Deceptive Simplicity From The Outside, It Looks Like A Typical Palouse Home, But Step Instide And You’ll Find A ‘New York Loft’
Merit Award: New Homes less than 1,800 sq. ft.
From the outside, there’s nothing special about the house that sits toward the back of a modest lot on the outskirts of town.
With its curved sidewalk and quaint front porch, cedar lap siding and exposed rafter tails, it looks like it could have been built anytime after World War II - the sort of place a 6-year-old might draw with crayons and label “Granny’s house.”
But looks can be deceiving. And in this case, the mischievous deception makes the surprise waiting inside all the more delightful.
Because just past the front door is a space more suited to Jerry Seinfeld than Grandma. Open ceiling trusses, an industrial-looking kitchen, cantilevered steel stairway, halogen spotlights … There’s even a urinal in the bathroom!
“My guiding idea as I worked through the design was: ‘Palouse garage remodeled as New York loft,”’ explains John Larkin, an industrial designer who took on the one-bedroom project with the intention of renting it to a friend.
Restricted by budget and a narrow, 40-foot-wide lot, Larkin kept the home’s “footprint” small - 24 by 48 feet - and tucked the house toward the back of the sloping lot to maximize its southern exposure.
“I’m very interested in vernacular forms - especially exterior,” Larkin says, “and I’m very interested in the minimalist, modern look … and trying to get the two of them to come together.”
Outside he used familiar details, such as standard trim around windows and traditional knee-brace supports for the front-porch roof.
Larkin says he resisted the urge to do “something modern and crazy looking” with the exterior because “I felt I had a responsibility to the neighborhood not to do that.”
Actually, the inside isn’t all that crazy either, judging by the near-unanimous enthusiasm the wide-open space generates.
The floors are clear-coated, medium-density fiberboard, and the kitchen shelves are metal shop cabinets. About the only details Larkin splurged on were the bathroom tiles and the elaborate stairway he welded together in-place.
“Building inspectors thought the (open floor plan) was a little odd, but actually I was surprised at how cooperative and accepting people were through the whole process,” says Larkin. “I expected a lot more raised eyebrows.”
Jurors Sue Ellen Heflin and Marsha Rooney both liked the home’s split personality. “It’s intriguing as a rental,” Heflin wrote. “How do different people organize the space and focus attention?”
Larkin wondered the same thing after the friend he was building for moved from Moscow before the house was finished.
“Having a known client during the design phase gave me the courage and direction to do some odd things that I might not have done if I’d been trying to appeal to everyone,” he says.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo