If you can’t give a Bertoia, give a book! We believe in a house that is full of them, so here is a list of the new and interesting design titles out for 2009:
Hue, More is More: Tony Duquette
The Private World of Yves St. Laurent & Pierre Bergé, David Hicks: A Life of Design
Glamorous Rooms, Suzanne Kasler: Inspired Interiors
Kid Made Modern, Restoring a House in the City
Miller’s 20th Century Design, Furniture in History
Add comment December 21st, 2009
In our March issue, we featured hip barware to liven up your next cocktail soirée. We just couldn’t get enough, so here are a few more products to fill your (martini) glass. —Courtney Sanks
A Grand Garnish
A throwback to the original martini garnish, DeLaurenti offers Pike Place Market goers authentic stuffed olives from around the globe. DeLaurenti, 1435 First Ave., (206) 622-0141.
Cool Tool
Get help learning all the tricks of the trade with essential tools every home bar needs. Faces Bar Tool Set, $65, available at Williams-Sonoma, many locations.
Divine Delicacy
Say goodbye to mixed nuts and hello to a classier bar snack with Seattle Caviar Company’s array of specialty caviars. Seattle Caviar Company, 2922 Eastlake Ave. E., (206) 323-3005.
Glam Guide
Enjoy more than 60 fresh and exotic cocktail recipes from Northwest master mixologist Lucy Brennan. Hip Sips: Modern Cocktails to Raise Your Spirits (Chronicle Books), $16.95, available at Barnes & Noble, many locations.
Add comment March 9th, 2009
In honor of the Domino book signing event tonight at Great Jones Home, we thought we would tell you more about the much-anticipated book. Domino: The Book of Decorating, is subtitled, "A room-by-room guide to creating a home that makes you happy." To help you to that end, three of the editors—Deborah Needleman, Sara Ruffin Costello and Dara Caponigro—created a valuable compendium of some of the best homes featured on the magazine’s pages. They also explain why each room works and what tips could be gleaned from each project.
The book is divided into section based on rooms, such as the entryway, kitchen and office. Each section features examples of rooms done in different design styles, explanations of how each example works, furniture explanations, tips and how to mix and match, ideas to steal, and the story of one project start to finish.
Our favorite part is the many different styles they describe. There are no simple modern, contemporary or traditional styles in this book. Instead, the authors offer unique styles: brave bohemian, edgy classic, earthy modern, mid-century elegant and more. That inspires us to consider our own style. Romantic modern? Classically girly? We challenge you to pick up the book and define your style. See you tonight!
Click here to flip through a few pages. For a 35% discount off the book at Barnes & Noble, click here.
Add comment November 6th, 2008
For the women behind the new book The Salvage Studio: Sustainable Home Comforts to Organize, Entertain, and Inspire ($21.95, Skipstone, 2008), being eco-friendly is certainly not a fad, but a functional solution for turning everyday junk into original pieces for the home and garden. The authors are Amy Duncan, Beth Evans-Ramos and Lisa Hilderbrand, who opened their Edmonds-based studio in 2004 in order to educate others about reducing humanity’s collective footprint on the world.
Add comment October 17th, 2008
I had never realized its necessity until my collection of Shakespeare’s works was forced to live underneath a table piled high with books. Shakespeare did not belong on my floor. He deserved more attention, a grand display, a place where he could mingle harmoniously with Henmingway and Fitzgerald. That’s when I knew I needed to buy a bookshelf.
As an English major in college, I needed a standout piece of furniture so that visitors would not only admire my impressive amount of Jane Austen novels, but also the beauty and design of the bookshelf that displays them. Here are some of the many beauties I found.
This traditional bookshelf, in a dark brown color, has four shelves and two bottom drawers, which would comfortably hold my thick volumes of Dickens. $179 at Ballard Home Comforts, 5334 Ballard Ave. N.W., (206) 781-1040.
I can easily picture my work Bronte novesl atop the shelves of this three-drawer shelf. It is tall, spacious, made of solid elm and has an antique feel. $1,325 at Camelion, 5330 Ballard Ave. N.W. (206) 632-0886.
This shelf unit is the least traditional, but the materials—steel and reclaimed Douglas fir—give the piece a very natural feel. $2,000 at Bitters Co., 513 N. 36th, (206) 632-0886.
The most modern of all the pieces I saw, these black "ladder" shelves are minimalistic, but surprisingly sturdy. $169 at Retrofit Home, 1419 12th Ave., (206) 568-4663.
Whimsical is the perfect description for this walnut and ivory bookcase. The five shelves, each with their own circular cutouts, add a little humor to home décor. I can look through the cutouts, much like Alice, and see the Lewis Carroll classic waiting to be read. $3,500 at Whimsy Home Decor, 1535 14th Ave., (206) 324-4679.
Like many great stories, mine ends with a little tragedy. Although I found many beautiful bookshelves and was inspired, I didn’t buy one—there may well be a sequel to this tale. —Kait Heacock
Photographs by Abiel Hoff
Add comment October 6th, 2008
The way the grass shines after a spring downpour. The way newly picked berries taste on a warm summer nights. The way the dirt feels—cool and moist—in the early morning.For many Seattleites, gardening is a way of life. We breathe in the scent of new blooms and love the crackling of dried leaves under our feet. Here we present three newly released books from Seattle’s Sasquatch Books and Portland’s Timber Press that celebrate this love and lifestyle.
The Ann Lovejoy Handbook of Northwest Gardening, 2nd ed., by Ann Lovejoy (Sasquatch Books, 2008, $27.95)Ann Lovejoy, like many Seattle gardeners, wants a garden that is both beautiful and effortless. For this reason, she recommends sustainable gardening. In this revised edition of her popular handbook, Lovejoy helps her readers create organic and sustainable gardens free from chemical fertilizers and pest-control agents. She believes in what she calls "natural gardening," in which the gardener maintains a balance with the environment, feeding the soil organic materials instead of fertilizers. "Feed the soil and let the soil feed the plants," she says. The book, which covers all the basic information needed for designing and landscaping your sustainable garden, closes with our favorite chapter titled, "What’s new in sustainable gardens?" In it, Lovejoy details two new kinds of sustainable garden designs gaining in popularity: rain gardens and dry gardens.
Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades: The Complete Guide to Organic Gardening, 6th ed., by Steven Solomon (Sasquatch Books, 2008, $21.95)Author Steven Solomon provides a complete guide for maintaining an organic vegetable garden. Solomon believes that those of us that live west of the Cascades are in need of a gardening manual for our mild weather and unpredictable rainfall pattern. In this sixth edition, Solomon breaks growing vegetables into easy to understand chapters such as, "Soil" and "Seeds." Growing and maintaining one’s own garden is a way to improve overall happiness, Solomon argues, because it makes one more independent and self-sufficient.
Encyclopedia of Northwest Native Plants for Gardens and Landscapes by Kathleen A. Robson, Alice Richter and Marianne Filbert (Timber Press, 2008, $49.95)Comprehensive writing highlighted by color-rich photographs make this encyclopedia a must-have for expert and beginning gardeners alike. It features everything from plant cultivation to native habitats and many entries are accompanied by hand-drawn flower images. The encyclopedia is broken down into useful sections—ferns, conifers, annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees—as well as a section on plants for special situations and purposes. Whether tucked away on a bookshelf or displayed on a coffee table, this find proves that reference materials don’t have to be boring. Just like a good Northwest garden, they can be beautiful and enjoyable. —Kait Heacock
Add comment August 28th, 2008
One of the pleasures of my job at Seattle Homes & Lifestyles is the extraordinarily talented people I get to work with on a regular basis. Spring blossoms are now appearing in our featured gardens, and bookstores shelves are sprouting spring book releases—among them, a few from our valued contributors.
Our longtime garden editor, Debra Prinzing, who left Seattle for sunny Southern California in 2006, collaborated with contributing photographer William Wright on Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways (Clarkson-Potter, $30), available in bookstores now. The book includes Seattle-area sheds featured in
Photo by Hank Drew
the May 2006 issue of SH&L. For this issue, Debra wrote features on a Shoreline garden and the winner of the third annual "First in Home and Garden Design" award at the 2008 Northwest Flower & Garden Show.
Food writer Becky Selengut, who is also a local chef and cooking instructor, is co-author of the Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook (Lone Pine Publishing, $19.95), which hit bookkstore shelves in March of this year. The book includes 91 recipes featuring seasonal local ingredients, a topic of special interest to Selengut, who operates a Web site, SeasonalCornucopia.com, that tracks when local foods are in season in the Northwest. This month, Becky shares recipes using wine in "Uncorked in the Kitchen."
Also out this spring: Kate Baldwin, whose images illustrate Becky’s article, took some of the photographs for How to Knit in the Woods: 20 Projects for the Great Outdoors (Skipstone, $16.95), by Shannon Okey. The book features knitting projects designed for camping—and for passing the time around a campfire.
Other talented contributors who worked on the issue include Randy Altig, who offers tips on wine cellar decor; Kathy Renner, who describes a beautiful Kirkland home; and Market Editor Virginia Bunker, who writes about landscape designers’ inspirations, wall coverings and vessels for holding blooms from your garden.
SH&L is currently scouting beautiful gardens to photograph this summer and feature in 2009. If you have one—or know someone who does—please let us know!
Giselle Smith, Editor
gsmith@seattlehomesmag.com
Add comment May 1st, 2008
Springlike sunny days give us all the opportunity to get outdoors and appreciate Seattle’s unique beauty. Now, we can appreciate Seattle’s unique architecture at the same time, with Seattle Architecture Foundation’s Walking Guide to Downtown.
Published earlier this year, the book lays out nine tours of specific downtown neighborhoods in a south to north manner, starting at Pioneer Square and ending at the Seattle Center. Each neighborhood has its own introduction, map, and a photo and description of each featured building. The book also includes an historical overview and timeline of Seattle’s history to help orient you in time as well as space.
We love learning the secret histories behind buildings that we never even gave a second glance. Did you know that the Cristalla in Belltown incorporates the façade of the 1916 Crystal Natorium, which held a popular salt-water swimming pool? Or, that when the Pike Place Market caught fire on December 15, 1941, it was thought to be an attack related to Pearl Harbor?
We know we can trust that the information in the book is accurate, as it was written by Maureen R. Elenga, who holds a Master’s degree in art history—focusing on architectural history—from the University of Washington. Every page was also reviewed by Jeffrey K. Oschner, local architectural historian and University of Washington professor.
For self-guided tours, order the book online or call the Seattle Architecture Foundation office at (206) 667-9184. The Foundation also offers multiple tours each month focusing on different topics and themes, but all relating to Seattle’s architecture.
Add comment April 11th, 2008
Want to know more about chairs after reading about them in our March issue? We did, so we asked around and found the best books on the subject. Whether you want to learn about the history of chairs or just look at beautiful examples, turn to these five enlightening books. 
The Chair: Rethinking Culture, Body and Design by Galen Cranz (W. W. Norton & Co., 1998): A specialist in the sociology of architecture at the University of California in Berkeley, Galen Cranz writes about the evolution of chairs and explains their social role in Western culture—she even investigates the hidden toll they take on our bodies.
Chairs: A History by Florence de Dampierre (Harry N. Abrams, 2006): In this book filled with beautiful photos, Florence de Dampierre visually explores chairs in the context of different cultures throughout time. Chairs would make a great addition to any furniture-lover’s library, but it is so pretty we think it should be on coffee tables everywhere.
The Modern Chair: 1850 to Today by Gilbert Frey (Arthur Niggli, 1992): Though this book doesn’t contain many photographs, bibliographies about each designer and a timeline of modern chair design might make this the best resource for modern chair research.
Sourcebook of Modern Furniture, Third Edition by Jerryl Habegger and Joseph H. Osman (W. W. Norton & Co., 2005): This is a great textbooklike reference on all types of modern furniture—not just chairs. However, in the modern design era, great furniture designers are often more known for their chairs than anything else.
1000 Chairs by Charlotte and Peter Fiell (Taschen, 2005): This book is literally a "who’s who" of chairs. Fun for flipping, it can also be used like flashcards to quiz yourself or your friends.
(With special thanks to Peter Miller of Peter Miller Books and Jason Hallman of Area 51)
Add comment March 25th, 2008
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