Executive Home

Flexibility -- that's what I had in mind when I designed this show home," architect Cindy Bienz says. "This 6,394-square-foot home was among the smallest of the showhouses this year; however, the rooms were planned with the idea of diversity."

Her entry in the Seattle Street of Dreams home show features an ideal layout for an executive or executive couple who work from home, Bienz says. Double doors connect the front foyer to the office den. From the den, a client or employee can take the spiral staircase to the upstairs library without entering the private areas of the home. Rooms across the hall from and adjacent to the library (labeled on the plan as flex/bedroom and exercise room) could serve as additional office space.

Even if these two areas were put to work from 9 to 5, the home has at least three more bedrooms upstairs plus a second play space or family area. The media room could also serve as a large bedroom if the plan were modified to include a closet. "The upstairs rooms were planned so that they could serve a variety of different functions," Bienz says. Three full bathrooms are also on this floor, one Jack-and-Jill-style bath between two bedrooms, one full bath that is entered from the front bedroom, and another full bath near the exercise room. Three staircases lead to the second floor, one from the home's main entrance, one from the breakfast area, and the spiral staircase. The entry hall stairs are the most prominent, adding architectural interest and drama to this two-story-high space. "This is the staircase your daughter will descend in her wedding dress," interior designer Linda Meyer says.