Brothers Mike and Matt French worked with friends and local designers to update an historic inn in Washington with contemporary touches.

The French brothers worked with their architect friend Eric Cheong to renovate a property built in 1907 on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, about two hours north of Seattle.

Located a six-acre (3.5-hectare) waterfront site surrounded by fir trees, Captain Whidbey Inn contains 30 rooms across the lodge and four detached cabins on a six-acre (3.5-hectare) waterfront site surrounded by fir trees.

The trio designed the transformation of the property formerly called Whid-Isle Inn "to breathe new life into the historic site, while keeping the original integrity and idiosyncrasy of the inn intact".
In the portion of the main lodge, rooms are left rustic and feature log walls and more traditional furniture such as leather couches and canopy beds. In the lobby is an original, large fireplace clad in dark stones and rocks found nearby.
"Virtually unchanged from 1907, the traditions too remain," the brothers said. "Shared bathrooms, creaky floorboards and the occasional glass clinking from the tavern below."

Existing wood-panelled walls are a focal point throughout the project, while more updated rooms showcase globe lights and contemporary furniture for a new Scandinavian feel.

The inn's suites, called Lagoon Rooms, have white-washed backdrops, art pieces by Aino Aalto and Mira Nakashima, Mongolian cashmere goat hai...