September 2014

Industrial and Green Design Collide in this Capitol Hill Loft

Industrial and Green Design Collide in this Capitol Hill Loft

An old auto garage on Capitol Hill gets a new mix of uses, including one as a stylishly green loft

Adapting old buildings for bustling new uses on Capitol Hill is beginning to be a habit for Jim Graham, AIA, of Seattle’s Graham Baba Architects. First, he turned a row of old auto shops on Melrose Avenue into the trendy retail/restaurant mix that is Melrose Market for preservationist and developer Liz Dunn. And now Graham…

A 1950s Home Gets an Era-Appropriate Redo

A 1950s Home Gets an Era-Appropriate Redo

Interior designer Keri Petersen creates an affordable, upbeat midcentury modern sanctuary

To say that Keri Petersen has a knack for stylish bargain hunting as part of her design process would be a gross understatement. Point to nearly any furnishing in the interior designer’s new home and you’re in for sticker shock of the positive kind. Glam champagne-hued entry pendant? $69 from Home Depot. Retro-chic cane armchair?…

New Salvage Design Service at Second Use

New Salvage Design Service at Second Use

The SoDo shop launches a personalized service to help you incorporate salvaged materials

People with a penchant for thrift shopping may love wandering through the city’s reuse warehouses, stacked to the rafters with old doors, windows, sinks, hinges and knobs, but they might not be sure how to artfully incorporate these elements into their home. Salvation literally can be found at Second Use (SoDo, 3223 Sixth Ave. S;…

Classic Meets Comfort in this Lounge Chair

Classic Meets Comfort in this Lounge Chair

Christian Grevstad's latest furniture creation is a formal take on the Adirondack chair

It might look like just another tony gallery space in Pioneer Square’s Occidental Park, but behind the doors of Christian Grevstad (312 Occidental Ave. S; 206.938.4360; christiangrevstad.com) lurks an all-encompassing home furnishings design enterprise. There is covet-worthy art on the walls to be sure: The eponymous space is the exclusive Seattle gallery for the estate…

Graypants' Latest Lamp Collection Steals the Show

Graypants’ Latest Lamp Collection Steals the Show

We're mad for the SoDo studio's Kerflight series

The Kerflight Ripley pendant ($335), an artful mix of shadows and light slivers, comes courtesy of SoDo conceptual design studio Graypants. The hanging fixture has a curved, almost triangular shade that’s been constructed from three sheets of recyclable corrugated cardboard made flexible with a series of cuts called “kerfing” (hence the name). Go for a…

Relax and Recharge at New Bellevue Mani/Pedi Spot: Recoop Spa

Relax and Recharge at New Bellevue Mani/Pedi Spot: Recoop Spa

Unwind and beautify in this rustic, modern full-service spa

After an exhausting day spent swiping the Amex at the nearby Bellevue Collection, stop by the new Recoop Spa (925 Bellevue Way NE; 425.429.3323; recoopspa.com) for a heaping helping of R&R in the comfort of delightfully detailed environs. Open since May, the chic spa pairs raw concrete walls with very now barn doors in treatment…

A New Chef and a Menu Full of Tacos at The Saint

A New Chef and a Menu Full of Tacos at The Saint

Like a lot of restaurants that have been around for more than a few years, it’s been a while since anyone has thought twice about The Saint (1416 E Olive Way; 206.323.9922; thesaintsocialclub.com). When it opened in April 2008, it was this cool, superhip and pretty tequila bar on Capitol Hill that specialized in Mexican…

Why Doesn't Bellevue Have a Thriving Arts Scene?

Why Doesn’t Bellevue Have a Thriving Arts Scene?

Bellevue has smarts, money and culture, so why not a thriving art scene?

For years, the only physical evidence of the Tateuchi Center in Bellevue has been in a dim corner of the downtown Hyatt Regency hotel lobby. There, in a preview center, sits a glass-encased balsa wood model of a 2,000-seat concert hall; mounted television screens cycle through photos of imagined future acts and a row of…

Public Art Illustrates the Coming of the First Hill Streetcar

Public Art Illustrates the Coming of the First Hill Streetcar

Unidentified standing objects signal the city's new transit option

If you’ve noticed a series of mysterious poles popping up in the Central and Chinatown–International districts, you may have wondered—are they not-so-subtle NSA spying devices? Beacons for drones? Signs of an alien invasion? The truth is out there, and while it’s perhaps less enigmatic, it’s exciting nonetheless. The silvery shafts are part of a public…

Revolver Bar Brings Sweet Sounds and Sips to Capitol Hill

Revolver Bar Brings Sweet Sounds and Sips to Capitol Hill

A bar that is devoted to vinyl, vintage, and a verifiably cool atmosphere

Putting the needle to the record in the busy corridor at the eastern edge of Capitol Hill, between Montana bar and tiny takeout spot Kedai Makan, Revolver Bar (1514 E Olive Way; 206.860.7000; revolverbarseattle.com) stands out with its unrivaled devotion to vinyl, a tight selection of dandy drinks and a comfortingly cool atmosphere. The house cocktail…

What Constitutes a Livable Wage in This City?

What Constitutes a Livable Wage in This City?

Knute Berger asks: If $15 per hour is good enough for our citizens, what’s enough for city execs?

To insist on a $40,000 salary in Seattle is to take a vow of poverty. That’s what City Council member Kshama Sawant has done. She has said that she’ll take home about that much of her $117,000 salary and devote the balance of it—some $70,000 per year—to her pet causes, in effect tithing most of…

Must-Try Cocktail Recipe: Blood & Sand

Must-Try Cocktail Recipe: Blood & Sand

This beach-and-vampire classic goes back to 1922 and the Rudolph Valentino movie of the same name. Actually, with the below recipe, which subs in the delicious Cherry Bounce from the Old Ballard Liquor Co., call in the Ballard and Sand. You can still serve it up when watching monster movies, but it also goes well…