Hatano Studio | Houghton Home Remodel | Kirkland, WA

As the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence, Italy is well known for its art and architecture. The city has inspired artists throughout the ages, so it’s no surprise that when interior designer Yumi Kagamihara decided to purchase and remodel a new home to provide both a joyful living space and a home office that would galvanize her creativity, Florence provided her with design inspiration.

She knew she wanted an open kitchen with good bones and good light, and she wanted her entire home to feel bright and spacious which would require removing some walls, blending simplicity with rich details. Additionally, as someone who designs homes for a living, the Hatano Studio owner wanted top-quality products that would be durable as well as beautiful. Having worked with many REHAU products on previous designs, she knew they would be a good fit for her own home.

Traveling in Florence while she was working on the project, she jokes that she was literally designing on the plane. Indeed, her travels informed much of the design, from the colors to the material choices to the rich details used throughout the home.

Kagamihara explains, “I like to have a theme when I design, and I balance the long term [staying power] of the design versus having interesting [elements].” In this case, she notes, “The color scheme had to be simple and livable,” but she wanted to add a few bolder notes as well.

She favors the timeless look of black and white; “It’s classic,” she says, “and I never get bored with it.” However, she adds, “I also got influences from the colors and materials of Florence. As I walked the streets of Florence, I was fascinated with the green shutters that are everywhere, they are this Kelly green color, and I knew I wanted to incorporate that into my color scheme.” A second color also made its way into the home’s design, she states, explaining, “It’s something I saw on a chocolate box in Italy, and it’s more of a teal.” She used this color in the master bedroom and the third bathroom, saying, “It’s okay to introduce some bold color. Italians just do color so well, and those colors add a sense of joy to the home.”

For the kitchen, Kagamihara wanted a classic black and white color scheme that would be simple and elegant, but warm rather than stark. She decided on REHAU RAUVISIO terra Loft Oak, a soft, textured HPL surface, for the kitchen island and lower cabinets, as well as the paneled refrigerator, as it gave her the “black” look she wanted, but “not just a solid, black matte.” Instead, she notes, “It has some varience in it, some texture and warmth.” She explains, “I felt that matte black would be too stark, but the RAUVISIO terra Loft Oak has a little silvery grain to it, and that breaks up the space more and gives you some texture.”

This provided a striking contrast with the pure white upper cabinets and the durable TCE 1414 quartz countertops in white with dramatic dark veining that ties the black and white color scheme together.

Kagamihara worked with cabinet manufacturer Acadia Craft to create the look she envisioned. “We laid the RAUVISIO terra out as a horizontal; it’s a little difficult to do,” she says. “Having a subtle texture will always complement other things, and I like that it’s a really durable material.”

Function was a driving force in her appliance choices as well. She selected Fisher & Paykel dishwasher drawers, which she claims “are the best thing ever,” and a Liebherr refrigerator because “I needed more compartments on the inside for vegetables.” Although she originally wanted to do induction for the cooktop, she ended up choosing the Wolf gas cooktop, which is more popular for resale. A Faber black stainless hood rounds out the appliance offerings.

A striking Moooi Random II pendant light and a large skylight show off the kitchen for maximum aesthetic appeal, and the light permeates the whole space, with the kitchen flowing seamlessly into the living area.

For the master bathroom, Kagamihara expanded the space, adding a double sink and incorporating simple white tile from The Tile Bar. Because clients often come to her home, she likes her bathroom to show her favorite products and eye-catching details, such as the RAUVISIO crystal Bianco in natural finish used on either side of the window that provides an interesting textural element. “It’s not high gloss, but has a subtlety, and it’s a little bit dimensional. It’s almost a frosted glass look, very understated.”

A Magnum porcelain slab in the shower from Statements Tile & Stone adds pizzazz. The bathroom is also designed to be easy to clean, with a Grohe handshower and Hansgrohe shower fixtures.

The laundry room features the Kelly green she fell in love with in Florence, while the second bathroom includes a marble pattern tile in a black-green hue, rather than the more typical grey-green color. She also chose pink cabinets because, as she states, “I just love pink!”

Remodeling her home during the pandemic was challenging, and she admits there were “lots of delays with the construction and everything.” But the end result was well worth it, she maintains. It’s been more than two years since the remodel was completed, and Kagamihara says it still gives her great joy. “I look around and my home still makes me so happy!” she concludes.