’m tracing a line backwards in my life: interiors and homes have always been significant to me.

As a little kid my mom and I would visit open houses, mentally arranging furniture and imagining the possibilities. I played with dolls but stopped after extensively setting up their homes with found objects. The Sims happened and I could be found in the basement doggedly designing and cheat-coding so I could afford the *best* wallpaper (IYKYK). Preparing for my future home began in my teens when I’d collect vintage Pyrex and antique secretary desks. A table I snagged from @crateandbarrel became the first item that moved in with my (now) husband.

It’s always been there. And now I’m welcoming homes and spaces into my work more than ever. Shooting interiors brings me a joy I can’t explain. Our spaces are so important. Think about some of your best memories, are they attached to a home?

I have so much to say on this and will continue to explore and share with you. Thank you for coming along with me!

Photos for @thedigs.co (who just shared a big and exciting update yesterday!)