Seattle interior designer Harmony Weihs and her husband have four children between them, three of whom still live at home. They wanted a house where they could be comfortable and casual while spending time together. After they’d saved enough, they found a very tight real estate market and limited options for a house with four bedrooms in the kids’ school district.

However, the designer knew she could transform any house into a comfortable and functional home for the family. “It had been seven years since I’d been able to own and remodel a home, and I was so excited to do it again,” she says. In the house they eventually purchased, Weihs acted as both designer and general contractor, adding character and altering the floor plan to accommodate the casual way her family likes to cook, eat, watch games, study, do puzzles, take naps and catch up on each other’s day.