Creating a One-of-a-Kind Fireplace
Amy Popelka of Tac Tile Company
Home Styling by Season
August Feature
Moving Isn’t Always the Answer
Remodeling from a Realtor’s Perspective
15 Insider Tips a Home Buyer Should Know
Home Buyer Tips
Remodeling Reality
Faith Ulate
Making Magic with Metal
KP Metalworks
Raising the Bar for Rentals
Remodel
Level Up
Home Upgrades by Room
An Airbnb Escape in Glacier
For years, the Gulit family dreamed of owning a cabin in nearby Glacier – A retreat for short weekend getaways close to home and close to nature. After touring many cabins and even putting in a few offers, they knew they had found THE ONE with this sweet little 840-square-foot saltbox house built in 1978.
Let There Be Light
Purchasing a home in Bellingham or the surrounding counties has been tricky this past year. With inventory low, prices high, and selling time fast, you’ve got to be quick on your feet, make snap decisions, and have a vision! This home was charming…with the exception of the kitchen, but my clients were able to…
Remodel on Deception Pass
Tac Tile Company was started in 2015 as a way to make a mark on my community through art and tile. I create unique handmade tiles that are intended to inspire and reflect the beauty of nature that surrounds us. With each custom project, I meld the client’s ideas with my own personal style, thus creating something original that can be enjoyed for ages. When I was…
One Room Challenge: Outdated to Oasis
The spring 2021 “One Room Challenge” is a supportive and enthusiastic event held twice a year, with Better Homes & Gardens as the official media partner. It is not a competition; rather, it’s a celebration of creative and inspiring ideas.
A Room of One’s Own…to Share With Guests
Remodel
New Mount Vernon Design Center Honors Sustainability and Creativity
Pinecone Inc.
Dream Workout Room
Creating the Perfect Home Gym
First Hill Condo Remodel
This project was all about layering neutrals in a soft, subtle, and sculptural way.
Anything Is Possible
Updating an Old-Fashioned Kitchen
Building With Precision: Yeshe Long Temple
A new Buddhist temple lies nestled among the trees at the south end of Whidbey Island, at a dharma center called Yeshe Long.
Modern Ranch on the Farm
Modern meets rustic and vintage meets industrial in this farmhouse remodel.
Dream En Suite
An out-of-date bathroom gets transformed into an elegant and airy en suite.
A Formal Sorority Transformation
This UW sorority gets a modern makeover, bringing contemporary and traditional styles together to create the perfect space for on-the-go college students.
The Benefits of Having a Dog Wash Station in Your Home
Jennifer Ryan talks the benefits of installing a dedicated built-in dog wash station in your home—as shown in this recent bathroom remodel.
Inside Out
Interior designer Jennifer Ryan provides readers with a guide to creating beautiful and functional outdoor spaces in the Pacific Northwest.
Is Your Room Keeping You up at Night?
Samantha Kent, a researcher for SleepHelp.org, tells all about the relationship between sleep and interior design.
The Art of Aging in Place
Designer and certified aging-in-place specialist, Susie Landsem, intersects both design and utility to help aging homeowners make their homes more accessible.
Geometric Tiles Add Pop to Condo Bathroom Revival
Jennifer Ryan brings new style with this geometric Bellingham bathroom remodel. See the end results of the makeover with Katheryn Moran Photography.
Remodel Brightens Kitchen, Spirits
My client’s husband had recently passed away, and her daughter contacted me as a means to brighten her mother’s mood. The client and her husband had been dreaming of remodeling their home and just never thought the time was right. So when her family contacted me and asked if I could take on this special project and handle every detail of the kitchen redo so their mother wouldn’t have any…
Farmhouse Kitchen
This beautiful Farmhouse Kitchen remodel was designed by Jennifer Ryan. See the end results of the makeover with Katheryn Moran Photography.
Pallets Repurposed
The RE Store in Bellingham shows us how to upcycle old pallets and turn them into a raised garden bed, garden shed, or shelves.
A Kitchen with a View
Kelly DuByne of Distinctive Interior Designs showcases a kitchen remodel in Lake Stevens. Cabinets from Architectual Cabinet brighten and warm the room.
Home with a Better View
Jennifer Ryan took on the challenge of a home remodel to open up the kitchen, dining room, and living room, so a view of the lake could be enjoyed.
Whidbey Island’s Unpretentious Getaway
The Saratoga Inn on Whidbey Island makes a delightful getaway this winter. In the remodel, owner Jim Pensiero gave the inn a refreshing, comfortable look.
Inspired By Roots
Interior designer Tanna Edler answers her most frequently asked questions about home design including inspirations and tips and tricks.
Transforming a Garage Into a Game Room
Jennifer Ryan transformed this garage into an Archie comic book themed game room for two teens, complete with disco ball and foosball table.
A Fresh New Island
Doing a partial kitchen remodel can be a tricky puzzle, especially while trying to combine existing aspects with new features that just don’t seem to go together.
Finding Elbow Room In a Bathroom Overhaul
Approximately 40 years ago, this bathroom and closet off the master bedroom was a luxury. After much love, it was in desperate need of a makeover. Updating the fixtures and bringing the “look” to the current century was my clients’ first request. Next, they wanted to brighten the space and gain more room without changing the…
A Home Office Remodel
What may have been best described as a collective mess before our design update is now an “organized oasis.” The enhancements in this project have increased…
So, You Want a Pond?
So, you’ve decided you want to build a water feature in your back yard That’s a wonderful idea. A pond draws hummingbirds, songbirds, and butterflies. The trickling sound of…
Waiting in Style
If first impressions are everything, then a waiting room is crucial to a patient’s experience. A waiting room sets the tone for what comes next, be it a massage or a root canal. At the same time, patients ideally…
What’s My Style?
Today, I have many clients confused when trying to explain their “design style,” not wanting to commit to just one, fearing they might end with the wrong result. Combining hints of contemporary with a nod of tradition is a popular request. And, then, there are those few flea markets finds and grandmas heirlooms that often find their way into the final concept. In design, rules…
A Picture-Perfect Refuge
Private Gardens Design Susan Harrison, owner of Private Gardens Design, is no stranger to awards. She won our own Best of the Northwest for Best Landscape Designer in 2015 and took home the silver from this year’s Association of…
Back at Home
Western’s Carver Gym Renovation a Sight to See for Fans After undergoing an extensive and much-needed renovation costing $70 million and spanning two years, Sam Carver Gym at Western Washington University will re-open its doors — just in time for fall sports. Your first chance to watch a Western team play in the new gym will…
From Craftsman To Clock Tower
Ferndale Landmark It’s hard to believe the clock tower building that looms over Main Street in Ferndale was once a 1920s craftsman home. Today the structure is a sprawling, multi-story sight to behold. Each exterior wall is coated in a different siding material, highlighted with maroon trim and scattered windows, all beneath a series of jutting rooftops. Its most prominent…
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 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 beg to differ. Vaughn and Spangler use almost entirely recycled materials to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces, bringing…
A Garden from Scratch
If you think the compacted-soil, rock-hewn, lifeless plot of land on your property could never support a garden, we have a story for you. More than 100 volunteers recently transformed the empty gravel lot across from the Bellingham Food Bank into a garden in a massive project that included…
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…
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…
Freezing Cabin
Kitchen Remodel Helps Ease a Drab Winter’s Chill This home, a one-time 1930s beach cabin, got so cold in winter that its owner would routinely flee to Mexico for three months. But after six years of annual escapes, it was time to put down year-round…
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…
Little Old, Little New
This home, located on 12th Street overlooking stunning Bellingham Bay, was past due for a kitchen remodel. I had worked with this client on previous projects in her home and was thrilled to have the opportunity to design her kitchen. By giving her tons of cabinet, floor and counter space, I felt this kitchen could be not…
Snohomish Backyard Retreat
Heidi Skievaski and Kryssie Maybay of Sublime Garden Designs transformed a two-acre property that was essentially a blank canvas, a…
Warm Comfort
In a nutshell, this home is nestled on two acres overlooking a pond with stunning landscaping. For this design, I wanted to bring all the…
Mid-Century Makeover
Good things do come in small packages! Bringing back the bright was our design goal for this tiny ranch home. Every square foot was important; therefore, scale and proportion played a huge role in this little space. A refreshing paint palette, additional windows, and new cabinets with open shelving proved that minor changes can provide substantial results. It doesn’t take a lot of construction to freshen up a small space. The…
Small Changes that Make a Big Difference
Though you probably haven’t convened your family members to hold a climate change summit in your living room, sometimes it can feel inordinately challenging to agree upon and make sustainable decisions at home. Ask anyone who has recently shopped for furnishings, upgraded appliances, or planned a build or remodel. World…
Color Theory
Over the years I have done hundreds of color consults. The basis of all my home designs — whether hanging art, furnishing a room, or doing a remodel — starts, and essentially ends, with color. Most people love color, but they are often overwhelmed by all the possibilities, and thus choose to do nothing. And then they are forever unhappy with their white walls. Let’s get out of that rut and add some color to…
Beach Drive Remodel
As far as remodels are concerned, you might think that the most dramatic transformations are also the most expensive and the most complicated. The waterfront Beach Drive Remodel on Camano Island, executed by principal architect Dan Nelson of Designs Northwest Architects,…
This Old Shed
For this remodel, my clients wanted to revamp an old shed. Fifty feet from the house, this outbuilding is the perfect place to create a space to entertain friends, have sleep-overs, watch movies, play games, have snacks, make music, and exercise. My clients wanted to maintain the integrity of the original foundation and…
Ramble On
Remodeling an Era If you are like me, you’ve driven around an older neighborhood at some point in your life, admiring homes with a certain style – long, low profiles with minimal exterior decor. You were probably touring an established neighborhood where ramblers were the predominate style. Their simplicity…
Creating Sanctuary Space
Find a corner, spruce it up Perhaps you need a spot for yoga, or a place to sit and read in the sun. Maybe you like to knit by the fire or watch the rain as you write in your journal. Whatever your interests, if you feel the need for a little corner of your own, we have some ideas. Dormer Window A dormer, even a squatty one, can…
Bringing it Back: The Recycled Remodel
One of the features that makes our area so charming is in the way in which we preserve and restore houses and buildings from our past. With the RE Store, Skagit Salvage and antique stores galore, it’s not difficult to find materials for an era-authentic remodel. This was not always the case, but the surge in DIY remodeling…
A Delight-ful Remodel
Homeowners Delight Green and Michael Newlight hired Craig Burling, owner and general contractor of CB Premier Construction, to build an addition onto the master suite of their creative Chuckanut Drive house. The 850 square foot addition included a bedroom, bathroom and closets, all with electric radiant heat. “The house is 41 years old and we thought the master bath was dated, Delight said. “Also, we wanted more…
A Master Bath Worth Waiting For
Our master bath remodel had been a long time coming. It started in my head when we bought our 1920s Tudor in Bellingham 13 years ago. The unfinished attic had been remodeled in the 80s, and the bath was added then—good space, but the dark wallpaper, phone booth-sized shower and graying linoleum floors were showing their age. Fast-forward…
Fabulous Faux
The effect of faux tile finishes once depended on how light fell, how the sun or kitchen lights caught the pattern in the floor, how the tile felt underfoot or how it looked behind the sink. Decades ago, faux was just another word for fake, ersatz, as something that was meant to reach for an effect, but failed in the process. In the ’60s and ’70s, decorators played…
Remodel: Bring the Outdoors In
As the leaves fall and the cold air starts to blow, we find ourselves enjoying intimate moments in our homes once again. Now is the time to bring the outdoors in through décor. This project incorporates native items that resulted in a nature-inspired interior design plan. The ability to bring nature into your home is an…
Casual Contempo
In my recent project, I assembled an eclectic collection of furniture, which is neatly placed in a symmetrical living area layout. In this aesthetic, casual…
Vintage Industrial Redo
“Your home is whimsical, cozy, cottage, industrial with raw, organic elements, quirky focals and current styling. Am I close?” This was my first question after the initial consultation at my client’s rambler home in…
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…
Farming Inspired Design
He’s a little bit country and she is a little bit rock ‘n roll, and the combination is something I call “organic modernism.” We combined the homeowners’ mementos, industrial pieces and warm textures to create a collection of oddities that satisfies their rustic-inspired living, giving them the luxurious lodge look they desired. The family I worked with had a large, multi-purpose space that had no purpose…
Design Trends – Colorful, Cultural & Clever
Give your home its own unique look, inspired by today’s design trends.