Garret Cord Werner, of Garret Cord Werner, LLC, starts with the basics. “I respect the architecture of the space I’m working in,” he says. “You have to create good bones for a space before doing anything decorative. Then there’s a layering effect, to create a symphony of beautiful things put together.” A symphony indeed. When Werner describes the penthouse in specific terms, you can almost hear Mozart. On entering, the viewer is instantly awed by the grand scale. Lit by skylights, the great room is home to a massive stone fireplace. To the right, nestled beside a wall of living bamboo, is the staircase, which hovers above a bubbling indoor pond. In the master suite, cast glass countertops give a celestial feel to the spa-like bathroom, complete with a  sculptural bathtub that rests on a raised wooden platform. “It picks up on the Japanese soaking tub experience,” Werner explains. “Much like a yacht is put together, there won’t be a stitch of drywall in the place,” explains Werner. “This space will be contemporary and severe, yet warm and timeless.” A difficult balancing act? Perhaps, but one thing is certain: This designer has the experience to orchestrate every detail with panache.

Founder and principal of Garret Cord Werner LLC, Garret Werner’s work, which has been featured in publications such as Better Homes and Gardens and The Vancouver Sun, balances functionality with understated urban elegance. Named one of the “100 People, Places, and Things That Define Seattle” by Seattle Homes and Lifestyles magazine in 2006 and 2007, Werner’s projects have won frequent design awards for  their use of avant-garde and environmentally friendly materials and fusion of “metropolitan necessities” – – storage, convenience, and multi-use spaces.