Budget Breakdown: A Seattle Architect Gives Her Galley Kitchen a Mod Update for $28K
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Aimée O’Carroll of goCstudio uses color-blocking to fantastic effect in her 60-square-foot kitchen.
For years, architect Aimée O’Carroll had kept an eye on her current building in Seattle, hoping one of the units would come up for sale. The 10-story midcentury originally served as short-term rentals during the 1962 World’s Fair—the Space Needle’s raison d'être—and it’s where Aimée’s parents stayed after she moved from London to cofound goCstudio in 2013. "My parents are both architects, so naturally they were drawn to the condo," recalls Aimée.
|
$563.20 Sink & Faucet |
$3,389 Appliances |
$75 Bin Sliders |
|
$3,469.59 Counter & Backsplash |
$360 Steel Shelf |
$438.23 Linoleum Flooring |
|
$246.63 Undercounter Lighting |
$5,375 Reform Cabinets |
$14,213.47 Electrical, Plumbing, Waste Removal, & Misc. |
| Grand Total: $28,130.12 | ||
The location, in First Hill, was perfect: just steps away from Downtown Seattle and Pioneer Square, where goC’s offices are located. "The units feel more spacious, bright, and light than newer buildings," says Aimée. "It has an aluminum curtain wall grid, which means wall-to-wall windows in nearly every room."
Originally designed for the 1962 World's Fair, Aimée's condo building is flush with midcentury design details including large aluminum windows and parquet tile wood floors.
Photo by Kyle Johnson
After viewing several units in the building that weren’t quite right, Aimée had nearly given up when something caught her eye on Instagram. A friend had posted a photo of his condo for sale—and as luck would have it, it was the same unit Aimée’s parents had rented several years earlier. She took the plunge, and after giving the fifth-floor apartment a new coat of paint and refinishing the parquet wood floors, she set her sights on updating the kitchen.
Before: The previous owner had made light updates, including installing open shelving above the sink, but the appliances were dated. The oven’s placement in the corner was also not ideal for the flow while cooking.
Photo courtesy Aimée O'Carroll
"The previous owner had made some nice changes, adding open shelving and pops of bright color," says Aimée. "The kitchen was functional, but felt dated with old appliances and dodgy wiring." When the pandemic hit, Aimée made the kitchen renovation her pet project. "I wasn’t in a major rush, so I was able to stockpile materials and appliances in my living room as I found them on sale."
Keeping the open shelving served a cost-saving benefit and offered an unexpected design opportunity. "I love that objects placed within the shelving provide additional pops of color and interest," says Aimée. "It's also a nice complement to the closed storage on the opposite side."
Photo by Kyle Johnson
See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: A Seattle Architect Gives Her Galley Kitchen a Mod Update for $28K
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