Bigger does not always mean better.
Ask Josh Hissong, founder and creative director of HDG Architecture. Josh, whose firm regularly designs large-scale luxury projects, took an 1,800 square-foot 1940’s home on Spokane’s historic South Hill and gave it new life while preserving its unique character.
Josh wanted something “super bright and happy” in the kitchen. Natural wood cabinets that aged in place for 50 years gave a look of reclaimed wood. Those were torn down.
“That trend is done,” Josh said. Upper cabinets weren’t replaced, opening the space.
The old cottage window over the sink was replaced by a 9-foot slab of glass that lets the morning sun pour in and illuminates the teal tile. Josh chose not to open the kitchen to the living room because the dividing structural wall is made from concrete.
Josh first saw the home while looking at another house in the bouche neighborhood on the hill. “We ogled over this home, and I forgot about it,” he said. A few years later, he noticed on Zillow it was about to hit the market. “I called my Realtor, and I bought it.”
The backyard was redone in the ‘70s. “All I did was tear off the old wood and put on all new wood, exactly the way (Moritz Kundig) did it,” Josh said. He added the two screen walls to provide more intimacy to the space. Moritz passed away at 98 years old earlier this year, but Josh was able to bring the architect back to the home to see it.
He went to work gutting it but ultimately kept the architecture intact. N
The acoustical wood panel system was carried across the kitchen. The wall space measured 14 feet and no more than 9-to 10-feet tall in spots, yet it took three days to get it installed correctly because of the condition of the wall. The paneling is so sturdy even his son playing soccer against it didn’t make a dent.
As seen in the 2024 Summer/Fall edition
Architect: HDG Architecture
Photography By: Patrick Martinez