SieMatic Seattle opened recently and I stopped in to look over their showroom today. My client, AOME Architects, worked with the showroom operator, Elaine Pagones, to design her own home.




A Designer Looks at Art, Architecture and Everything
SieMatic Seattle opened recently and I stopped in to look over their showroom today. My client, AOME Architects, worked with the showroom operator, Elaine Pagones, to design her own home.




The Richard Misrach exhibition titled On The Beach closes at the Henry today. The show is on a two year tour travelling from Honolulu to Atlanta. Misrach captures beaches, oceans, sunbathers and swimmers photographed from an extreme omniscient perspective.


Turns out Josiah got his start here in the Pacific Northwest however was immersed amongst the sea of other regional and national glass artists. Gallery owner Donald Young picked him up and he kick-started a career in NYC. Unfortunately I missed Josiah speak at The Henry last year. I would have enjoyed hearing him talk about the cosmos and it’s relation to his elaborate sculptural object/chandeliers. One of my clients went and told me it was incredible, mind altering, and changed her perspective about her relationship in the cosmos!

Apparently Josiah was awarded a residency at the Wexner Center for the Arts at The Ohio State University where he collaborated with OSU cosmologist David H. Weinberg on a model of the Big Bang.

Josiah’s works from the Total Reflective Abstraction series are also incredible to look at. These works are shown at a few gallery websites including Andrea Rosen.


Above: from Flickr.
ORO Editions just put out a book featuring 3 projects from the Seattle architecture firm Suyama Peterson Deguchi. If you view the book at Amazon.com or many other online sites, the cover looks dark green/blue. Maybe this was a pre-production version because the final version I have has a deep dark-brown cover. 112 pages, hardcover. Oro Editions (November 11, 2008)





Stumptown Coffee Roasters is a different kind of “little roastery”. They’ve been putting the effort into sourcing the right kind of green coffee beans on their “source trips” and pushing the sustainable thing.

I like the type wrapping around the sign at their Pine location.

Check out their store at 12th Ave on Capitol Hill. Unique branding, great coffee and nice space. Be sure to walk down the stairs and take a peak at the tasting room and coffee roaster, if you like to gawk at roasting hardware. Daily coffee tastings are available to the public at 3pm every day.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters
1115 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
Lately, seems like every other bike I see is a fixie. Is it the water? The coffee? I don’t know how they manage the hills around here, but they do.
David Rowe made a documentary about the Seattle fixed gear bike community titled Fast Friday. The film is touring the globe while being shown at a number of Bicycle Film Festivals.

While on a 50 mile bike ride along Lake Washington last weekend, a house caught my eye. Lake Washington Residence, designed by Johnston Architects.
I like the way the roof material folds down to coat the facade. Note the unique gutter details. Great setting, great house.




I met Zac Daab at the Seattle Bike Expo a few years ago. Nice guy. He had a booth set up featuring a couple of bikes from Seven Cycles, and a much coveted Vanilla Bicycles bike! Check out Zac’s website, Cascade Bicycle Studio, to learn about custom bikes built-to-order from brands like Seven, Time, Sycip and BMC. He also offers customized fitting services to tweak every detail of your new custom ride.


Meyer Wells builds furniture from reclaimed urban trees. Many of their designs incorporate live edge and exhibit a warm natural look. Be sure to review the finishes to see their entire range.

Sweet selection of european styled bicycles available over at Dutch Bike Co. Seattle.

Deluxe set of commuter friendly features on the Opa. Shimano Nexus eight-speed, Shimano hub mounted dynamo powering headlamp and tail lamp (no batteries required), center stand, mud flap, cargo rack and bike pump. Substantial fabric and chrome chaincase cover. Nice! $1589

Similar set of rider-friendly features on the Oma with a sloping top tube. $1589
Seattle based artist Roy McMakin makes sculptural objects and architecture. McMakin’s unique style comes together in the professional services side of his company called, Domestic Architecture. What sets the architecture apart is his ability to construct a whimsical personality with common architectural elements like material, walls, doors, windows and stairs. Building materials and color play an important role in his interiors, consequently quirky details abound within McMakin’s mannered designs. Contrasts in scale and proportion create a sublime effect; McMakin knows the rules and enjoys manipulating the rules. Looking at his projects you realize every architectural detail has been carefully designed.
Vashon Island, WA Residence







37th Avenue Residence






The henrybuilt hb20 kitchen features beautiful materials and minimal detailing. This modern furniture manufacturer started in Seattle, and now with showrooms in New York and Los Angeles (coming soon).





Seattle Showroom
Hours: Tues – Sat 12-5:45
913 Western Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
206.624.9270 tel
I get a little claustrophobic in my 1958 Rambler when I look over the work of Seattle architect Eric Cobb. On the outside his residential architecture design is all about sculptural exterior massing and optimizing the particulars of a given site. On the inside, his designs feature modern space and meticulous detailing.
I hope to have an interview from Eric for I, Wanderer soon … in the meantime enjoy some images from his portfolio of work.




There’s a van driving around Seattle with this great logo on it.

I gave them a call to see what they were all about. Found out from Brian Rowe, owner of All Aboard, they are getting heaps of positive comments about the skull logo from everybody. As in, everybody that sees it on the van. So it appears I was just another lunatic raving about their cool skull & scissors identity!
Everybody knows it rains a lot here in Seattle … but did you know boating is a significant contributor to commercial and recreational activities in the region? Although they specialize in marine upholstery, Brian tells me they can upholster anything in your home too.
Love this coat. One of my favorites from Helmut Lang Spring Summer 2008. Helmut Lang recently left the company and now the design of each collection is led by husband/wife duo Michael and Nicole Colovos. See the entire S/S 08 collections here.

Helmut Lang Two Button Blazer, $595
Fabric: Crunchy Poplin
Color: Steely Green
NYMag.com bio here.
Gulassa & Company has been in business since 1990 in Seattle providing comprehensive design and fabrication. They work out of a shop in Queen Anne – but don’t knock on their door thinking it’s a showroom – it’s a production facility. Contact your interior designer to see their work in person. This description is from their website: “We are wood workers, metal workers, glass artists, upholsterers, architectural and graphic designers. By collaborating with clients, architects, contractors, and designers, Gulassa & Company is able to successfully resolve the most complex design issues.”
Here are a few of my favorite pieces from their website.

Japanese Stool. Handcrafted from blackened and oxidized steel using an English Wheel

Stitched Table. Bog Oak and blackened steel

Sculpture Base: Short, Blow-Down Oxidized Douglas Fir & Blackened Steel. Also available in Tall, Olive Ceruse Oak & Blackened Steel. A special sculpture or object would look amazing on one of these bases.

Steel Flooring. Each piece is 24″ x 24″ and has 4 countersunk holes w/screws. I’d imagine you could use this system for walls as well. Check that with your architect.
Be sure to visit the custom work section to see more from the talented artisans at Gulassa. It’s clear that Seattle Architects/Clients enjoy collaborating with them to produce unique details.
Resolute lighting features clean lines and fastidious details. Their fixtures are designed and manufactured in Seattle. They have a showroom for designers and customers located downtown; stop in and get inspired for your next project.

One of my favorites (it’s hard to choose because there are so many great designs) is the “quietly elegant” Cloud 2 pendant.