The Lakefront Seattle Escape of Celebrity Hairstylist Jen Atkin Was Meant To Be
It’s not every day that what sets out to be an investment property turns into a fairytale vacation hideaway. But that was the case for Jen Atkin, entrepreneur and celebrity hairstylist, and her husband, photographer Mike Rosenthal. “I mean, there were bunnies in the yard,” quips the multi-hyphenate of seeing her Seattle getaway for the first time. “The minute we saw it we just felt like we were home.”
Having looked in other areas, the duo, at first, had trouble finding something that felt authentic to them. (At least if they didn’t want to undertake a massive renovation.) “Most of the homes we saw needed a lot of work, which we were not prepared to do as we were still working on our house in LA,” Atkin explains. It wasn’t until their last day of viewing properties that the duo stumbled upon this hidden gem.
“We walked through the house and it felt like we had built it ourselves,” Atkin recalls. “We kept pinching ourselves. Then we were like, ‘Well, how are we going to talk the owners into letting us take this house?’” One effervescent we-love-your-home letter later and the pair, along with their two children and three dogs, were on their way toward a new kind of adventure. “It felt like a place where anything was possible,” Rosenthal remarks.
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Designer Carly Lisnow, owner of NowHaus Studio, was up for the job. “Nothing could be precious,” Atkin says of her remit for Lisnow. So while their dog eating a piece of the new sofa days after its arrival wasn’t ideal, no one was shaken. “You hope it doesn’t happen, but if it does, it won’t crush you,” Rosenthal says of that type of incident; but “there are definitely a few vases we don’t want to break,” Atkin quickly adds.
Family time, game nights with friends, tranquility, and adaptability were the priorities Lisnow kept in mind. Other than that, the slate was blank. Bridging the Los Angeles chic that the couple knows so well with Seattle’s cool sense of elevated charm, the designer set out to craft a tranquil yet interesting home by focusing on midcentury pieces with an eclectic edge. Think a custom Croft House living room sofa nestled among wooden coffee tables from Stahl+Band and a not-so-obvious limestone piece by Yucca Stuff.
The house itself, designed by architect Peter Cohan and originally constructed by Schultz Miller, is striking, comprising light woods, white tones, and sweeping views. “I had to go more minimalist than I normally do just to really let the lake and architecture of home remain the centerpieces,” Lisnow explains. Plus with multiple businesses to run, stacked schedules, kids, and a few dogs, Atkin and Rosenthal were more than amenable to the idea of simplicity.
The couple worked closely with Lisnow to bring their vision to life. “It was really just about giving them options—Jen and Mike love being involved in the design. They really are my dream clients.” The feeling is clearly mutual. According to Lisnow, though, what made the project feel even more special was getting to incorporate locally sourced pieces. Sprinkled throughout the home you’ll find vases and trinkets galore, all telling stories of Seattle’s past. “It’s what makes a house a home,” the designer reflects.
Elsewhere, indoor meets outdoor thanks to floor-to-ceiling retractable windows. “Somebody could be in the kitchen, someone else in the living room, and someone else outside and you still feel like you’re together…. It feels like a natural extension,” Rosenthal says. “This house begs you to be outside,” Atkin adds.
Unsurprisingly, the location continues to be one of their favorite parts of their new home. “I would have never [added to] our bingo card for 2022 [that] we would be in Seattle,” Atkin insists. Now a new chapter of their lives brims with mesmerizing bike trails, swimming holes, and, according to Atkin, an immeasurable amount of dog parks. “Neither one of us grew up with really strong traditions,” Rosenthal mentions, “so the idea of being able to create that for our kids is something we’ve always wanted to do.”
Atkin adds of their new city: “We feel invigorated when we’re here. It’s like the universe meant for us to be in each other’s lives.”
Video producer and editor: Eliza Laycock. Director: Jordan McGrath. DP: Kyle Roof. Production assistant: Madison Hawes.