Trends in home design for 2016 run the gamut from simple and strong to bold and reclaimed. Tranquil baths, bold flooring and attention to reusable materials top the list. Trends in home design are similar to trends in fashion. There are always hot … read more

Recently, a very nice woman came into my office to discuss a basement remodel. She told me that she was just doing a very simple remodel, but soon it involved creating a room, running a heat duct to it, including a new light … read more

Learn. Cook. Eat. Drink. Laugh. This is the mission statement of the Gig Harbor Cooking Club, an eclectic group of amateur chefs who have formed lasting friendships through food. The club began two years ago, after one member spent a month in Korea. … read more

In the summer of 2014, when Lance and JoAnn Kahn first saw the 1970s rambler, they weren’t all that impressed. The 40-year-old house was dated and the floorplan was decidedly quirky with long, dark hallways that ran like tunnels from either side of … read more

Our fall, winter, and springtime weathers here on the South Sound and the West Sound pretty much come from the same place. The Chehalis gap! And no, you can’t buy jeans there. This gap is the space between the southernmost of the Olympic … read more

Bert Pesciallo, whose father immigrated from Genoa, Italy, in 1900, doesn’t remember when he became interested in the winery business. He was pretty young and following in his father’s footsteps. “Things just happened naturally at that time, when you are a teenager and … read more

It wasn’t just the bright-green Formica countertops that Tami Watts disliked about her kitchen. Watts and her husband, Brad, owner of Valley Nursery in Poulsbo, typically host holiday and birthday gatherings for their extended local family, now three generations. The long peninsula in … read more

Making a New Year’s resolution? Don’t forget salt. Most Americans consume about a 1,000 milligrams of sodium over the amount recommended by nutrition and health experts. New research shows cooking with spices and herbs could help you ditch the saltshaker and meet sodium … read more

During the weeks after Thanksgiving, I saw numerous trees on top of cars and in pickup trucks — heading home for their two to four weeks of glory, decorated as the family or office Christmas tree. The sadder side of this story is … read more