To the discriminating musician, the sound of a well-tuned piano is, well, music to the ears. And behind every well-tuned piano is a gifted tuner who uses part art and part skill to understand the instrument’s idiosyncrasies and make it sound its best. In Kitsap and Mason counties, that behind-the-scenes virtuoso is often Erren Barnhard, […]
craftsmanship
Catching The Light
Jewelry designer Kristina “Tina” Bright has an easy smile, a vivacious personality and a talent for creating beautiful things: graceful, hand-tooled silver earrings; necklaces that sparkle and beg to be worn; bracelets adorned with a delightful, eclectic mix of crystal and beads. “I’ve had a passion for jewelry since I was a kid,” Bright says. […]
House Fire Gives Dreams A Clean Slate
Denise Hegge was nearly done with a remodel of her Olalla home in 2011 when she woke up one night to a fire. It was a warm August, and some staining rags left in the garage bay ignited, sending a chain reaction through the attic into the entire home. The 2,600-square-foot rambler was a forever […]
Rockin’ at Countertops and Loving It
Maybe it’s karma. Bill Wyman is cool with that as an explanation for the success of his business, Creative Countertops, which marks its 10th anniversary this year. Regardless of how much good karma’s had to do with it, his enterprise has grown over a decade into a pretty impressive operation for an entrepreneur with a […]
The Hill Home — A Labor of Love
The narrow, winding drive that leads to the home of Mike and Eileen Hill does little to prepare you for what you are about to see. As you turn the final corner, the tall trees drop away and the driveway opens up into a wide, circular, gravel broadway curving around a small, quiet pond that […]
Luthier’s Ukuleles Built with Tradition
Although Zac Steimle is not a professional musician, he’s been intrigued by the dynamics between an instrument and its player. That natural curiosity, along with a deep appreciation for the art of making string instruments, led him on a journey to start his own business — Oceana Ukuleles. From his workshop in Port Orchard, Steimle […]
Capturing the Light — A Home to Match the View
From the beginning, it was a mismatch that invited the question: Why would you take one of the most jaw-dropping views on Earth and design a house that didn’t take advantage of it? Yet that’s exactly what Elizabeth and Bob lived with for 13 years after they bought their waterfront property (the couple asked that […]
Fascination of Good Design Creates a Variety of Interests
Terry Logan (formerly Terry Nokell) was only 5 years old when she first used a needle to sew. With scraps of burgundy corduroy and flowery-indigo cotton left from her outfit for a kindergarten photo, Logan decided to make herself a vest. Of course, at that age, she had no understanding of scale — the project […]
Organic Chemistry
When a couple of empty-nesters trade the urban asphalt of Southern California for a leafy-green piece of Bainbridge Island, culture shock is guaranteed. Their first job, therefore, is to buy an umbrella, a pair of Birkenstocks and learn the meaning of “frog rock.” Their second job is to locate an architect and a decorator who […]
