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High-Style Tiles from Ann Sacks

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This article originally appeared in the January 2014 issue of Seattle magazine.

Whether it’s a Native American–inspired pattern hand-painted on terra-cotta or a simple rounded-edge ceramic style, tile is a smart way to add personality and flair to virtually any room. We’re swooning over the latest lot from Portland-based tile and stone sanctuary Ann Sacks, which relocated its downtown showroom last fall to a 2,880-square-foot, natural-light-filled space in South Lake Union (near West Elm).

For a bathroom makeover, pile on geometric tiles—diamonds, squares, rectangles—in shades of pale blue, crisp white, rich brown and other hues from the new ASC Modern collection (from $74.99 per square foot). Or spruce up your kitchen’s backsplash with Versailles Mesh (not shown; from $114 per square foot), a hand-silvered, shatter-resistant glass stunner that comes in a number of sizes and finishes, and features a streaked and spotted patina akin to an aged mirror. Your surfaces have never had it so good.

Ann Sacks, 2201 Westlake Ave., Suite 103; 206.441.8917; annsacks.com

 

Can Alaska Kelp Help Washington Crops Beat the Heat?

Can Alaska Kelp Help Washington Crops Beat the Heat?

A Ketchikan company is working with WSU researchers to see whether its kelp-based biostimulant can help grapes and berries withstand environmental stress.

From the floatplane, reddish-brown kelp traces the edges of the small islands between Ketchikan and Prince of Wales Island like brushstrokes on the surface of the water. Up close, on a rare 70-degree July day in Alaska, the kelp is glossy and beautiful, though the wind coming off the water makes it nearly impossible to…

PlantCon Is Coming for Seattle’s Windowsills

PlantCon Is Coming for Seattle’s Windowsills

The nation’s largest gathering for houseplant lovers makes its Pacific Northwest debut this August with 200 booths, hands-on workshops, and a DJ.

My house is full of plants, enough that I’ve lost count. Houseplants have the same suspicious math as tattoos: One is rarely the final number. I propagate cuttings in jars of water, regularly rearrange corners of the house in pursuit of better light, and like to imagine the entire collection is improving the air. That…

Noir Lux Lights Up Fourth Avenue

Noir Lux Lights Up Fourth Avenue

The Seattle candle brand’s new two-level pop-up brings workshops and community gatherings downtown through September.

It’s often said that good things come in threes, and for Colina Bruce, founder of the lifestyle and home fragrance brand Noir Lux, that’s certainly proving true. With a flagship shop in Belltown and an outpost in Ballard, Bruce is rounding out a Noir Lux trio with the opening of the Noir Lux Collective on…

Better Together: This Take on Co-Housing Emphasizes Quality and Community

Better Together: This Take on Co-Housing Emphasizes Quality and Community

The Seattle project presents an out-of-the-box model, where investors are also residents, and the design focuses on longevity and tenant retention—not profit.

Growing up in rural Detroit, Chad Dale spent many after-school and weekend hours playing with neighborhood kids in an open lot near his house. It’s an experience he always hoped his children would have someday, but by the time he became a father in Seattle, land was at a premium: either already developed or prohibitively…