Tag Archives: design

Photographing Seattle Home Styles, From Craftsman to Modern

house near green trees
Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

Walk a few blocks in Ballard and you can pass an early 20th century bungalow, a mid-century rambler and a townhome built in the last few years. On Capitol Hill, older houses sit on tree-lined side streets a short walk from condo buildings. Seattle’s houses were built in very different styles, and each one asks something different of a camera.

A photo setup that flatters a glassy new townhome can make a craftsman bungalow look cramped and dark. A slow, detail-heavy video suits an old house full of woodwork and bores a viewer in a clean modern interior. This guide goes through the three styles you see most in Seattle listings and how each one reads in photos and video.

Craftsman Houses and Early Bungalows

The appeal of an early 20th century Seattle house is in the details: a deep front porch, square or tapered porch columns, low-pitched roofs with wide eaves, and inside, built-in cabinets, window seats, wood trim and a fireplace at the center of the living room.
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Why the Cup Matters: A Coffee Lover’s Guide to the Packaging Behind Your Daily Brew

crop woman in cup of takeaway coffee in hand
Photo by Tim Douglas on Pexels.com

Two bucks. Maybe three, if you add oat milk. That is what a sleeve is worth to most coffee drinkers, which is exactly why almost nobody thinks about it. Then the drink leaks through the seam on your walk to work, or the logo flakes off onto your thumb, and suddenly you are thinking about it. Your coffee’s packaging carries a job you never assigned it: it keeps your hands dry, it holds a temperature, and it quietly tells the world whether the shop that made your drink has their act together.

Let’s talk about the cup. Not the drink inside, the thing around it, because it turns out that cardboard and paper are where a lot of the flavor experience quietly succeeds or fails. Continue reading Why the Cup Matters: A Coffee Lover’s Guide to the Packaging Behind Your Daily Brew →

Creative Reuse in Architecture: Building Up, Not Out

concrete and wooden modern home
Image Credit: Unsplash

The homes we live in are evolving canvases that reflect our changing lives. As families grow and needs shift, the question of space often comes up. Instead of looking outward and expanding our footprint, a growing movement in architecture encourages us to look up. This approach, rooted in creative reuse, offers a sustainable and innovative way to adapt our living spaces for the future, proving that the most creative solution is often right above our heads.

Redefining ‘Creative Reuse’

When you hear “creative reuse,” you might think of turning glass jars into planters or old T-shirts into tote bags. In architecture, the concept operates on a much grander scale. It’s about seeing the potential in existing buildings and adapting them for new purposes, a practice known as adaptive reuse. This philosophy is transforming our cityscapes, with innovative architects reclaiming spaces by turning defunct factories into chic loft apartments, old churches into community centers, and abandoned warehouses into vibrant art galleries. These projects breathe new life into forgotten structures, preserving history while serving contemporary needs.
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Creative Reuse for Your Most Restful Space

modern bedroom with japanese inspired accents
Image Credit: Unsplash

Your bedroom isn’t just for sleeping; it’s your own personal hideaway, a spot that truly shows off who you are and offers a break from the outside world. Making a space that feels uniquely ‘you’ doesn’t mean you need a huge budget or all-new stuff. With a little creativity and a willingness to see the hidden potential in older things, you can turn your bedroom into a peaceful sanctuary through the magic of creative reuse. This approach is not only good for your wallet and the planet, but it also fills your space with character and stories that no store-bought item could ever match.
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Eye On Design: Thierry Mugler, When Fashion Becomes Architecture

thierry mugler design photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail 

Most fashion is meant to be worn, but Thierry Mugler’s designs often look like they were engineered as stand-alone pieces of art. I photographed this spectacular look when I visited Thierry Mugler: Couturissime at the Brooklyn Museum in 2022,  but it took me this long to take a deep dive into what this design is all about. Dressed entirely in black, this figure has an impossibly sculpted silhouette: exaggerated shoulders, a dramatically cinched waist, sharply defined hips, glossy pointed heels and a fantastical headpiece that makes the wearer look less like a woman getting dressed and more like a character from a futuristic graphic novel. This is all very much Mugler’s territory.
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