Architecture + Design
Burn Design Lab’s Eco Stoves
A Vashon Island company is saving lives—and the planet—one stove at a time.
In a design studio on Vashon Island, Peter Scott is cooking up solutions to big problems. His company, Burn Design Lab, is on a mission to reduce global warming and respiratory illness by creating highly efficient and affordable stoves that can replace the open-fire cooking pits used in developing countries. Those pits pump out emissions…
Real Estate: Three Seattle Craftsman Homes
The iconic Seattle home makes a strong showing in three local neighborhoods.
Craftsman homes first started appearing in Seattle around 1900 as an offshoot of the British Arts and Crafts movement, which emphasized the handmade over the mass-produced, and design simplicity over the ornate Victorian homes of the era. Found in neighborhoods all across Seattle, especially Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Leschi, West Seattle and Wallingford, the Craftsman…
Seattle’s Sustainable-Seating Renaissance
Pull up a chair and invest in a functional work of art made in Seattle.
What’s the purpose of the split down the middle of Henrybuilt’s Wood Bench 3? “It helps the seat to hug your bottom,” says Lisa Day, Seattle-based Henrybuilt’s director of marketing. The split divides the bench into two long slabs of wood, which angle down slightly toward the center, making it more comfortable than a standard…
Zonal Heating for the Home
Wait out Seattle winter in an efficient oasis of warmth.
Beth Evans-Ramos doesn’t want to ignite your envy. But on winter’s frostiest days, the 2,000-square-foot house in Shoreline where she lives with her husband is as cozy as a thick Irish sweater, and it comes with a heating bill that rarely rises above $55 a month—even in the middle of winter. “It’s like magic,” she…
Northwest Home November 2011
The latest issue of our home design publication, found inside every other issue of Seattle magazine.
The latest issue of Northwest Home (found inside the November issue of Seattle magazine) reveals local home shopping finds, such as the green goodies at Capitol Hill’s NuBe Green, style pointers on creating a chic chalet and how a little coaching helped one bachelor design his dream pad. Plus, our Home of Month tells the…
Rose Hips: A Cure For What Ails You
The master forager fights the common cold with help from nature's Emergen-C.
My first priority as a forager is to enjoy the fresh air. Second is a good meal. Third—and not a distant third, mind you—is the inherent health benefits of wild foods. Nature will take care of us if we let her. A walk along Lake Union in November can satisfy all three. True, my preference…
The Ultimate Water Saver
Giant rain barrels and Washington's first legal grey water system set this Jackson Place home at a h
The 1,750-square-foot house architect Robert Humble designed for himself and his wife is entirely nontraditional for Seattle. It’s modern, flat-roofed and boxy, and was prefabricated off-site and delivered by truck in sections to the skinny, empty lot owned by Humble and his wife, Nicole. But that doesn’t mean the owner hasn’t tried to integrate it…
A New Low of Toxicity Levels
A Ballard resident uses simple strategies to rid her bungalow of harmful, hidden chemicals.
You wouldn’t think a Ballard bungalow with pink asbestos siding and lead paint would appeal to a couple with an interest in the environment, but Rachel and Izaak Koller planned to remodel the Ballard home themselves—wearing suitable hazmat gear. Thanks to the previous tenants, the couple had to remove or remake nearly everything in the…
Inside Seattle’s Super-Eco Homes
You don't have to go totally gaga for green to reap the rewards of a few simple home-improvement mov
Those who grew up in the 1970s may recall the appearance of a brick in the bathroom toilet tank—a popular do-it-yourself water-saving measure. Fortunately, living green has become a little more sophisticated in recent decades. In Seattle—a city famous for its green-built, LEED-certified offices, restaurants and condos—many residents have taken the green-living ethos into their…
Super Efficient Energy
A Rainier Vallery homeowner employs the common sense - and human powered - Passive House standard.
The first time Dan Whitmore welcomed a group of friends to the nearly completed Rainier Valley home he was building for his family, it was a bit like a treasure hunt. “It was our first blower door test,” says the goateed contractor. (A blower door test is performed to check airtightness of a house and…
Seattle Garden Trends: What’s In and What’s Out
Take outgrown habits to the compost heap and refresh your garden with a new approach.
Seattle gardens and yards tend to hit the dried-out doldrums in August, so it’s a good time to kick back with a glass of cool lemonade (garnished with homegrown mint, naturally) and think about how to refresh your approach to planting. Here’s a look at what’s new—and what’s past its bloom—according to local gardeners, along…
Kelley Moore’s Waterside Farm Picnic
A new floating farmers' market docking weekly at Lake Union creates a scenic backdrop for a fresh, c
It has finally arrived: that golden summer moment when local fruits—from cherries to blueberries—are ripe and ready to eat, and we spend weekends perusing our neighborhood farmers’ market for salad greens. Celebrate the bounty of the season with a farm-to-table dinner that lets the produce take center stage. Using ingredients from the new FarmBoat (farmboat.org),…
Kippen House Chicken Coops Make Backyard Baryards Modern
A Seattle architect has invented a chic coop perfect for urban backyards.
The shabby chicken coops of Old McDonald’s farm might look out of place in the city, but thanks to architect Traci Fontyn, owner and founder of Bothell’s Kippen House chicken coops (kippenhouse.com), urban dwellers can still enjoy fresh, organic eggs from their own small lots. These cool coops combine chicken housing with human gardening for…
Join The Must List
Don't miss a thing.
Get Seattle's best events,handpicked
and delivered to your inbox weekly.