Four Designers Speak to Four Trends
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 personal flair. We believe…
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.
“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…
Featured Home
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…
Featured Home
Going Green Is Easier Than You Think
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….
Tucked away among a grove of ponderosa pines in Okanogan County, this dreamy treetop hideaway marries imagination and design.
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…
This treetop getaway is a dream come true for adults and children alike.
This Featured Home from Highline Construction is a modern day farmhouse with practical and functional designs.
This month’s Featured Home is a high-performance beach home with views of Boundary Bay, the BC Coastal Range, and beyond.
Tucked away on the east side of Camano Island, you’ll find this stunning 1,100 square foot studio from Designs Northwest Architects.
This issue’s Featured Home is a modern cabin in the woods, with an interior that matches the beauty of the surrounding woods.
This month’s featured home is an ’80s house turned into a modern retreat, equipped with tigerwood decking and large windows.
This month’s featured home is this lovely timber frame home on Shaw Island. Check out the pictures of this stunning abode!
This house on Lake Whatcom offers comfort and beauty all year long.
Lisa Staton Interior Design revitalize this classic Bellingham Four Square, built in 1906, while honoring the home’s original architecture and detailing.
Take a look at this Broadway Park Neighborhood home—a perfect blend of high-performance detailing and traditional, craftsman design.
This month’s featured home is green—designed and built to minimize the home’s ecological impact in the face of climate change.
Architects Dan Nelson and Matt Radach of Designs Northwest worked to transform this Skagit Bay cabin into a classic beachfront home.
Terry and Jackie Lehmann show their appreciation for travel and design with this breathtaking Asian-inspired oasis, located just north of Lake Whatcom.
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.
Mathew Blubaugh is the owner of Northwest Woodslayer, a woodworking business specializing in custom cabinetry. There is also an axethrowing station.
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.
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.
This month’s Featured Home is an island cabin near Anacortes. This year-round home has a view of Deception Pass State Park.
This month, our featured home showcases a home for the holidays, with Christmas trees and seasonal decor to brighten and warm the room.
Heidi Skievaski and Kryssie Maybay of Sublime Garden Design worked to transform this Snohomish backyard into a relaxing retreat, complete with a waterfall.
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.
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.
Take an inside look as Ross Grier builds his dream home in Fairhaven by fusing Japanese elements with a Pacific Northwest Washington feel.
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…
Here is a quick glimpse inside this beautiful home in Anacortes, with amazing detail to design and even more incredible views.
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 realtor with a passion for turnaround projects, gutted this three-bedroom, two-bath condo overlooking Bellingham’s Boulevard Park. Then…
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…
New owners of this home loved its sweeping views of Lake Whatcom and its modern character. But sometimes, even modern needs an update….
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 of a passive house, so it was a great educational opportunity,” Bowie said. Thanks to its efficient design, the 2,700-square-foot urban infill project boasts…
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 and jaw-dropping Georgia Strait shoreline. And that’s just the beginning. If you prefer to arrive by air rather than land or boat, the property has its own helipad and airstrip. A large gated entrance and arrival court features…
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…
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. Even though it’s only 120 square feet, the building, affectionately called the…
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.
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 RE Store’s Revision Division, would…
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…
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 couple Charles and Frances Larrabee by renowned Seattle architect Carl Gould. Gould…
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 the window. The anything-goes theme is so much…
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…
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 off-white carpet with poorly placed furniture. My client rarely used this room and wished to make improvements in order to entertain during holidays. Her dream was to have an inviting space with…
This peaceful retreat on Guemes Island designed by David Hall (since retired) of HKP Architects draws on Finnish and Scandanavian summer houses for inspiration. Situated on the the north end of Guemes Island with expansive views of Bellingham Bay, this 625 square-foot cabin combines the best…
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…
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…
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 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….
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 this beautiful South Hill home. What began as a renovation of a one-car garage grew into a major addition remodel. Jennifer Ryan of…
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, this cabin folds up into a neat little package, or opens up to…
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.
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
Sean Haven of Haven Design workshop took on the challenge of designing and building a Net Zero house.
Natural textures like wood and stone complement the white walls and countertops.
Built to blend unobtrusively with its landscape, yet maximize views and interior space, the House in the Field takes the lines…
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 seaside escape. A stunning blend of Nantucket-meets-Northwest, this 2,900 square-foot home is surrounded…
In partnership with the Northwest Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, we selected this exquisite home perched above beautiful Chuckanut…
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…
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 have deep roots in this particular…
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 ideal for minimum maintenance. The solid timber frame construction and Structural Insulated Panels (SIP)…
