An early 1950s dwelling in the Pacific Northwest that was originally built for cartoonist Irwin Caplan has received a sensitive refurbishment by American firm SHED.

The house sits on a sloped site in Seattle's Laurelhurst neighbourhood, with quick access to public transportation and the Burke-Gilman Trail. Dating to 1951, the home was possibly designed by architect Sidney Cohn, although records are unclear. Cohn oversaw a remodel of the dwelling in 1959.
The residence was built for Irwin Caplan, an illustrator known for his comic strip Famous Last Words, which appeared in The Saturday Evening Post magazine. Caplan also designed the poster for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.

The new owners purchased the house directly from Caplan's estate and embarked on updating it to accommodate the needs of a growing family. Local studio SHED Architecture and Design was commissioned to design the renovation. "Although the home had strong bones and a clear floor plan, the home showed signs of deferred maintenance, inefficient and outdated systems and had a number of layout deficiencies," the team said.

L-shaped in plan, the residence has a main floor and lower level. The main floor of the original home lacked a proper foyer and mudroom, and certain areas felt cramped and awkward. The lower level contained rooms that were "worn out from years of use and shut off from the outside".
The architects set out to create a more fluid and open layout while maintaining the home'...