Property Watch: A Tidy Ralph Anderson Home in Queen Anne

Ralph Anderson is an iconic local architect, best-known in his day for revitalizing Pioneer Square, although he’s gained more of a cult following for his distinctive homes. He helped define Northwest Contemporary style, teasing out the woodsy elements of regional midcentury architecture into jaw-dropping tributes to the natural landscape.

This boxy home on the Interbay-facing part of Queen Anne, built in 1965, is more on the modern side, but it’s full of beautiful little Anderson hallmarks. A two-story corner window bank ascends into a cathedral ceiling above the dining room. Elsewhere, more ornamental window treatments, including another two-story bank at the entrance, let light in through narrow slats that complement the rails on the open staircase and lofted living room.

Anderson superfans may notice that the place has had some work done since it last popped up on the market a couple of years ago: Walls to a separate kitchen got knocked out to create an open kitchen and an extra bedroom. Upstairs, a new wall expanded the second-floor bedroom’s ensuite bath and added a walk-in closet. It means the living room lost a row of skylights but gained an office nook and wet bar in the process. Some track lights were swapped out for can lights.

The biggest design elements stuck around, especially on the exterior. On one corner, large covered decks stack against the dining room and living room. Along the main bedroom, a serene balcony looks over the backyard. A statement pendant light echoing the home’s windows still shines over the front porch.

With Anderson designs, setting is everything, and the low-maintenance landscape surrounding the home has been refreshed with an extremely light touch. Stone garden beds decorate the steps to the front door, and out back, a lush hillside dotted with ferns has space to lounge both above and below.

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