Image Credit: Jeff Beck (Atgstores.com)
The living room created by local interior designer Brian Paquett for ATGStores.com’s virtually designed Seattle Showhouse earlier this year.
Two online retailers are making it easier than ever to redecorate your home without ever leaving it
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A chat with the Fremont-based interior designer about her new book
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Build in harmony with nature and achieve domestic bliss
Read MoreRobin Daly of Fremont-based Daly’s Paint & Decorating talks with us about how the right shade of white can emphasize natural light, neutralize green shades from the outdoors, and make any Seattle room feel sunny year-round.
If you are near the water...
With the blue light reflected off the water, you can either accentuate or neutralize it by playing with complementary colors. “Typically, I caution people from going to steely gray, because it can look flat,” Daly says. “Instead, get something with nuance to it, like a white or neutral. When you are near [or above the water, like in a high-rise] the color of the light can be very, very blue—so warmer undertones help balance that out.”
SWATCH THIS: Farrow & Ball “Wimborne White,” No. 239, is a great off-white that will still read as a true white to act as a complementary neutral.
If you are surrounded by trees...
The light that filters through trees is tinged with green. Instead of painting your walls a stark or pale white, choose creams with orange undertones to neutralize the green in the light streaming in from outside. “You want full-spectrum, luminous color; these are the key words for white paint,” Daly says. “Choose white or a neutral like beige or gray that has pigment to it; never choose a white with any black in it, which will make everything appear flat and gray—not luminous.”
SWATCH THIS: C2 Paint’s “Vellum,” No. C2-868 has a slightly orange undertone to balance out leafy greens.
If you want your room to feel brighter...
To make a room feel sunny 365 days a year, Daly recommends a shade of white which “has a kiss of yellow to it.”
SWATCH THIS: C2 Paint in “Lumen” C2-948.
If you want a sophisticated neutral—but not white...
“Colors are definitely lightening up,” says Daly. “Choose grays and beiges [as alternatives to traditional white] to create beautiful backdrops for any room.”
SWATCH THIS: Farrow & Ball “Old White,” No. 4. Don’t let the name fool you; this gray/beige shade is the perfect paint for any neutral palette.
BY: BRIGITTE LONG | FROM THE PRINT EDITION | OCTOBER 2016
Formfitting
Wood furniture designer Seth Rolland is originally from New York, but feels most at home in the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest.
“There are traces of life and history in wood, which is why we humans relate so well to it,” says Rolland, who moved to Port Townsend 14 years ago from Taos, New Mexico. He uses only sustainably harvested and salvaged woods, such as mahogany, elm and ash, for his sculptural tables and chairs. His mastery of the kerfing technique, the act of making a series of strategic cuts in the wood allowing it to bend, creates his signature accordion-like silhouettes, which fan out into interesting shapes.The design process for one piece can take months, but the execution only takes from two to six weeks.
“I’m not into embellishment,” Rolland says. “I’m connected to the idea that form follows function, and structure can be the ornamentation.” Rolland’s work can be seen at the Woodworkers Show in Port Townsend November 5-6 at the American Legion Hall. Also available at sethrolland.com.
BY: BRIGITTE LONG | FROM THE PRINT EDITION | SEPTEMBER 2016
Image Credit: Frank Ross
Two Seattle design groups craft staircases that stand alone as works of art
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Image Credit: Laura Yeats
Orcas Island artist Laura Yeats has developed a unique relationship with a particular species of the island’s ubiquitous flora: the madrona tree. She uses the madrona’s gnarled, spout-like knots—which form as the tree self-prunes and heals itself—to create her imaginative bud vessels. “They started out as solid, sculptural pieces,” Yeats says, “but Nisha Klein [owner of Capitol Hill shop Niche Outside] asked me to transform them into functional vases.”
Over a period of about six weeks, Yeats creates the vases, using tools that include chain saws and band saws top reserve the shape of the knot and bore out the center, inserting a concealed, custom glass tube to hold water and stems. Yeats’ pieces give new life to the madrona tree, as she uses only knots from limbs that have already died.
“To me, turning these fallen trees into art or something useful like a vessel is giving this tree a second life as another object of beauty to enjoy.” Capitol Hill, Niche Outside, 1424 11th Ave.; 206.939.7913; nicheoutside.com. Also available at laurayeats.com
BY: BRIGITTE LONG | FROM THE PRINT EDITION | SEPTEMBER 2016
Small storage ottoman cubes can add storage or a larger coffee table size like this Crate & Barrel “Davis” ottoman, $899, can serve double duty as a center piece for your living room and storage for toys or blankets. This one does triple
Arc lamps, like this overarching floor lamp, $299, are a great way to bring architectural interest and good light to a small space. When choosing lighting, be sure it’s practical and that the bulb brightness will satisfy your visual needs while not blinding you. And lighting should add an element of art to the room. Westlake, West Elm, 2201 Westlake Ave.; 206.467.5798; westelm.com
Wall Storage Shelves: Hobbies bring us a lot of joy, but they can also bring a lot of clutter. Try to make your hobby part of the atmosphere of your home. For example, if you play guitar, why not hang those beautiful instruments on the wall? For everyday storage, we love these wire wall cubbies, $198, from Anthropologie. Available exclusively online at anthropologie.com
Shelving: Few companies do clever, cost-effective storage as well as Ikea. The Kallax system, $159, is a perfect storage system and can be fitted with bins, drawers and cabinet doors to create the best solutions for your specific needs. Renton, 601 SW 41st St.; ikea.com
BY: BRIGITTE LONG | FROM THE PRINT EDITION | OCTOBER 2016
There's no shortage of tech innovation in Seattle, but one new “start-up” is cloaked as something different: a fashion collection. Inspired by modern Japanese design, Buki brand is a sportswear line for men and women in which architectural silhouettes are paired with leading-edge fiber technology. Created by Joey Rodolfo, founder of Pacific Northwest sportswear line Cutter & Buck and former senior vice president of men’s design for Tommy Bahama, the clothes are made of fabrics ranging from cotton-poly blends to micro jersey to oxford knits, each woven together with Buki’s proprietary Kinoki-3.0 fiber technology, which offers state-of-the-art thermoregulation and moisture management (read: clothes that help you stay cool and look cool). The collection’s modern basics (shirts, slacks, dresses and outerwear) are all machine washable and were created with busy professionals in mind. “You can go from a red-eye to a client meeting and look perfectly pulled together,” Rodolfo says. Available online at bukibrand.com
Image Credit: Courtesy of Buki
BY: BRIGITTE LONG | FROM THE PRINT EDITION | SEPTEMBER 2016
Creative work by Vashon Island artist Joan Wortis includes pleated and dyed textiles
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Nordstrom
Alexander Wang Pop-in @ Nordstrom
While the term “pop-up” should allude to something short-lived, this year’s retail trend shows no signs of going away. Seattleites are introducing brands and testing new ideas without the substantial investment brick-and-mortar stores require. “Retail shops can only afford to carry a few pieces of a designer’s collection, but a well-planned pop-up often includes close to a full collection,” says Forest Eckley, who hosted a pop-up in his Capitol Hill apparel and home goods store Glasswing last spring to showcase Portland-based clothing line Olderbrother. “It becomes a multisensory experience that allows people to temporarily be enveloped in a designer’s brand identity.”
The pop-up concept has been adopted by small boutiques and giants including the Pop-In@Nordstrom series, launched in 2013 by VP of creative projects Olivia Kim to test new partnerships with brands Nordstrom might not otherwise carry.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Amazon
Amazon's Treasure Truck
Image Credit: Ty Ziskis
The Fabulous Donwey Borthers at Brainfreeze
Beyond fashion, the pop-up shop has proven a successful business model. Earlier this year, the former Lusty Lady strip club downtown was transformed into Brainfreeze, a pop-up gallery featuring local photographers and mixed-media artists; the event recurs during First Thursday art walks. “The benefit of a pop-up is the actual face-to-face engagement and the capability of storytelling that e-commerce doesn’t give the proper avenue for,” says co-curator C.M. Ruiz. Amazon seems to agree, and popped offline last year with the debut of its Treasure Trucks, offering a new way for Seattle Amazon customers to purchase a wide variety of limited-quantity products in person at various predetermined locations throughout the city. “Pop-ups should be as unique as the people doing them,” says Ruiz, “people following their own compass on what to have and how to present it. That’s the best thing they can do.”
BY: BRIGITTE LONG | FROM THE PRINT EDITION | DECEMBER 2016
