Originally Appeared in 425 Magazine 

Lisa Patterson | Sept. 21. 2017 

Blocks away from an evolving downtown Bellevue and its ever-changing skyline, and steps from Meydenbauer Bay, is a stunning home perched on a hill overlooking Whaler’s Cove. This year’s 425 Northwest Idea House built by JayMarc Homes of Mercer Island and designed by Medici Architects of Bellevue is a 5,690-square-foot masterpiece — every detail is meticulously thought out and executed to perfection.

“It turned out beautiful,” said Marc Rousso, president of JayMarc Homes. “It has really nice views, especially at night. But my favorite part about this project was allowing people to showcase their talents — that is the coolest part, that the team could come together and really show what they can do.”

Rousso and his best childhood friend, Jay Mezistrano, have been business partners since college. JayMarc Homes has been building homes on Mercer Island and in Bellevue for seven years and has grown to 33 team members who collectively have about “450 years of experience” in the industry.

Aimee Upper, the interior design director, along with Megan Froisland and design consultant, Bill Jones, brought this project to life. Jeremy DeBoer, construction manager, made sure it stayed on track from start to finish. JayMarc is about teamwork and this project allowed everyone involved to push the limits and shine.

The Idea House with 5 bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms, a massive kitchen, wine cellar, great room, away room, outdoor spaces, and (deep breath) elevator, highlights some of their best work, Rousso said.

Thanks to smart design and carefully selected colors, the home flows well and feels light and bright, said Upper. She describes the home as having a “softer industrial palette.”

The walls are airy shades of light grays, contrasted by darker kitchen cabinets and floors. There also are surprises like a massive concrete island in the center of the kitchen that seats eight and a showy concrete fireplace. The entire home is automated — from lights and window shades to security, sound, and entertainment. This home is smart and pretty — a whole package!

Pretty Perfect The home creates a dramatic statement the moment you pull up. The steep lot was no match for the folks at Art by Nature, who installed the native selection of plants that are both beautiful and hardy.

A Swanky Garage Door Who knew a garage door could be so showy? This reflective garage door is one of our favorite fresh ideas and if you pull up in a hot car, well, you can stop and admire your ride!

Great Room Made Even Greater The front of the home has a stellar view of the marina, Bellevue skyline, and the bay and the back of the home has a lovely patio, yard, outdoor kitchen, and more. Notice the giant glass doors on either side of the room? This design helps the front and the back of the home flow and become one. In the center of this great room is a fireplace surrounded by custom cement by the folks at Molding Mud. On the other side of the stunning fireplace is an away room — perfect for quiet conversation, or an area for kids and their toys.

What is an Away Room? It’s cozy, versatile, and is a smart addition. People love open-concept houses, but they also like nooks like this for some private space.

Comfortable and Inviting Upstairs is this large room that also captures the stellar marina views and can be used for anything — right now it is designed to be an entertainment space. BoConcept in Bellevue provided modern and sleek furniture here and in some other areas of the house. There are sliding barn-style doors that open and close to this room for privacy.

Quirky Cool Rosichelli Design further elevated this space with its residential prowess. This custom coffee table is full of hundreds of old radio tubes underneath the glass. The team brought creative whimsy throughout the home and really helped give character to each space they touched.

Walls of Windows This home is full of windows. Sometimes you want to close the shades. Thanks to Wipliance, everything from the window treatments to the sound system can be controlled remotely from anywhere.

Tiles for Days The interior design director at JayMarc Homes took great pride in picking out interesting tiles throughout the home and the bathrooms — providing texture, shimmer, and shine. And when the tile is this nice, she didn’t reserve it to a couple-inch strip around the sink — she brought it all the way up to the ceilings and made a statement in the process.

Relax and Unwind This concrete tub by Molding Mud is deep, large, and so inviting. It is separated by glass where there is a large walk-in shower worthy of being in a top-rated spa.

Corner Nook This corner in the master bedroom is one of the sweetest areas of this home. We could sit in that chair and read a book there all day long.

Hidden Garden In the backyard there’s a landscaped rock path that leads to an upper patio area.

Project Partners

JayMarc Homes — Builder
Medici Architects — Architect
BoConcept — Great room/bonus room furniture
Art by Nature — Landscaping
Organized Spaces — Closet Systems
Rhino Wine Cellars and Cooling Systems — Wine cellar
Olympic Elevator Company — Elevator
Grand Image Art — Much of the artwork
Riverside Interiors ­— Kentwood wood floors, Shaw carpets, and floor tiles
North Coast Lighting — Automated lighting controls and fixtures
Wipliance — TVs, outdoor sound systems, cameras/security system, and automated window treatments
Rosichelli Design — Residential staging
Huntwood Cabinets — Custom cabinetry
Arnold’s Appliance and Bradlee Distributors — Wolf/Sub-Zero kitchen appliances
Western Pacific Materials — Andersen Windows
Molding Mud — All custom cement features including fireplace, island, tub, and more
Landscape Architect — Gayle Cramer of Cramer Design Consultants
Mutual Materials and Boral Stone — Exterior stone and landscape rockeries
Innovative Home Solutions NW — Mitsubishi HVAC system
Monarch Plumbing — Kohler products
Gary’s VACUFLO — Hide-A-Hose central vacuum system