4422 55th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105

This sophisticated, three-level home sits on more than half an acre with 75+/- feet of waterfront, gorgeous grounds and panoramic views of Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains. Built in 1923 in the Spanish Revival style, the house was extensively renovated between 2000 and 2005. The remodel created a custom home with updated amenities and old world character in keeping with its original roots.A row of cherry trees lining the parking strip and a walled entry courtyard provide a pleasing approach. The courtyard has tumbled pavers, raised formal gardens bordered by boxwood and lovely old trees, including red vine maple, magnolia and flowering fruit trees. Exterior features of the house include stucco walls, a hipped roof with wide eaves and shuttered windows. Trellises covered with grape vine flank a front porch with an arched opening.Elegant double doors from France white oak on the outside and pine on the inside are early 19th century. They open to an entry hall with tile floors and wide passages to adjoining formal rooms with original white oak floors, lovely millwork and coved ceilings with soffit lighting. The living room has a wood-burning fireplace and three wide openings to an adjacent sunroom with tile floors and a beamed ceiling. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the sunroom provide it and the living room with sweeping lake and mountain views and lots of light. A glass door in the sunroom leads to a wrap-around deck looking out on the back gardens, Lake Washington and the I-90 floating bridge with Mt. Rainier as a dramatic backdrop. The formal dining room has wainscot walls, soffit lighting and two picture windows looking out on the front courtyard. A beautifully updated kitchen is accessed from both the living and dining rooms. It has cherry cabinetry, oak floors and black granite counters. Top-of-the-line appliances include a Sub-Zero refrigerator, Dacor 6-burner gas range, Broan trash compactor, KitchenAid microwave, and Miele dishwasher, double ovens and warming drawer. A huge skylight floods the room with natural light. An eating area with built-in cabinetry and banquette seating is tucked in a corner below casement windows that bring in morning sun and lake and mountain views. A glass door gives the kitchen access to the deck as well. Adjacent to the kitchen is a utility room with stacking Miele laundry facilities that connects with an attached 2-car garage. The garage, accessed from the street, offers multiple storage features.An elegant powder room positioned off the entry hall has tile floors and a pedestal sink. Also just off the entry hall and a few steps below the main level is a small office with built-in cherry cabinetry and a door to a side porch with steps leading down the terraced backyard.The split staircase in the entry hall, illuminated by a skylight and clerestory windows, has tile risers and an iron handrail. The staircase leads to the second level, which is entirely devoted to an outstanding master suite. This private aerie offers a bedroom connected by French doors to an adjoining sitting room with a gas fireplace. Both rooms have vaulted ceilings and dark-stained fir floors. Each room has French doors that afford nice breezes during warm months and access to a private balcony with 180 degree views of the lake and mountains. The suite has two baths connected by a central dressing area with abundant closet space and built-in cabinetry. One bath is equipped with a jetted tub in a platform and a built-in dressing table with a sink. It is finished in custom tile, while the other bath is appointed in brown marble. The marble bath has a glass-walled shower and vanity with two sinks.The lower level of the home offers three additional bedrooms, a full tile bath and a comfortable rec room. One of the bedrooms, once a sauna, retains its original cedar paneling and privacy glass windows. It has French doors to the back gardens. The other two bedrooms, smaller in scale, enjoy garden, lake and mountain views.