Pam Enstad’s home is full of light.
Built on a bluff in Edmonds in the mid-1980s, it boasts one of the best views in the county.
Wall-to-wall windows open to a breathtaking panorama of Possession Sound and the Olympic Mountains.
Late in the day, rays of sunset pour onto the white walls of her large, wide living room, leading Enstad to a complaint not often heard around here.
“This house, in a certain way, has too much light,” Enstad said.
In lumen-challenged Western Washington, homeowners often go to great lengths — solar tubes, skylights, giant windows, specialty lighting — to get more light in winter. Enstad, however, wanted to tone down the radiance in her contemporary home.
Her master bedroom, it turned out, was the perfect place to start.
Working with designer Gary Hartz of Everett and remodeler Josh Peters of Snohomish as part of a major remodeling project, Enstad updated her bedroom walls with gray paint and had the floors covered in gray carpet with a dramatic wave pattern.
“It was a knee jerk from way too much white,” Enstad said. “I wanted to see what the extreme contrast would do.”
Indeed, gray works beautifully in Enstad’s large boudoir, complete with a sitting area that is home to two white armless chairs topped with colorful striped pillows.
When it came to breaking up the wall behind the bed, Enstad took a creative turn.
First, she painted the bed’s original wooden headboard, which extends on the sides to create connected end tables. She chose a shiny, marine-grade black for a sleek look and modern finish.
Next, with the low-profile headboard receding into the gray wall, Enstad hung shimmering cream-colored curtains, not for window coverings, but to create a far taller and more interesting headboard.
“That’s the headboard I wanted. Soft,” she said. “It takes the bite out of the gray wall.”
Enstad accessorized the room with primarily earth-tone pillows, including a few deep blue shams to echo the watery expanse of her view.
Carefully placed artwork, accent mirrors, contemporary lighting and a stunning black-and-white striped bench at the foot of the bed all stand out amid the glamorous gray backdrop.
It’s peaceful, not dreary.
“That was the idea,” said Hartz. “We call it comfy contemporary.”
Enstad said her bedroom design, based on a neutral she’s always liked, worked out beautifully.
“I just love gray,” she said. “It’s great.”
Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com
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