Lakeside West designed by Wittman Estes is a re-imagined urban condominium that transforms an outdated mid-century dwelling into a highly organized and functional dwelling for a single man. The client was trained and practiced as an architect before starting a local tech company that focused on digital interface and experience design. The client approached Wittman Estes, a Seattle architect known for integration of architecture and landscape and their careful re-imagining of classic mid-century buildings such as the Civic Hotel, and residences by notable mid-century architects including Wendell Lovett and Ibsen Nelson. Photography by Rafael Soldi.

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Originally designed by Space Needle architect John Graham, Lakeside West was built in 1961 for the executive staff of the Century 21 World?s Fair. Considered a visionary design at the time, the reinforced concrete frame of the building and sleek international style forms represented the optimism and ambition of 1960s high modernism. While the building had great bones, the layout and finishes were outdated and out of sync with contemporary living. The design brief was to organize and curate a pared-down life where the client’s daily routines of meditation, cooking, and working from home could be focused and elevated by simplifying the material reality of his surrounding environment.
He wanted a space to have guests and focus on his children?all with flexibility to easy access to put away...