'I realized I didn’t actually care what people thought, and decided at some point to create my childhood dream.'

Jeff's Sanctuary What A basement filled with more than 500,000 Legos Where His 1900s house on Capitol Hill in Seattle, WA WHY A childhood dream How Jeff is an architect and designed the space himself; N&R Construction built it

Like many little boys, Jeff Pelletier was raised on Legos. But instead of collecting dust in an attic or ending up at a yard sale, his multi-colored bricks have prime real estate at home. We sat down with Jeff to ask him about his Lego room, featured in Zillow’s new video series “Sanctuary.” Here’s what he had to say.

Q: What made you say “I’m doing it — I’m creating a sanctuary?”

A: When we purchased [our] home it was entirely empty except for a small single-stud red Lego brick. I knew I had to eventually create the Lego room of my dreams here. … This house needed personality, and there was no way I wasn’t going to go for it in my own house.

Q: How would you describe the space?

A: It’s a fun place to be creative, socialize with friends, or just watch a great movie. The space was designed to be extremely personal, like a well-tailored suit.

Q: What do you like best about the room?

A: We were able to cram a lot of function into a relatively small space. I love that there’s a bar only steps away from walls of organized toy building blocks!

Q: How much time do you spend there?

A: Lately, with two young kids, not enough! Ideally I’m down there at least a few hours a week watching movies, hanging out with friends, or building something with my bricks.

Q: If you had to sum it up in one word, what does the space draw out of you as a person?

A: Passion.

Q: How did you first get into Legos?

A: Like a lot of kids, I built a lot with Legos. As an adult, I realized I didn’t actually care what people thought, and decided at some point to create my childhood dream and put a Lego room in my house — and I haven’t looked back.

Q: How does it make you feel to be able to have a space devoted to your hobby?

A: Incredibly fortunate. Not many people get to live in their dream house.

Q: Does your hobby influence what you do professionally or vice versa?

A: Absolutely in both directions. I wouldn’t be an architect without Legos, and I likely wouldn’t be as creative without a fun and silly outlet like Legos, which I think influences my approach to architecture.

Q: What was the biggest challenge in creating your sanctuary?

A: Fitting everything in! The shelves are literally designed around my storage system, which placed all of the walls of that floor of the house.

Q: Would you say it’s an extension or departure from your home?

A: Our house is a fully restored 1902 Seattle box with lots of personal touches in each room. The sanctuary is, in many ways, the ultimate extension of the rest of the house, as I tried to personalize each room with something that felt special. A bar/media room/Lego room is by definition something special.

Q: Has your sanctuary always looked the same?

A: It used to be a musty basement with low ceilings, so this has been the greatest transformation. Since building it out, however, it has remained the same.

Q: If you had a do-over, would you change anything?

A: I should have built a library ladder to more easily access the higher storage. I ruled it out as a hindrance during the design process and, while it would have been slightly annoying, the benefit would have been greater than the annoyance.

Q: Is this your forever sanctuary, or would you build another?

A: We aren’t going anywhere any time soon, and see us in this house forever.

Q: Any advice?

A: This is a massive cliché, but life is too short. Take the time to make a space your own, and find peace within it.

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