Property of Mr. and Mrs. Jay Jacobs - overlooking Lake Washington, near Seattle | Architects: Tucker and Shields
If perfectionism and carefree living seem to preclude each other, it may only be because the planning was not done in advance. While you cannot superimpose too much order on high spirits, you can build it into a house. This is what Mr. and Mrs. Jay Jacobs did when they planned their house. It is rambling modern, built into a hillside overlooking Seattle's Lake Washington, every inch of it organized to suit the way they like to live. Example: all major rooms are on the upper level, but their two young daughters' bedrooms and playroom are on the lower level, thus separating the noisier activities of the two generations. Another example: the bar and music system are housed in a tiny room strategically located between the living room and terrace, so parties can spread out into both areas. There are also such careful details as a television set on wheels and with an elevator mechanism; it can be rolled from the study to the master bedroom, and there raised so it can be viewed from bed.
The plan is exceptional for several reasons, but mainly because it makes the house seem both large and small at the same time. There is a feeling of great spaciousness right from the mo- ment you enter the front hall and see, directly facing you, a window-wall opening to the terrace and a panoramic view of the lake. This hall links living room, study and master bedroom, which are built in a U around the ter- race. The study can be closed off as part of the corner master suite, or opened to the hall and main living areas. On the other hand, the house seems conveniently small and intimate because except for the children's rooms it is all on one floor; the Jacobs purposely planned it this way so that when their children are grown, the house will have the convenience of a one-story plan.
Inside, the decorating is a com- bination of built-ins and furnishings so carefully chosen that they, too, almost seem a part of the house itself. The living room is joined to the site by two window-walls, and the fireplace wall is paneled in natural walnut; against this background are white draw-curtains, an L-shaped sofa upholstered in bright yellow and a card table topped with charcoal gray leather. In the dining room, the hangings are the same, the chairs antique Directoire, and the table a three-part special design: for family use the main section stands in the center of the room; for parties, two half-size sections are added to form a long buffet or a large square table. Both study and master bedroom have blue-gray walls, charcoal-gray Siamese silk curtains, oyster white carpeting. Yellow is the accent color: in the study, two yellow tweed chairs; in the bedroom, yellow velvet bedspreads. Ad- joining the master bedroom are two bath-dressing rooms with built-in storage space.
In good weather the terrace, which can be reached from all sides, is the center of family activities and parties. For either purpose, it is admirably pre- pared. There is an open fireplace for barbecuing, and since the terrace is shielded from the wind and partially covered overhead, it can be used for many months of the year and even in slightly inclement weather. Final note for effortless living: in the bar is a telephone with 20-foot extension cord so it can be carried to almost any part of the terrace or living room.
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source: House and Garden Magazine | May 1954
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