Cross Currents

Just like fine food, homes should be comfortable, personal, and organic, says designer-turned-restaurateur Marcia Bond. In the hilltop house Marcia and her husband, William, built in Spokane, Washington, seven sets of French doors stand open, encouraging gentle breezes to ruffle pages of  magazines and books scattered in the expansive room. No walls divide the kitchen, dining, and living areas, so air, light, and conversations flow easily among family and friends sharing the comfortable space.

A clean sweep of concrete floors unites the large living area with bedrooms, a den, and a corridor-like pantry tucked behind the kitchen. “All through the house, we never have a threshold,” Marcia says. “I love concrete and I like it natural—not painted or etched,” she says, explaining that a beeswax derivative was applied as a finish. A system of water pipes under the floor warms the house with hydronic radiant heat.

Design:
Architects: Leslie and Steve Ronald, Steve Ronald Associates Architects, 2424 W. Second Ave., Spokane, WA 99204; 509/747-0079.

Sources:
Chairs; sofas; end tables; chandelier; coffee table; blue chest behind sofa: owner’s collection.
Art (by Dick Ibach): Lorinda Knight Gallery, 509/838-3740.
Paint (“Luna Gold’’ #HC 91): Benjamin Moore & Co., 888/236-6667, benjaminmoore.com.
Fireplace wall: Dryvit Systems Inc., 800/556-7752.

Photographs by John Granen
Text by Amy Elbert
Produced by Linda Humphrey