The only thing better than a pantry is a butler’s pantry. There are different ways to define a butler’s pantry, according to Bainbridge interior designer Molly McCabe. It can be just about anything, such as a mudroom or a place to arrange flowers. … read more

Fall may be a better time to plant perennials than spring. Like spring, fall has cooler, rainier weather that is more conducive to helping plants establish. Unlike spring, fall doesn’t subject freshly planted perennials to the stress of summer heat and the dry … read more

Wendy and Carl Tonge were locked down, isolated and staring into an evergreen forest in March 2020 on their tiny side porch. They sat in two reed chairs under a sign from Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Bar that says Trader Sam’s, reminiscing about another … read more

Sometimes we need to see things from a new angle, in order to realize how wonderful something truly is. Charmond Adkins of Poulsbo found this to be true the rhododendron flower. “I got interested in rhododendrons about 40 years ago, when I first … read more

After a season of unusual cold and snow, it is a gardener’s joy to see spring shoots promising summer abundance. This year’s annual Gig Harbor Garden Tour offers a rich summer palette of color, natural foliage, manicured pathways and a natural forest. There … read more

It could be argued that in the Pacific Northwest, gardening-mania far surpasses baseball as the favorite sport. With the help of April showers, June gardens are primped, pruned and ready for ohs! and ahs! as garden tour season begins. Knowledgeable gardeners anticipate The … read more

Depending on where a person falls in the generational lineup, the idea of an automated home may be as reasonable as apps are to the millennials or as startling as the concept was in 1962, when first introduced to the boomers on the … read more

In a world where products are predominately cookie-cutter and mass-produced in factories, creative individuals offer fresh perspective, artistic lenses and a sense of beauty. Gary Barber of Octopus Studios is one of those individuals. He uses his creativity in his stained glass work … read more

  Brr, it’s cold outside. Take heart — the days are becoming longer and the winter flower phenomenon is hellebore season, brought to you by the genus Helleborus. Commonly called hellebores, Oriental hellebores, Lenten rose or Christmas rose, whatever you call them, they … read more