This story starts like an Indiana Jones movie. Before they could build their dream home, Kate and David Beal had to find their property. Find is the operative word here. Arriving at the location marked on the map, they faced a 25-foot-high wall of blackberry vines. Kate remembers they hacked tunnels through the vines and […]
craftsmanship
Posted inPeople & Places
Rising from the Ashes
In the wee hours of a summer morning in 2009, three teenagers broke into Arnold’s Home Furnishings on Kitsap Way in Bremerton and set the landmark store ablaze. The devastating fire dashed the dreams of Betty Arnold, who started the store with her late husband, Wendell, in 1951, along with longtime general manager Ralph Erickson, […]
Posted inPeople & Places
The Curious Workshop Beneath the Cedars
Stepping into Diane Haddon’s studio is a tumble down a rabbit hole. The walls, countertops and dozens of small and large drawers spill over with vintage bits of this and that: an assortment of sieves and strainers, metal stamped hands, suns and moons, Japanese umbrellas, rusted roller skates, wooden cobbler’s lasts, baby dolls and their […]
Posted inHome
Malibu Vibe
Wetsuits and wakeboards. Swimsuits and sandy feet. Christmas dinners for 18 and a child’s artwork on the walls. Throw in a million-dollar view and a passel of personal touches — and you have arrived at the home of Kelle Kitchel-Cooper and her husband, Eric Cooper, who know the difference between a mere house and a […]
Posted inGarden
The Joy of Gardening
In the remoteness of a Bainbridge Island neighborhood lies a retreat in an English-inspired garden. Native apple, plum and pear trees that line the street create privacy, and tall grasses encompass the garden that Lori McFarlin has come to call her sanctuary. This 2-acre property has a 100-year-old house with a 100-year-old birch tree that […]
Posted inHome
Art in Pandemic Times
Event cancelled. It was a familiar refrain for local artists as galleries, First Friday Art Walks and studio tours shuttered last March to accommodate COVID-19 regulations. Ironically, while the pandemic quiet provided area artists more time for painting, photography and kiln firing, it resulted in fewer outlets to showcase and sell their art. It’s a […]
Posted inHome
Good Design for Fur ‘Babies’
Good access, workflow and organization are high on many homeowners’ wish lists for their kitchens, bathrooms, closets and laundry rooms. But what about the home spaces dedicated to pets? Don’t pets — and their two-legged caretakers — deserve good, functional design too? Based on the 3.9 percent compound annual growth rate in durable pet-care products […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
World’s Best Organic Spirits in Our Own Backyard
Twelve years ago, Keith Barnes, whiskey lover and full-time creative director for his own spirit marketing company, sought out to make world-class whiskey. His personal whiskey collection contains over 1,700 bottles from around the world, but he wanted to see if he could make something different and better with organic ingredients — and that is […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Sculptor Turns Stone into Art that Calls to Be Touched
When you first see Sharon Feeney’s stone sculptures, you might think she’s been making art most of her life. But, in fact, she began sculpting in stone a mere 14 years ago. How it all began “is actually sort of a woo-woo story,” Feeney said with a smile. “I was a social worker, working with […]