Seattle Architectural Photographer | Colman Park Renovation

Seattle has no shortage of fabulous midcentury architecture. When attempting a full scale renovation, Office of Ordinary does an amazing job of preserving historical details (or emulating them if adding new elements). This home in Seattle’s Colman Park neighborhood sits high up in the trees on one of Seattle’s many steep hills. This gives the opportunity for a real tree-house vibe, which was achieved with great skill in this project.

My favorite part of this home is the new banquette dining area, which was a new addition to this home. With wraparound windows and seating, it feels like you’re really in a treehouse (with far better insulation). ;)

In capturing this home, we kept with a natural light approach, which highlighted the soft green glow from the outdoors. Allowing natural light to guide the way does pose some challenges (I have to do quite a bit of post-production work for these images to be successful), but it always feels like the right choice in telling the truth of the space, capturing light, and creating an inviting mood.

This beautiful project was recently featured on Amazing Architecture, where you can see more details about the renovation process, view the floorpans, and learn more about Office of Ordinary.

Seattle Airbnb Photographer + Video | Cave B

After a long Seattle winter (with still a good amount to go) I was more than enthusiastic about a daytrip over the pass to Eastern Washington. It’s really magical to emerge from the densely mountainous and green Snoqualmie Pass into the brown rolling hills of our desert land. To be greeted with pristine blue skies is such a gift in these darker shorter days.

Just inside the Cave B property is a unique and hyper-modern building project designed by the Seattle architectural firm Olson Kundig. Several groupings of neo brutalist dwellings are strewn about the desert property. Floor to ceiling windows and interiors that seamlessly transition to exteriors create an almost glamping-like effect (except with indoor plumbing and insulation). The view stretches over the Columbia River Gorge where you can walk to summer concerts.

Plato’s Cave is a new vacation rental on Airbnb that offers guests an experience of this stunning landscape. A perfect place to escape the Seattle grind and be surrounded by beautiful architecture, this new space has two bedrooms and two bathrooms and boasts a beautiful firepit lounge and hot tub.

As an interior photographer in Seattle, I’m used to lots of craftsman details, so to photograph an uber modern structure was such a fun change of pace. The interior design is muted and cool in tone, a refreshing shadow in a sun-drenched desert otherwise. The technical challenge in this project was bringing the view of the outdoors into every shot. I stray from real estate photography in which an almost otherworldly clear view out the windows is the norm, and everything is over-bright. I want it to feel like you’re really in the space, with the photos portraying an editorial and lifestyle approach. Reading the light and shadow of each individual space, I tailor my natural-light approach to finding the best balance of nuance and detail.

Enjoy beautiful Plato’s Cave!