SWNS_BEIGE_HOUSE_004_050977.jpg (Image: undefined)
A couple who spent $1.75 million on a chateau has been criticised for ‘turning it beige’, but they insist they’ve merely given it a “just gave it a facelift.” Becca Luna, 28, and her partner, Willow Kaii, 28, purchased the property with the intention of preserving its unique character, instilled by the previous owners.
The four-bedroom, four-bathroom chateau, known as Chateau Prairie, is located near Seattle, Washington, US. Despite being on the market for two years, when creative Becca saw it, she was brimming with interior design ideas.
Built in 2001, the home had a distinctive “medieval” style, featuring tobacco-stained walls, leather-textured worktops, and dark red wooden cupboards. To modernise the property, Becca and Willow updated the flooring and light fixtures, repaired the roof, and gave it a fresh coat of paint.
The couple emphasised their efforts to restore and retain many of the home’s unique features rather than completely overhaul them. They’ve already invested $200k in renovations and an additional $50k on furniture and decorations at Chateau Prairie.
However, their changes have drawn criticism from some quarters, with detractors accusing them of “turning it beige”. In response, the couple suggested that if people didn’t like what they’d done, they “should have bought it themselves”.
The house was built in 2001 (Image: SWNS)
Willow, a marketing strategist and writer, said: “We really admired the European influence and quality of craftsmanship.
“It needed cosmetic love and TLC but we fell in love with it. It’s not old enough to be considered a castle, but it mirrors that look.
They have been accused of turning it biege (Image: swns)
“With Becca being so creative, when we walked into the main room, I saw her look and round and the wheels in her brain starting to turn.”
Becca, a web designer, shared: “A lot of the changes we made involved re-painting – it was so dark before and it made the rooms look outdated.
“But it was always at the back of our mind with every decision to maintain the uniqueness of the property and not take away from the charm and character.
“Some people really came for us because we painted things white and beige and grey – they thought we applied that mentality to everything.
The couple purchased the chateau in December 2023 (Image: SWNS)
“But we didn’t just gut and re-paint everything – we were so intentional.”
The young couple, who operate the web design school Becca Luna, purchased the chateau in December 2023 and moved in by May 2024.
“We wanted to keep the uniqueness of the home, so we brought in copper pendants to hang from the ceiling to match the kitchen sink.” (Image: SWNS)
The property boasts an expansive estate with nearly six acres of land and forest, which they plan to transform into a farm.
They discovered that the previous owners were an eccentric older couple from , custom home builders who constructed the entire house for their own use.
Becca Luna, 28, and Willow Kaii, 28, snapped up the four-bed home (Image: SWNS)
Upon entering the well-kept but stylistically dated property, Becca was immediately brimming with ideas.
She revealed: “There was a lot to work with, and the inspiration sprung out.
“It was very dark, with dark wooden beams and floors, dark red cabinets and dark walls.”
Becca embarked on a mission to revitalise her home, starting with a fresh coat of cream paint on the walls to illuminate the space and complementing it with a stone wall in the kitchen that echoed the exterior’s stonework.
Her strategy was to accentuate the property’s character, particularly the dark wooden beams which were deliberately preserved.
The transformation continued as they swapped out the old, dark carpets for chic white oak herringbone flooring across the library, office, primary bedroom, and another room.
In the heart of the home, the kitchen, they decided to retain the original double wide hammered copper sink—a valuable piece—and restore it rather than replace it.
Becca dedicated two weeks to stripping away black paint, revealing stunning brass hardware, although she didn’t hesitate to swap out the ‘alligator skin’ textured worktops for something more subdued.
Another nod to the home’s heritage was keeping the marble mantelpieces, which would have cost a fortune to replace, valued at $30k if bought new.
Becca explained: “We wanted to keep the uniqueness of the home, so we brought in copper pendants to hang from the ceiling to match the kitchen sink.”
The property boasts an expansive estate with nearly six acres of land and forest (Image: SWNS)
She recalled a standout feature: “There was a bathroom with a teardrop-shaped bathtub which was a real ‘holy cow’ moment when we saw it. We obviously kept that!”.
However, not everything was kept: “We did remove a 725kg solid cast iron pot rack hanging from the ceiling.
“It was very unique, but it was big and bulky and low-hanging, so we removed it bit by bit.”
Sharing this decision online sparked a reaction: “When we shared that online, people were very, very upset – but it was a risk because if it had fallen, it would have knocked someone out!”.
Willow revealed their plans to embark on a new phase of updates with the summer heralding the construction of an outdoor kitchen fireplace.
The home costs $1.75m (Image: SWNS)
He also disclosed they are mulling over the possibility of turning their abode into a wedding venue for hire on special occasions.
Speaking about the property, he remarked: “It’s a beautiful serene escape from the city.”
The pair may have made unconventional choices, but they staunchly stand by them, expressing no remorse over their renovations or the elements preserved as they were.
Becca reflected on the journey of acquiring their home, saying: “It had been on and off the market for two years when we bought it.”
In defense of their unique vision for the home, she asserted: “If someone wanted to do it differently than us, they should have bought it themselves.”