elegant and simple
For most of us, home is four walls and, if we’re lucky, a nice view from the window. But for two fortunate Spokane homeowners, home is a spectacular view captured by a wall of windows.
Ingrid “Piper” Peterson and her husband of four years, John Gilbert, moved to Spokane in 2005. Peterson’s children are grown, and two of them live overseas. So, contemplating the move, the couple decided they wanted something smaller than the suburban home they were leaving, and they wanted to live near the heart of the city center.
When they saw the contemporary building on Riverside Avenue, just west of the Maple Street Bridge, it was exactly what they were looking for.
“When we saw it for the first time, we thought all the units were sold,” Gilbert says.
When they discovered there was space available, Peterson and Gilbert purchased the 870 square-foot condominium. It was small but efficiently designed. With one bedroom, one and a half baths, there was just enough space.
The condominium features multiple windows across the north wall, the wall that faces the Spokane River. From any spot in the condo, one can look out at the tops of trees that tower over Peaceful Valley, at the river gorge, at the area that eventually will be developed as Kendall Yards and, in the distance at Mount Spokane.
One window in particular really stands out. A wide industrial garage door rolls up to open the living room to the outdoors. Unobtrusive steel cable serves as a gate across the wide-open space.
There is a smaller balcony just off the bedroom.
“I don’t think of it as just a condominium,” Peterson says. “To me, it’s like living in a treehouse.”
The interior, with nine different paint colors defining the different functions of each space, and mirrored walls to visually expand the space, is a study in simple but elegant design.
Hardwood floors finished in a dark stain and a wide kitchen island with a stainless steel surface, give the kitchen a clean, functional look.
Floors in the living room, dining room and bedroom are carpeted with plush, neutral carpet. A colorful geometric area rug anchors the living room.
Contemporary light fixtures, including sconces, provide stylish task lighting and create interesting pools of light throughout the space.
For Peterson and Gilbert, the only thing their new home lacked was a study. So they looked up.
By tucking a loft into the 19-foot high ceiling over the bedroom, they claimed a space for the computer, and an added 100 square-feet to the condo. The loft is accessed by a tall ship’s ladder.
“We ordered the ladder from New Orleans,” Peterson says. “This was around the time Katrina hit the gulf, so we had to wait for it to be delivered.”
After a year in their “treehouse,” Peterson and Gilbert say they wouldn’t change a thing.
They still love the views – day and night – that come with the space.
“If I get up at night to get a drink of water, I never mind,” Peterson says. “The view, with the lights of the city, is so beautiful I’m glad I woke up.”