VASHON ISLAND, Wash. — When Seattle style guru Ted Kennedy Watson and his husband Ted Sive need to escape, they come to Westward, a Vashon Island cabin on three secluded acres.
“It's incredibly recharging,” says Sive. “Ted and I will come out here for 24-36 hours and we'll drive back and we'll go 'My God I feel like we've been gone for three days’.”
The outdoors is the big draw. Making a tiny 650 square-foot cabin work for them is the big challenge.
“It was really about opening up the house and so we took out the windows, put in french doors and painted things white.’ said Sive.
“White paint can do miracles,” says Watson who owns two namesake stores, Watson Kennedy.
For design elements, the couple took their cues from a 35-foot tall flagpole left behind.
“That kind of gave us the red, white, and blue Americana themes,” said Watson. “We kind of ran with that. A lot of red, white, and blue.”
Watson repeats those colors in his collections. Red barns in paintings and red kitchenware. Blue books stacked on shelves and blue flowers. White seashells throughout the house and white floors.
“We were collecting vintage white pottery before we bought the house,” said Watson.
In the living room, the furniture is functional and slip-covered for the sake of their dog, Bailey.
The pieces are also full-sized.
I think when a lot of people get a small space, they think they need to get a smaller couch or chairs,” says Sive. “Sometimes that can work, but also it can give a dollhouse feel and the furniture is not quite as comfortable. In fact, in a smaller space, you have to make sure every stick of furniture really provides use."
In the kitchen, the couple removed the doors from the upper cupboards.
“That also opens up space,” says Watson. “If those had doors on it, it would just close it all in.”
Stairs lead below to the beach and above to a renovated shed called the tree house.
Artist Amy Duncan covered the walls with pages from vintage books.
“My favorite part of the property might be the outside bed,” says Sive. “I sleep out there all year long and it’s an extraordinary experience to be sort of nestled into the house but open up to the outside, the rain and the wind and the birds and the surf. It's fantastic.”
It's Westward, a peaceful slice of salt weathered heaven.
Westward has recently been featured in Country Living Magazine.
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