An ex-Microsoft exec's $9.75M Seattle estate—featuring European antiques that outbid Cher—just got a $2M price cut. See inside.
In 1997, Jonathan Roberts and his wife Elizabeth snapped up a 1924 sprawling estate in Seattle’s Washington Park neighborhood, quickly making it their own—including sourcing antiques and artifacts on jaunts to Europe.
During the 3.5-year transformation, between 2000 and 2004, one of those finds (an ancient archway from Ireland) put them into a bidding war with musician-actress Cher—and they won. That archway is now on a corner of the property.
The five-bedroom, 5.5-bath home has recently had a price reduction of $2,050,000, and is now listed for $9,750,000 and listed with Melissa Boucher and Deirdre Doyle of Windermere Real Estate Midtown.
Since it was built in 1924, there have only been about four owners, including the Roberts. Jonathan Roberts was an early exec at Microsoft and one of the architects behind Windows.
"The realtor drove them up to the property and they said, 'Oh, this is the one'," says Doyle.
The Seattle estate, surrounded by mature gardens and boasting water views, was built in 1924. (Realtor.com) 
By sourcing antique items from Europe, the owners created an Old World aesthetic. (Tim Van Asselt from Clarity Northwest) 
Despite the home being 7,910 square feet, cozy nooks are in abundance. (Tim Van Asselt from Clarity Northwest) 
Stocked with a Lacanche Cluny range that’s handcrafted in Burgundy, France, this kitchen is perfect for a home chef. (Tim Van Asselt from Clarity Northwest) The sellers had a heavy hand in the home's eclecticism—Elizabeth has a background working in public affairs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and her own outerwear line—but, they also collaborated with architects, artisans and designers.
The result is a home that is also filled with luxe amenities, like a 750-bottle wine cellar, pecan hardwood flooring in the dining room, limestone floors on the main and garden levels, and an office paneled in cherry wood. There are five fireplaces throughout: three are wood-burning and the remaining two powered by gas.
“They modeled it after an English country manor,” says Doyle, including not just the stone archway from Ireland but also Louis XVII limestone mantle with molded plinths and frieze, dating back to around 1740. There is also a George IV three-pedestal extension dining table featuring legs ending in cast animal-paw feet, created in England in 1830.
"They just curated it so beautifully. All the woodwork (including beams) is hand-waxed. What they’ve created is timeless and really unique," says the agent.
Extensive molding also completed the transformation into what looks like an Old World estate.
With the arched windows, the view could easily be of Italy's Lake Como and not Lake Washington. (Tim Van Asselt from Clarity Northwest) 
Featured in this bath is a marble Roman-style tub with carved rings and a molded lip, dating back to Italy around 1810. (Tim Van Asselt from Clarity Northwest) 
This spacious two-room office features, like the rest of the home, inspiring views. (Tim Van Asselt from Clarity Northwest) 
For the oenophile, it doesn't get much better than this home's 750-bottle wine cellar. (Tim Van Asselt from Clarity Northwest) Despite the home being spread across 7,910 square feet, intimate and casual spaces were thoughtfully been carved out.
"Every room has its intention," says Doyle.
This includes the garden-level home office, which spans two rooms. Another unique attribute is its slate roof.
"On the East Coast, finding a slate roof is pretty commonplace. In Seattle, nobody goes to that detail," says Doyle.
From the home, there are views of the Cascades and Lake Washington. The home is also surrounded by mature gardens that took decades to flourish are on the property. This is in addition to the 230-acre Washington Park, above Lake Washington and still within the city.
"What’s really special about Washington Park and this part of the city is the lot size—minimum 7,200 square feet. You have these wide tree-lined streets. It has this feeling of privacy but approachability because you’re close to walking to the lake and the village. You have things that are close by but you feel like you’re in your own little enclave," says Doyle.
"When estate homes do show up, they tend to sell quickly."
Doyle believes the buyer may already be living in Seattle with an eye on buying in this neighborhood.
"It’s most likely a family looking for a view and [more] space. Like most properties at this scale," she says.
"you have your formal dining but you really live in the kitchen, which is where the view is, and access to the outdoors. Sunsets here are breathtaking. You see the sun bounce off Mount Rainier."