Kirkland, WA
Kirkland Craftsman Remodel
A 1920s craftsman gets the night-time curb appeal it deserves.
Background
The project.
This 1924 craftsman bungalow in Kirkland's Highlands neighborhood had just finished a full exterior remodel — new cedar shake siding, updated porch columns, and a fresh coat of deep green paint. The homeowners wanted lighting that would respect the home's period character while making it feel welcoming after dark.
Challenge
The problem to solve.
The home sits on a narrow lot with a large maple tree dominating the front yard. The tree's root system made traditional trenching difficult, and the homeowners wanted nothing visible during the day — no fixtures, no wiring, no transformer boxes. Every element had to disappear into the landscape by daylight.
Approach
How we solved it.
We used a combination of moonlighting (fixtures mounted high in the maple, aimed downward through the branches) and a low-profile path light system with brass housings that patina naturally. The porch received a warm wash from concealed LED tape under the new railing caps, and the cedar columns got narrow-beam uplights set flush with the foundation. All wiring was routed under the existing sidewalk via directional boring to avoid the maple's roots.
Result
The outcome.
The home now reads as warm and inhabited from the street, not just a house with lights on. The maple casts a dappled shadow pattern across the lawn and porch, and the fixture bodies have already begun to patina into near-invisibility against the landscaping.
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