Property Watch: Midcentury Modern Maple Leaf Home Stays True to Its Story

For interior designers with an eye toward historic preservation, the goal of doing right by a classic midcentury home while ushering it into the modern era is a careful balancing act. 

When the previous owner of the home is as beloved as Dr. Sam Sebesta, a retired University of Washington education professor and children’s book author who lived and entertained there until his passing at the age of 93, that goal feels like a mandate.

Real estate agent and interior designer Storm Monette’s thoughtful revamp of this 1961 Maple Leaf home maintains a great deal of its central midcentury features. The era’s characteristically elongated roman bricks take center stage—or, rather, keep it—on the home’s facade and its impressive living room fireplace. The entryway’s original slate flooring still welcomes guests, of which Sebesta had many, with style and verve. Clerestory windows typical of Northwest Regional design let the sun shine in. 

The redesign feels mid-mod down to the smallest detail, from the Herman Miller bubble pendants to the Palm Springs–inspired robin’s egg blue front door to the sanded and re-stained wood soffit.

Monette’s big aesthetic swings add polish and whimsy while still clearly referencing the home’s roots; as in many midcentury houses, colorful bathrooms carry more than their weight in charm factor. “I had a lot of fun with the tile in this house,” Monette says. Terrazzo-printed porcelain, blue-and-white checkerboard, and Monette’s custom take on Wow Design’s Twister tiles cement the bold bathroom firmly in 2024.

 As does the massive primary suite, built from two original bedrooms and complete with the thoroughly modern concept of enclosing a soaking tub within the larger shower area. “I think [expanding the primary suite] was really successful, because obviously that’s something that’s really popular in today’s time period, but they just did not make those in the ’50s,” Monette says.

Sleek finishes, high-end appliances (like a massive Sub-Zero fridge), and a brand-new wall of cabinets from Sumner-based Bellmont Cabinet Company create a kitchen that’s clearly updated, but not distractingly so. “We just made it more functional: opened it up, added the peninsula, added more storage, added more counter space,” Monette says.

Beneath these meticulous adjustments, practical, systemic changes make up a bulk of the remodel. The entire downstairs went from unfinished daylight basement to livable square footage, complete with an updated utility room and expanded bathroom. The electrical, plumbing, HVAC, windows, and roof all received an update. “We wanted to keep a lot of the charm of it,” Monette says. “But we basically rebuilt it from the inside out.”

After the remodel, Sebesta’s friend visited the place where the professor once brought the neighborhood together for children’s book readings, impromptu piano concerts, and, during the pandemic, a book club that met in the cul-de-sac itself. “He came and saw the remodel,” Monette says. “And he said that he thought Sam would have liked it a lot.”

Listing Fast Facts

1546 NE 92nd St, Seattle, WA 98115
Size: 2,660 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
List Price: $1,850,000
List Date: 7/25/2024
Listing Agent: Storm Monette and Kayla Kaluna, Designed Realty