A better idea

It’s not unusual for builders, designers, manufacturers and merchants across the country, to join forces to present an “idea house” showcasing the best in home design and introducing innovative new products. Now for the first time, Spokane is home to such a house.
The Spokane Idea House was the brainchild of Debbie Smith, and it was conceived as a way to benefit the Merry Glen Home and School, a residential facility for developmentally disabled people.
Smith has been the fund-raising chairperson for Merry Glen Home and School for four years.
Faced with raising $100,000 for repairs and remodeling projects for the 30-year-old facility in a tough economic climate, Smith, who has a daughter at the Merry Glen Home, searched for an innovative way to bring in the money. “We were out of the bake sale and bazaar level,” she said.
At the same time Smith was clipping magazine photos for the dream home she hoped to build. She noticed that many of the clippings she saved were from idea houses built by magazines like Sunset and Southern Living. The Spokane Idea House was born.
“I was looking for a new way to raise money, something that would reach as many people as possible” she said. “And I knew from looking at all of those magazines that idea houses were popular.”
Smith presented the idea of using her own building project to bring an Idea House to Spokane to her husband and to the Merry Glen board of directors. They all agreed.
With underwriting for marketing from Tomlinson Black and Washington Trust Bank, Smith met with her longtime friend and interior designer, Marcea Seimears, from Design Works.
Seimears, who has worked with area homebuilders on numerous Home Shows, agreed to take on the task.
The next step was to find a builder. A chance encounter in the grocery store with his mother-in-law led to Matt Coffey.
Smith contacted him and after explaining the project, and the reasons for it, Coffey who was working and living in California at the time, signed on.
“I called him and after five minutes, I knew he was the one,” Smith said. “He caught the spirit of the thing right away.”
Coffey moved his family to Spokane — his wife is originally from this area — and went to work on the project.
Smith and Coffey met with local designers, merchants and manufacturers.
“I went to each one and said, ‘What do you have that’s new, what would you like to show Spokane?’” Smith said. “They all jumped at the chance to be involved.”
Construction began in early spring.
“What should have taken ten months to a year has been done in around seven months,” Smith said. “Everyone, especially Matt Coffey, was committed to getting it done in time.”
The House
A winding drive, framed between columns of basalt, leads to the rambling “Contemporary Country Casual” house. Nestled into the back of the Green Bluff hillside, the house overlooks rolling fields of Colbert farmland.
“There was really only one way a house this size house could fit on this lot,” builder Matt Coffey said. “I staked it out three times before I got it exactly the way I wanted it.”
A combination of lap siding, cedar shingles and cultured stone dresses the exterior and a deep porch stretches across the front. Traditional solid wood shutters accent the windows. A large gabled window sits over the three-car garage.
A paved wheelchair ramp leads to the smaller “friends” entrance that accesses the house through the mudroom.
Interior design
The stunning southwesterly view, framed by a wall of windows, is the first thing you notice when you enter the 5,700 square-foot home.
Wide “hand-scraped” maple hardwood floors accented with neutral carpet and colorful rugs draw the eye to the other focal point - a floor-to-ceiling wall of cultured- stone surrounding the fireplace.
Custom millwork and molding done by Coffey, and knotty alder doors and paneling, are complemented by the soft gold paint on the walls.
The intimate eating area — the house doesn’t have a formal dining room — features the work of local stencil artist and muralist Nancy Jones. Another large window faces the view.
The kitchen features granite countertops with a honed finish, double ovens and a warming drawer. A walk-in pantry painted a deep paprika adds an element of surprise.
A custom kitchen island, designed to look like three separate pieces of furniture, offers space for food prep and seating for four.
The wide curved granite countertop separates the kitchen from the “hearth room” or family room.
There, another stacked cultured stone fireplace and small windows over the mantel warm the space.
A covered deck sits off the kitchen. Glass panels are used so the deck railing won’t interfere with the view.
A new type of cement block paver was used on the deck. Each square is impregnated with stain so that the color remains even if the square is chipped. The squares are placed over a waterproof surface using plastic spacers and deliberately left ungrouted so they can be cleaned with a garden hose.
Heat lamps are recessed into the ceiling for cold-weather comfort.
The lower level contains three more bedrooms and a recreation room with space for a pool table. There is a dedicated media room with theater-style seating for 10.
The hardwood and wrought iron staircase leads to the loft area. A pair of recessed alcove beds, intended for Smith’s grandchildren, flanks the sides of the loft. Each has its own skylight and sliding door.
Universal design
A primary focus in the design of the Spokane Idea House is “universal accessibility,” or access for everyone, including the handicapped or physically challenged.
Universal design elements include wheelchair ramps and access, wider hallways, lower light switches, handles and latches, and a self-contained main floor.
Because the Spokane Idea House will be the Smith family’s private residence, universal access was a special concern. Their 24-year-old daughter Samantha, who resides at Merry Glen, was paralyzed after an accident five years ago and is a wheelchair-user. Her bedroom is a special feature of the home.
The bedroom features a wide doorway and an adjoining private laundry room. The nearby master bath, decorated with a faux-stone arched window by Jones, features a roll-in shower with specially placed controls so water can be turned on and off before entering the shower area.
The “comfort height” toilet and vanities were designed to not only be functional for Samantha, but with an eye toward the Smith’s future needs.
“You know, baby boomers are aging, and more and more this kind of design is being incorporated into a new structures,” designer Marcea Seimears said. “I always try to get people to think forward when they are building, because it doesn’t cost much more if you plan ahead and build it in, but it can be expensive if you have to add it later.”
The space over the garage has been roughed-in to allow a separate apartment if a live-in caretaker becomes a necessity.
Extras
Local stores, including Mels, Miaz, ZOE , Pottery Barn, Joel and Pier One, loaned furniture and accessories for the show.
During the show the merchants and manufacturers whose products are featured in the house, including Columbia Paint and the Northwest’s own Devine Paint, will set up kiosks in the garage. Representatives will be available to answer questions.
Interior design students from Spokane Falls Community College will present their original concepts for several of the spaces in the house.
Seimears works closely with the SFCC program and especially wanted to involve the students.
“This kind of project is invaluable for them,” she said. “It gives them hands-on experience.”
Life as a house
Usually, an Idea House is sold after the show. Smith has downplayed the fact that Spokane’s first Idea House is her own, but she is up-front about the experience she gained.
Although several vendors involved in the construction gave Smith a discounted price, often not much more than the standard contractor discount, there weren’t any freebies.
Because most of the innovations put into the structure were new, and top of the line, they were more expensive than other options.
“As far as understanding the work and expense I was taking on, I was incredibly naïve,” Debbie Smith said. “We had a beautiful home that was paid for, and now we’re in debt again.
“It was all bigger and more expensive than I could have imagined.”
And there were constraints to what the family was willing, or could afford, to do.
“Each company wanted to showcase the newest and best,” Debbie Smith’s husband Steve said. “And when I could go along with it, I did. But there were limits.”
Smith says it’s important to know that the furniture and accessories in each room were loaned to the Idea House by area stores and showrooms.
“The day after the show ends, it all goes back,” she said.
If all goes well, the bottom line will be the needed updating and improvements at Merry Glen Home, a dream of a house for the Smiths, and plenty of new ideas for the rest of Spokane.