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 […]
décor
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 […]
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 […]
Choosing Window Treatments
Window treatments have been used to provide important light and climate control for interior spaces for centuries. Throughout the past, this interior layer has been made from different materials with various hanging methods. Dating back to the great Egyptians, coverings were made of animal hides and hung in doorways and window openings with hooks. In […]
Which ‘Backyarder’ Personality Are You?
Backyarding — the trend to use the backyard for everything from teleworking and working out to relaxing and recreating — has a different purpose for each of us. Identifying your backyard’s role in your family’s health and happiness is the key to cultivating a purposeful outdoor space that is customized to your needs. “How do […]
Preparing Your Home for the Resale Market
The real estate market in the Pacific Northwest continues to thrive. Buyer demand is high due to extremely low inventory. The Northwest MLS reports 2020 inventory at a staggering 25 percent lower than 2019. Sale prices are higher across the region, and days on the market decreased by 40 percent compared with 2019. Combine this […]
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 […]
A Lush Garden Makeover
You’ve seen the photos in ads for miracle makeovers: the plain little face “before” and voilà! the lovely visage “after.” That same message can be applied to gardens, as was the case with this miraculous makeover of Susan and David Crossland’s garden in Bremerton. In just six years, they transformed a plain little house (circa […]
Five Outdoor Living Trends for 2021
Now, more than ever, outdoor living is in. While homeowners have increasingly invested time and money into their yards in recent years, 2020 saw interest in outdoor living spike to unprecedented levels, as homeowners everywhere adjusted to a new normal by reimagining how to use and enjoy their exterior spaces. As a result, the outdoor […]

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