Most of us love a great room. It’s a latter-day architectural concept that suits a casual lifestyle and allows everyone to talk to the cook and help out with dinner. Perfect for the casual living of the 21st century. Here are some easy design tips to implement in your own home right away: Create zones […]
Featured
Featured Articles from the West Sound. These are the highlighted articles from WestSound Magazine.
Posted inFeatured, Home
The Captured Garden
In the summer of 1829, Dr. Nathaniel Ward placed the chrysalis of an adult sphinx moth in an enclosed glass container so he could observe the moth’s emergence. The soil he placed in the container sprouted seeds and spores, as natural soils will do. He fully expected the germinated plants to die off in the […]
Posted inFeatured, People & Places
Minimalist Living — Thoroughly Modern Tranquility
Off a narrow, wooded road on Bainbridge Island, a long, tidy gravel driveway leads through the trees. Past the unremarkable gate at the top of the drive, visitors enter the hushed tranquility of the forest. Large trees rise up on both sides and, as the property slopes up toward the house, a natural creek passes […]
Posted inFeatured, Home
NW Slugs Handmade Mosaics
Magical. Charming. Right out of a fairy tale. Lisa Infante creates tiny fantasy worlds with her one-of-a-kind, custom birdhouses. The attention to detail is what sets her artwork apart from typical garden decorations. The houses are three-dimensional mosaics made from atypical materials. While she does use glass and tile for some of her mosaic work, […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
The Voodoo Garden — Good Help is Hard to Find
Welcome to my garden. Open the gate and step in, but mind the brambles and thorns. Careful to not crush the bleeding heart. Don’t bump the spiny eccentricity of the Solanum pyracanthum unless you like a good blood-letting. And watch the vines; they sneak up on you in this murky light. I suppose I should […]
Posted inFeatured, Food & Entertainment
The Tea Room At Port Gamble
When Janis Kelley and her husband, Scott, were looking for a home to buy about six months into their marriage, they found a charming one in downtown Port Gamble. But there was a catch — the historic home came complete with a business on the first floor, a tea room. Never mind that Kelley had […]
Posted inFeatured, Garden
Tips for Planting Out of Season
Normally, the best time of the year to plant any plant, including our native plants, is during the dormant season. In Western Washington, that time is generally late October through early February. Fall planted plants have a longer time to take advantage of cool temperatures and moist soils to establish new roots before putting out […]
Posted inFeatured, Home
Achieving Zen
When Marc and Judy Williamson opened the door to the dated Bill Point rambler, they entered a house with a persistent identification crisis. Although the subtle Asian overtones of the architecture were good, the home’s previous owners had interpreted the interior with wall-to-wall carpet, crystal doorknobs and other Euro-centric details that denied the Eastern influence […]
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All About Showers
From basic hygiene to a spa-like escape, showers fulfill different needs for different people. Most don’t give a second thought about what goes into creating one of the most used features of the home nor how the design and maintenance of this simple enclosure can create either joy or misery. Use these ideas to assist […]