South Seattle: The Different Drummer

Personality is a characteristic that is often lacking in homes, including my own. You can use architecture, design eras, molding profiles, and period appropriate colors all you want to evaluate the quality of a house, but there is something rare about a home that pushes back and doesn’t want to be categorized.

I’m going out on a limb here, because this is all based on pure speculation on my part, but here is a house that embodies this little mutiny. It is in the South Park neighborhood, between Georgetown and West Seattle. South Park has the reputation of being an underdog neighborhood, but trust me, drive down there sometime and you’ll have a blast checking out some of the wacky juxtapositions of geography, industry and residences. It’s not uncommon to see a house straight out of Upstate Picturesque Sleepy Hollowtown, USA plunked next to a lame mobile home.

At any rate, this house has a similar appeal to that of South Park. It’s got fake brick siding on it (normally a kiss of death), but the yellow alcove at the front door relates perfectly to the strong, upright stripes of golden bamboo in the yard. In my opinion, this choice is deliberate, functioning to acknowledge and dismiss that fake brick with a knowing wink. Inside, the colors are delightful and irreverent, and instead of refinishing the hardwood floors, the owner had the insouciance to shrug and paint them. Why are hardwood floors sacred, anyhow? We paint wood all the time. A coveted clawfoot tub is topped with cheap plastic shower curtain. That’s because it’s a shower, not a fetish.

This house says no to Pottery Barn, no to wine refrigerators, and no to all the predictable options that make houses safe for our collective homogenized tastes. It’s not for everybody and I may be crazy, but this house seems to have opinions. But, then again, I’m just speculating.

Details: Price: $284,950. Last sold in 2002 for $100,000. 1,060 square feet. 3 bedrooms, 1 bath. Dibs on the lime bedroom.