Where History Lives and Legacy Endures | The Shields Home

Photographs by Bellingham Media Group Staging by Sandra Hurtley and Solveig Johnson Some homes speak in whispers—of stories long lived…

Inspired by Travel, Rooted in Seattle | Axiom Design Build

Inspired by the views of Seattle’s Elliott Bay, Architect John Cashman and Creative Director/Designer Heather Cashman envisioned an industrial modern home with an ode to Seattle’s shipping and industrial history. The partners, who designed the home for their own family of four, were also inspired by places they love to travel like Amsterdam, Spain, France, and Portugal. As artists and creatives, they…

A Farmhouse Renovation That Manages to Be Both Rustic and Modern | TANNA BY DESIGN

In the heart of the Yakima Valley, nestled near rolling orchard fields and whispering trees, stood an old farmhouse steeped in history. With its rustic charm, it was a relic of a bygone era, but within its walls lay the potential…

Functionality + History in South Hill | A1DesignBuild

A1DESIGNBUILD just completed a bathroom and kitchen renovation on a historic home built in 1911 in South Hill, Bellingham. The goal of the project was two-fold: to maintain the classic integrity of the house while adding modern functionality and design.  Dave and Teresa Martinelli purchased the house because they wanted to be closer to their kids, as well as enjoy the beauty of Bellingham.  Being avid hikers, they knew they were in the right place. But…

Fox Net-Zero Energy Home

BUILDING THE FOX family’s Net-Zero Energy Home was not without its challenges. Still, the challenges ended up working in everyone’s favor in the end, producing this beautiful and unique home. The build started in the winter. After the builder, TC Legend Homes, poured the concrete slab, the weather turned and frosted. They saved the slab from freezing using plastic sheets and…

A Family-Friendly Cabin With Grown-Up Style

This stunning 1,680-SQUARE FOOT, three bedroom, two-bathroom vacation home was built in 2023 for a Snohomish County family to be able to enjoy all year round. Located in the Mount Baker Rim community in Glacier, the cabin…

Samish Solar Sustainable Home

“Living in this house has shown us that efficiency and comfort actually go hand in hand….The quality of my sleep is so much better now that we live in a well-insulated house that stays cool during hot days and has a good ventilation system.” – Homeowners of Samish Solar Home On top of being well ventilated and highly insulated, their home is also highly energy and water efficient, produces more than enough electricity to power their house and an electric…

Anacortes Coastal Aging in Place | Patty Koskovich of Koskovich Design Group

Local interior designer Patty Koskovich and her husband began building their Anacortes home with a view of the Guemes Channel in 2017. After two years of careful construction, their Coastal Aging in Place home was completed, perfectly…

South Hill House in the Trees: Bellingham Bay Builders

This South Hill home bends with the trees above Bellingham Bay as it clings firmly to the steep sandstone bedrock. It’s a place to retire, relax, and have access to the PNW outdoor…

A Captivating Canine Collection | Laura Landrum’s “The Dog House”

Looking in from the outside, you might never guess that within the walls of Laura Landrum’s 1993 home hides one of our area’s most charming and…

A Forever Home in Semiahmoo

Although they had done a couple of home remodels, building a home from the ground up was a new experience for Sue and Alec Berkman.  Even before finding the perfect lot on the Semiahmoo golf course, they had…

Holiday Inspiration For Your Home

What’s the first thing that jumps to mind when you think of holiday decor? For many of us, the visuals are similar: A red and green color palette, string lights (either multicolored or white), stockings, and of course the classic tree. Though timeless, this formula doesn’t leave much room for…

Green Build in Historic York District

Bellingham’s downtown neighborhoods might not be the first place you’d look for a new high-performance home. However, this rebuild snuggles right into the existing historic neighborhood perfectly, providing its residents with the comfort of modern style while maintaining easy access to the vibrant downtown scene. 

Summer Cabin on Lake Cavanaugh

“Do no harm” applies to not only physicians, but also to working on projects that evoke such strong memories of working with HKP Architects founder, Henry Klein.  In 1993, a client commissioned HKP Architects (then the Henry Klein Partnership) to design a two-bedroom summer cabin on the shore of Lake Cavanaugh. The site was a ¾ acre peninsula bisected by a stream that overflowed its banks seasonally. The…

Julian & Company

There’s a new team on the Bellingham real estate block, and they’re taking the industry by storm. At the helm is Julian Friedman, a lifelong Bellingham resident whose mission is to help homeowners market and sell their homes for the most amount of money in the least amount of time.  “I have a personal relationship with almost everywhere [in…

Eastern Washington Hideout

Tucked away among a grove of ponderosa pines in Okanogan County, this dreamy treetop hideaway marries imagination and design.

The Future of Eco-Homes

This home makes all its own power from solar panels on the south-facing roof, setting a new cost-effective standard for Pacific Northwest housing.  The owners wanted a home that fitted the way they live and could run the electrical meter backwards.  They turned to TC Legend…

Farmhouse with a Modern Twist

This Featured Home from Highline Construction is a modern day farmhouse with practical and functional designs.

Birch Point Beach House

This month’s Featured Home is a high-performance beach home with views of Boundary Bay, the BC Coastal Range, and beyond.

Studio Getaway on Camano Island

Tucked away on the east side of Camano Island, you’ll find this stunning 1,100 square foot studio from Designs Northwest Architects. 

Cabin in the Woods

This issue’s Featured Home is a modern cabin in the woods, with an interior that matches the beauty of the surrounding woods.

A Pacific Northwest Retreat

This month’s featured home is an ’80s house turned into a modern retreat, equipped with tigerwood decking and large windows.

Shaw Island Timber Frame Home

This month’s featured home is this lovely timber frame home on Shaw Island. Check out the pictures of this stunning abode!

Lake Whatcom House

This house on Lake Whatcom offers comfort and beauty all year long.

Bellingham Four Square

Lisa Staton Interior Design revitalize this classic Bellingham Four Square, built in 1906, while honoring the home’s original architecture and detailing.

Art and Play in the Fountain District

Take a look at this Broadway Park Neighborhood home—a perfect blend of high-performance detailing and traditional, craftsman design.

The Twin Peaks Passivhaus + ADU

This month’s featured home is green—designed and built to minimize the home’s ecological impact in the face of climate change.

Skagit Bay Waterfront Home

Architects Dan Nelson and Matt Radach of Designs Northwest worked to transform this Skagit Bay cabin into a classic beachfront home.

A Hidden Sanctuary

Terry and Jackie Lehmann show their appreciation for travel and design with this breathtaking Asian-inspired oasis, located just north of Lake Whatcom.

Chuckanut Crest View Home

Take a look at this Featured Home on Chuckanut Crest in Bellingham. A modern industrial space with a state-of-the-art kitchen and beautiful view of the bay.

Build Cabinets, Throw Axes

Mathew Blubaugh is the owner of Northwest Woodslayer, a woodworking business specializing in custom cabinetry. There is also an axethrowing station.

Island Cabin to Year-Round Home

This month’s Featured Home is an island cabin near Anacortes. This year-round home has a view of Deception Pass State Park.

Home for the Holidays

This month, our featured home showcases a home for the holidays, with Christmas trees and seasonal decor to brighten and warm the room.

Snohomish Backyard Retreat

Heidi Skievaski and Kryssie Maybay of Sublime Garden Design worked to transform this Snohomish backyard into a relaxing retreat, complete with a waterfall.

Picture-Perfect on Sandy Point

Take a look at this Featured Home on Sandy Point in Ferndale designed by Alexei Ford, built by Ian Hamilton, and photographed by Tim Chandonnet.

Beach Drive Remodel

Take a look at the amazing transformation of this beach drive remodel on Camano Island. This article details the renovations made during this home remodel.

Hemp House is Small, but Cool

While the tiny building that sits on Pam Bosch’s property isn’t legally a house, it serves as a model for future construction projects. It was built using hempcrete, a cement-like mixture that’s made from combining the inner core of the hemp plant with lime. The result is a cozy space that stays cool even on a hot day….

Birch Bay Waterfront Estate

Arrive by land, sea or air to your estate; a private 66-acre compound on 1,575 ft. of pristine waterfront.  A 12,000 square foot manse, carefully composed for graceful and comfortable gatherings.

One-of-a-Kind Design

RE Store’s Revision Division We love to recycle here in the Pacific Northwest. We’ll divide, compost, and reuse until just about everything gets another home or is…

Chuckanut Bay House

The airy lightness of this Chuckanut Bay home’s interior stands in contrast to its big, bold, concrete frame that attracts attention from those who live nearby or paddle past. The owner, a builder himself, wanted to convey permanence in…

Lopez Island Getaway

When architect Don Larkin and his small Eastside architectural firm were asked to design a Lopez Island vacation home on the original foundation of a dilapidated cabin, he and his team…

Chuckanut House

In partnership with the Northwest Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, we selected this exquisite home perched above beautiful Chuckanut Bay. This project began as a remodel, but the needs of the family were greater than the existing house could provide, and a rebuild ended up being a more affordable option. A Feng Shui consultant reviewed…

Tiny Tack House

Q & A on the Tiny Tack House Bellingham Alive: What is your background and interest in building a tiny house? Malissa Tack:  The Tiny Tack House was our first adventure building anything of this size. Both Christopher and myself had only constructed a…

Woodland Retreat

This issue we feature two small spaces that are nestled deep in the woods and surrounded by mature forest. The paths around the property teem with wildlife, the trees are alive with birdsong. A peaceful spot overlooking the bay, these small structures speak to both sustainable living and excellent design. The owners…

Samish Island Cabin

This lovely house is located on the tip of Samish Island, just above high tide. It is owned by an oyster farmer who farms the surrounding waters of Samish Bay. Built to withstand harsh conditions — the salt, sand and constant breeze of the island elements — it’s solidly built and yet graceful. Amenities include heated concrete…