Seattle Garage Turned Into Functional ‘Granny Pad’

Modern life in big cities is creating much more than constant rush in a concrete jungle that seems unyielding. It also seems to create more and more smaller families where multi-generational living becomes impractical. But this contemporary residence in Maple Leaf neighborhood of Seattle takes an entirely different approach by turning the old garage in the backyard into an additional smaller home that serves as ‘granny pad’. The idea not only brings different generations together but also creates a more harmonious lifestyle where parents of young children need not constantly worry about needing someone to take care of the little ones at home!

Old garage turned into an independent tiny home in Seattle








Designed by Best Practice Architecture, the Granny Pad replaces the old garage with a new structure that is clad in black on the outside and has a white and wood influence indoors. Light floods every nook of the home thanks to the extensive use of windows and skylights that enliven the double-height living area. Wood on the walls and ceiling further accentuates the sense of inviting warmth with the bedroom looking into the garden outside. Neutral color palette coupled with pops of bright pink and orange drive away any sense of boredom.

RELATED: Sensational Backyard Reading Retreat Offers a World of Serene Escape

Dark exterior of the home with pink door
Entrance to the Granny Pad in Seattle
Backyard tiny home designed for aging member of the family
Wood and black interior of the tiny backyard home
Skylights bring in ample natural light along with the windows
White and wood thematic takes over inside the bedroom

By keeping the living area, kitchen and bedroom on the same level, the home is elderly-friendly while an upper level deck and additional sleeping quarters can be used by guests. The small and sensible addition gives everyone in the home their own private space even while making life a whole lot more convenient both for the young and the aged.

RELATED: Old Garage with Heritage Façade Finds New Life as a Fabulous Family Home

White bathroom with even lighting and modern aesthetics
Wood-clad walls and ceiling of the Seattle home
Combining white, gray and wood inside the small backyard second home
High ceiling and spacious living area of the small home
Upper level of the Granny Pad

You’re reading Seattle Garage Turned Into Functional ‘Granny Pad’, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Similar Posts

  • SO House

    REVEALING THE EVIDENCE Confrontation with the reality of these ruins was always a confrontation seeped in memories. Memories
    of a place where the raw matter it is constituted of – the rock, the valley and the mountain – shows evident expression, provoking a game of fine balance between place, matter, light and shadow. We found light that dripped down the stone walls defining spaces separated only by rows of stacked rock. In each fissure, in each wrinkle, a soft balance between light and shadow. Standing before this scenery, the exercise consisted in finding the most natural way to connect ruins and spaces, simultaneously defining future possibilities for links between the interior and the exterior. Where decisions were concerned, we chose to rehabilitate pre-existing volumes and introduce a new connecting element. The answer is given by the almost immediate decision to join together the pre-existing elements. This
    gesture, deeply connected to the terrain along the pendente – connects the two sections facing west,
    forming an exterior courtyard adorned with a centenary olive tree. This project builds a space that runs through the ruins, uniting them and revealing the obvious functional relationship between the house’s programmatic areas, simultaneously differentiating the possibilities for inhabiting the exterior space. It expresses its temporality through the antagonism of matter in its relationship with pre-existing elements.

  • Design that Takes You Back to Basics: Small Eco-Friendly Wooden Shelter

    There is an advantage in simplicity and a life that takes us back to our roots also helps in creating a more relaxing and healthy lifestyle. Designed by Michiel De Backer + Jakub Senkowski + Martin Mikovčák, the Ark Shelter in Belgium is one such beautiful retreat that ensures that those inside are always connected […]

    You’re reading Design that Takes You Back to Basics: Small Eco-Friendly Wooden Shelter, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.