The Red House

A Restored Kirkland Classic

For many people, houses are often merely floors, walls and a ceiling. But to take a simple structure which commandeers a piece of land and transform it into your own sanctuary should be the end goal. For Stacy Kovats, a designer and general contractor for 18 years, “The Red House” in Kirkland is her personal stamp on the world — her oasis. Built in 1915, the house was “updated” in the 1970s. But an appraisal in 2005 indicated the house should be torn down. Kovats didn’t want that to happen.

“Homes with history and character define neighborhoods, particularly in a town like Kirkland, whose downtown neighborhoods have dramatically evolved through the decades,” Kovats said. She grew up there and attended Lake Washington High School and the University of Washington.
 
Kovats and her company, the Kovats Corporation, a residential and commercial design, construction and development firm, already saved and restored four houses on the same block.
 
 “I stripped it down to look at what the bones were and how to turn it back into the house that it probably was at one time but I had to figure out what to do with the weird walls and add-ons,” Kovats said.
 
She gathered her team and friends — and was hands-on in getting the project done. It began at the end of January and she was ready to move in May - a mere 100 days.
 
“Dramatic changes were made, with minimal framing,” she explained. “The wall between the kitchen and dining room was opened as a pass through, the wall dividing the kitchen and the sixth bedroom was opened with interior French doors to become a den/office, an opening to the stairwell leading to the lower floor, and the side porch was modified.”
 
In that den/office with the French doors there are stacks and stacks of books which at first are terrifying to see because you just know they’re going to end up on the floor. But for Kovats, who makes a business of collecting “salvage, architectural pieces,” she also found book cases from Design Within Reach to keep them in place.
 
By architectural standards, it is a simple 3,200-square-foot home with lots of rooms: five bedrooms, four baths, a kitchen, dining room, living room, den, pantry, game room, laundry room, family room with home theater, play room and covered porches.
 
But what truly stands out is Kovats’ gift for design. She has the ability to transform a space with her take on the world, which in her words is “eclectic.”
 
The spirit of the home comes from within someone who is free and not constrained by whatever the world says you should be — a person who easily expresses themselves, who is honest and authentic, and has nooks and crannies to their personality.
 
From the moment you pull up in the driveway, your eyes bounce across the visual feast of treasures — from the delicate arbor to the colorful flowers to the giant rooster made out of recycled steel drums on the front law and a tree grate on the porch. Once you reach the front door, you’re greeted by a big, black rat.
 
Yes, a life-sized black rat, albeit plastic, with beady little eyes.
Ask her where she found something and there’s always a quick answer. Let’s take a visit to the first floor bathroom:
 
The feathered mask on the wall? “It’s from Fantasy Fest in Florida.” The antique lace on the bathroom window? “My great-grandma made that.” The skull on the glass shelves, a relic? “It’s by an artist that makes skulls out of concrete.” The shadow box of butterflies, real? “Yes.”
 
And so it goes as you travel through Kovats’ house from the roller skates hanging by the front door to the “Hall of Shame” to the backyard. Whoa, watch out! Don’t step on the plastic toy alligator on the lawn.
 
To showcase her vintage ceramic pieces in the dining room, Kovats picked up red shelves at Crate & Barrel. For the glossy finish on the master bedroom and den/office walls, she experimented and found that by tinting the lacquer with coffee, it gave the paint a brilliant shine.
 
For the kitchen, Kovats was innovative and installed cork floors in a traditional arcade pattern, used copper for the counter tops and backsplash, and stainless steel KitchenAid appliances. The cabinets have French, hand-rolled glass (with treasures such as Kovats’ great-aunt’s toy red farm tractor stored behind them).
 
The master bath, which Kovats set herself, features a reproduction of a Victorian sink, fossil stone, a marble lined shower, brushed nickel fixtures, and — of course — a vintage slip used as a curtain in the window.
 
The living room hosts Luis Sanchez’s “Lost Answers” on the wall and features striking black glass tile around the fireplace with a 1940s-era watercolor hanging above it.
 
Kovats also did what needs to be done with older homes. She put in new plumbing, installed a 95-percent efficiency furnace, insulated “beyond (the) industry standard” and smart-wired the house.
 
For fun, she tapped into her love of music and put in a “whole house” music system so she could enjoy her collection of “eccentric soul music.” In the basement there’s a home theater where her teenagers take turns entertaining friends. There’s also a craft area/laundry room, her office and a game room.
 
Kovats’ sense of humor and personality shines when she does work for clients and also when she’s making her own house a home.
 
“That’s also why people hire me to do their houses,” Kovats says. “To flesh out their personality in their home.”

For the full story pick up the latest copy of 425 magazine. Subscriptions are available by phone at 425.646.1380 or you may order your subscription online.