Itâs hard enough to undergo a home renovation when youâre on the ground, meeting with the design team and making decisions. But whatâs it like when you are Duff McKagan, on tour as a founding member of one of the worldâs most legendary rock bands? Thatâs another level entirely. As eternal optimists, Guns Nâ Rosesâ bass guitarist McKagan and his supermodel wife Susan Holmes-McKagan saw only positives as they embarked on a major global excursion and simultaneous multiyear renovation of their beloved home, a 1927 English Tudor on Seattleâs Lake Washington.
The couple, who was married in the homeâs backyard 25 years ago, werenât simply scrolling through Instagram for inspiration, they were living it for some three years on the road. The real-life research mission had them sleeping in, sitting on, and admiring eventual references everywhere they went. âWeâd take pictures, like, âCheck this out, we can do this at our house,ââ the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer says, âThereâd be shelves at a hotel in Bangkokâ¦â Holmes-McKagan chimes in, âThe bar at Reykjavik Konsulat Hotel [was an inspiration]. And our entry mudroom was directly influenced by the Four Seasons Hotel Washington DCâs natural light and round windows.â These worldly elements donât just look goodâthey conjure happy, meaningful memories for the couple.
But those interior design moves came only after significant architectural work was done by Todd James Bertellotti of ObjectSpace and Paul Moon Design. âSusan had this vision,â McKagan says, to open up the five-bedroom residenceâs small 1920s-style rooms, raise ceiling heights, and reclaim a sense of vintage elegance. The true impetus for their overhaul, however, was climate-related. âIt gets hot in the Northwest now, so it was, like, âWe gotta get AC.â And Susan says, âWe gotta get a pool!â And it just went bananas.â
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