GRAY No_35

double
vision
A crackling design chemistry brought two designers,
and friends, into partnership. Here, they share their
latest Pacific Northwest project.
Written by RACHEL EGGERS : Photographed by ALEX HAYDEN
“S
he freaked out,” he says. “No, he freaked out,”
she responds. Together, laughing: “We both
freaked out!”
Over aperitifs at a trendy Seattle bar, Bradley
Barnett and Rachael Lewis are reminiscing about
their recently completed residential project at
the firm the pair launched in May 2017, the aptly
named Barnett Lewis. They’re friends as well as colleagues,
and their conversation reveals the essential comedic moments
present in all great partnerships. As part of former Seattle firm
Guild 13, they had worked together for four years on dozens of
major hospitality and residential projects, most located abroad
or on the East Coast. Fueled by their crackling design chemistry,
the duo (Barnett trained as an architect, Lewis in interior
design) ventured out, expanding their focus to include more
work in the fertile environment of the Pacific Northwest.
Their mutual freak-out—over their online discovery of a
mint-condition Cesare Lacca vintage bar cart—happened
during their initial planning stages for a house for their close
friends Rachael and Dodi Nov. Rachael and Lewis were once
roommates, and a decade back, Lewis designed La Ree,
Rachael’s designer boutique in Bellevue, Washington. While
Guild 13 started the Nov project, the newly minted Barnett
Lewis completed the design of the couple’s home, located on a
plot overlooking the water on Washington’s Mercer Island.
The Novs needed a versatile space—it had to work as a cozy
retreat for the couple, a playful setting for their two young sons,
and a lively spot for entertaining. Barnett Lewis rose to the
challenge, envisioning a disciplined design punctuated with
touches of color, texture, and mood. A network of custom wall
paneling, cabinetry, columns, and staircase railings throughout
the home provides structure and gravitas. “We set up
the home’s ‘melody,’” explains Barnett, “and then added in
unexpected moments.”
The melody opens with a grand entryway wrapped by a staircase
and paneled walls, glamorously furnished with a vintage
Thonet bench reupholstered in Pavoni ostrich-textured cowhide
(“So badass,” notes Barnett) and a Kyle Bunting geometric
rug in luscious cream and black cowhide. The space flows
onward to a formal but vivaciously colored living room where
three sets of French doors are surrounded by mathematically
crisp windows and panels. Warm, luxuriant furnishings and
1950s- and ’60s-era pieces pop against the serene backdrop.
In the nearby kitchen, grounded in rich grays, black, and
bronze, Carrera marble cloaks the counter and backsplash, and
custom dove-gray cabinets sport handsome bronze pulls. On
the ceiling, a Cole & Son wall covering in a trompe l’oeil lattice
pattern cleverly aligns with the room’s natural shadows. Two
dramatic Roll & Hill Modo globe pendant lamps cap the epic
soapstone island.
An expansive hallway gallery running the length of the home
is its main refrain, revealing the family’s life through a selection
of books, photos, and mementos. “The memories that
stick are those that connect with more than one sense,” says
Barnett of the home’s décor. “We try to create spaces that suggest
curiosity and exploration.”
That they’ve succeeded in crafting the multifunctional home
the family desired—as well as forging an effective partnership—
was proved by a text that Dodi Nov recently sent to them. “He
was sitting in the living room, taking it all in,” says Barnett.
“He said, ‘I didn’t really get how good you guys were until now.’”
The partners laugh. “That’s why we bring such passion to every
detail,” says Lewis, and Barnett adds, “It’s the last 10 percent of
the project that makes up 50 percent of the experience.” »
graymag.com
97