When it comes to new housing, Seattle is not beating the function-over-form allegations. Here, as in many other major US cities faced with a housing crisis, the admirable goal of creating more places to live has led to some ironically lifeless buildings.

Some of the blame lies with the city’s stifling design review process, and some with developers’ more-or-less inevitable desire to scale up while keeping construction costs down. Whatever the reason for our little boxes made of ticky-tacky, a townhome in Ballard and a five-over-one in Capitol Hill kind of look just the same.

And that’s exactly what makes this Orange Place townhome, part of a newly built development situated a few blocks from Queen Anne’s main drag, stand out.

Its white-brick facade—inspired by Queen Anne High School, a local architectural landmark (turned not-so-cookie-cutter condo building) right around the corner—subtly subverts the sparse, modern look typical of so many new builds. “Our primary goal was to ensure that the townhouses felt like traditional homes,” like the historic buildings ubiquitous in New York City or London, says Katie Rains, in-house designer at developer Windsor Homes. “Often, townhouses in Seattle lean towards an industrial aesthetic, but we wanted these to feel purely residential.”

It’s their interior design that feels especially striking. “Our goal was to select elements that would remain beautiful for decades,” Rains says. Instead of super-sleek modern finishes—sure to feel far less modern in about five years—the team opted for updated takes on timeless classics, like micro-shaker cabinets, a streamlined version of the centuries-old design. Neither too warm, nor too cool; not too light, nor too dark. The engineered hardwood floors feel lab-grown to weather our fickle interior design preferences. A rooftop deck offers equally timeless views of downtown and the Cascades.

Panel wall molding and arched doorways add vintage charm buyers might expect from the home’s century-old neighbors, not the townhouses next door. Further proof that single-family homes don’t have a monopoly on design that does more than just get the job done.

$1.345 million–dollar townhomes aren’t exactly the frontline of Seattle’s efforts to increase its accessible housing supply. But they offer a blueprint for how the architectural character of a historic neighborhood—and the density requirements of said neighborhood in 2024—can peacefully, even beautifully, coexist.

Listing Fast Facts

1412 Orange Pl N, Seattle, WA 98109
Size: 1,665 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
List Price: $1,345,000
List Date: 9/27/2024
Listing Agent: Michele Hanrahan, Windermere Real Estate Co.

Photography: Alessandra Brescia alessandrabrescia.com