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…
Top Remodel Trends 2023
March Feature
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 unusual niche antique art collections. What makes this one so special, you might ask? Well, if you’re a lover of art, antiques, all things furry and four-legged, you’re in for a tail-wagging treat. As it turns out, the primary subject matter of Landrum’s remarkable collection happens to…
Within the Walls: The McCarthys’ Story
Featured Home
New Construction, New Beginnings
Robin Daly Color & Design
The House in a Hollow
Feature Home, designed by TC Legend Homes
Whatcom County’s Best-Kept Secret
Eliza Island
A New Frontier for Northview Homes at Larrabee Springs
Featured Home
Anacortes Cliffside Cabin
Featured Home
Art Deco Dream Home
Featured Home
Level Up
Home Upgrades by Room
San Juan Cliffside Retreat
Featured Home
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 a good idea of the feel they wanted to capture. Early on, the Berkmans knew they were not going to find all they wanted in an already built home,…
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…
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…
Cady Mountain Tower House
Featured Home
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…
Whales, Water, and Quiet in Semiahmoo
Featured Home
La Pedrera Net Zero House
Going Green Is Easier Than You Think
Imagining Spaces
Home is a sanctuary — never has this been more apparent. Spending more time at home means many of us have had to reimagine how our spaces work for us. Whether it’s finding room for a home office, classroom, or workout studio, many of us have already transformed our homes to meet our needs, while others may still have plans to make big changes in the months ahead. If you’re looking to revamp or totally reimagine a space —…
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 Homes, a design and build company based in Bellingham that has been making some of the most energy efficient homes in the country,…
A Family Getaway in the Trees
This treetop getaway is a dream come true for adults and children alike.
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.
Kitchens + Spaces
The “Spaces” part of this feature gives a look at stunning designs for a variety of rooms. Take a look at these beautiful PNW homes.
Kitchens + Spaces
The “Kitchens” part of this feature gives a look at the inspiration behind each design for these six kitchens, and kitchen tech recommended by the experts.
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.
Far East Home Comes West
Take an inside look as Ross Grier builds his dream home in Fairhaven by fusing Japanese elements with a Pacific Northwest Washington feel.
Hamlet Hotel
Downtown, An Old Space Becomes New Again For Fred and Colleen Schacht, the Hamlet Hotel has been a reclamation project, sentimental journey, and business venture wrapped into one century-old downtown building. The…
An Anacortes Home for the Sunset Years
Here is a quick glimpse inside this beautiful home in Anacortes, with amazing detail to design and even more incredible views.
Above the Boulevard, A Year-Round Beach Home Shines
Faith Ulate grew up in Whatcom County, and long dreamed of having a beach home. So, she and her family lived in Costa Rica for 11 years. But when it came time to move back, she was determined to bring beach life with her. Ulate, a…
Home, Healthy Home
There’s warmth just looking at this yellow cedar home, originally built in 1927 as a single-story, working-class Craftsman. But in addition to adding a second story and master bedroom to their now two-bedroom, three-bath home (plus basement apartment), the client wanted a house with a healthy addition of another kind. Builders and designers avoided using materials like toxic paints, and installed wood flooring and tile to keep mold…
Lake Whatcom Home Gets An Update
New owners of this home loved its sweeping views of Lake Whatcom and its modern character. But sometimes, even modern needs an update. With a family of five, the house was also due for an expansion, and a bedroom and bathroom was added to produce a total four-bedroom, four-bath lake house. Built in 1996 and remodeled last year, the complete custom renovation generated better flow between rooms and…
Palatine Passive House
The Palatine Passive House by architect Tiffany Bowie of Malboeuf Bowie Architecture was one of eight homes featured during last year’s Seattle Modern Home Tour in April. Bowie, a certified passive house consultant, fielded questions from tour guests curious about passive construction. “Many people weren’t familiar with the concept…
Birch Bay Mansion
This spectacular Birch Bay estate is what dreams are made of: This private 66-acre property consists of a 12,000-square-foot mansion with 1,575 feet of pristine, south-facing…
San Juan Log Cabin Retreat
This striking home in the San Juan Islands started as a log cabin. A full overhaul, led by Bellingham interior designer Lisa Staton and client Kristina Gladstein, transformed it to a lighter, brighter vacation getaway that fits the quiet elegance of its surroundings, just off Roche Harbor. The original logs, whitewashed to create a freshness inside and out, help maintain the…
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…
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…
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 made functional again. And while recycling might seem more mundane than stylish, Matt Vaughn and David Spangler at the…
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 a home situated between the everchanging water and a boulder wall constructed to highlight area sandstone. McClellan Architects, led by Regan Smith, was also responsible…
Edgemoor Neighborhood Historic Home
Lairmont Manor Historic homes can be a focal point for neighborhoods. In Bellingham, few are more famous than Lairmont Manor, in Fairhaven’s Edgemoor neighborhood. Originally named The Larrabee House, it was designed in 1914 for local power…
Rustic & Reclaimed
Bath Renovation Antique wood and a sliding barn door in a bathroom? Say it isn’t so! Yes, that is exactly what we incorporated in this recent remodel and the trend has exploded. The juxtaposition of materials and finishes in homes today is exhilarating. As a designer and interior enthusiast, I am enjoying the risks my clients are willing to take while throwing ancient rules out…
Gem on the Water
Lake Samish Row House This distinctive home on the shores of Lake Samish was built in 2010 with rowers in mind. We want to say its curvy roof and contemporary, minimalist design evokes the smooth, effortless air of a rowing team in sync. But like the sport itself, looks can be deceiving. Bellingham Bay Builders and the Cirrus Design Group, with the owner’s direction, put substantial effort into the interior’s open, breezy feel, starting with a rare LEED-for-homes…
Cheetah-Chic Living
Animal Prints Rev Up a Room It might be safe to say that while keeping the color palette tame on this project, we got wild with the style. Prior to our makeover, we were welcomed with a pet-soiled…
Guemes Cottage
This peaceful retreat on Guemes Island designed by David Hall (since retired) of HKP Architects draws on Finnish and Scandanavian…
Broadway Beauty
The beautiful thing about ranch-style houses is the way in which a good designer can open up the interior, build in great storage, and add light and space. Many of these homes have been updated a few times, and sometimes a remodel requires completely rethinking the interior. This was one of those projects. The owners bought this house with remodeling in mind. They wanted to upgrade the building performance, so they hired Jason Bourne…
A 1940s Camano Island Log Cabin Remodel
A classic log cabin on Camano Island’s North Shore offers stunning views of Utsalady Bay and has been in Neil Hampson’s family since the 1940s. Hampson’s grandfather Dr. Russell R. Bradley, an Everett optometrist built the cabin himself. The preface to a 1944 publication of…
Orcas Island Beach House–Featured Home
This beautiful Orcas Island beach house is an island paradise, nestled among towering evergreens and set right on the water. As with most things Orcas, this home is the perfect balance of architectual distinction and cabin-like intimacy. The natural wood beams and finishes complement each other, incorporating the context of the surrounding woods while offering expansive views of the water. The stone fireplace and mantel give the main living area a focal point. The chef’s kitchen is beautifully appointed…
Palatine Passive House
The Palatine Passive House by Architect Tiffany Bowie of Malboeuf Bowie Architecture was one of eight homes featured during the 2016 Seattle Modern Home Tour in April. Bowie, a certified passive house consultant, fielded questions from tour guests curious about passive construction. “Many people weren’t familiar with the concept of a passive house, so it was a great…
South Hill House
You know what it’s like when you paint your living room, and then the adjoining dining room looks drab, so you paint that, and the next thing you know, the kitchen, bath, and laundry room are all now newly painted? Well, a similar scenario played out in…
False Bay Writer’s Cabin
This stunning San Juan Island beauty is a perfect metaphor for a writer’s personality — open, receptive, and unguarded at times, and closed, private, and introspective at other times. A beautiful example of contemporary architecture,…
Northwest Modern Luxury Home – Featured Home
Perhaps the crown jewel of the entertainment space, a glassed-in wine display room showcases a wine library and is conveniently located near the wet bar, an upgrade from the traditional bottom-floor wine cellar.
Eldridge House – Featured Home
The couple set about remodeling, using mostly local artisans. The result? A comfortable, unpretentious, and yet artful home that accommodates family, friends, and even a lovely bald eagle who lurks in the trees above
Net Zero House – Featured Home
Sean Haven of Haven Design workshop took on the challenge of designing and building a Net Zero house.
Bay View House – Featured Home
Natural textures like wood and stone complement the white walls and countertops.
House in the Field
Built to blend unobtrusively with its landscape, yet maximize views and interior space, the House in the Field takes the lines of a traditional ranch house and explodes them into beautiful angles and fascinating forms. Natural materials and an earthy palette complement the open land surrounding the house.
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 drew upon the stunning views and quiet, driftwood-strewn bay below to create a sophisticated…
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 the new design to ensure proper interior circulation, maximize air flow, increase light and to showcase the stunning view. Outdoor terraces built into…
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 few projects, back in our high school shop classes. So to us this was a large scale undertaking that we were both excited to take on. We spent a good amount of time doing our…
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,…
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 floors without a crawlspace, which is…