American Northwest Vintage Homes Magazine

Whether you’re seeking that perfect gift or a thoughtful addition to your art collection, a walk through downtown Seattle provides endless boutique and gallery-viewing opportunities. Seattle is the destination for the finely crafted and hand-picked, ranging from blown glass and art jewelry to clothing and tableware. Here’s an easy walking tour that explores seven shopping gems downtown. If you like, park in the City Centre Building (enter on 6th Avenue between Pike and Union) or in another lot nearby. Our tour is about one mile, and with lunch and a latte makes for nine stops total, so please wear comfortable shoes. read more...

Nelson's Market - Heartbeat
of the York Neighborhood

By Lauren Fritzen Photography by Christina Katz

As you walk in the front door of Nelson’s Market, no annoying convenience-store bell rings overhead; instead the solid thwack! of the wood-framed screen door shutting behind you announces your arrival. A soda-fountain style counter faces the check stand... read more...

Whatever a neighborhood
association's motives for seeking
state and federal historic status, real
benefits should be matched against
the lengthy, involved process.
The attainment of historic status
can be a powerful tool for building a
sense of community among residents of an area. It can provide a link to the past, a vital museum of structures that have housed the hopes and dreams of generations. If nothing else, it can provide a deterrent, whether through peer pressure or a city council, to plastic flamingos and toilet planters. read more...

The days are gradually shortening and the fall leaves are skittering about like restless hermit crabs. You’ve topped off your radiator, changed the wiper blades, retrieved the snow scraper from its summer siesta, and your trusty iron steed is ready for winter. Now how about your home? Our winterizing checklist makes this considerably more complicated task easier.read more...

Kitchens: Three Cinderella Stories

by Lauren Fritzen and Helen Solem

Updating kitchens in a way that is efficient and engaging takes creativity and talent, and it’s always helpful to see how others have tackled the challenge. Here are the Cinderella stories of three kitchens each uniquely revived by the distinctive visions of their owners. read more...

Recipe Board

Ruffin' Stuffin'

1- 14 1/2 oz. can chicken broth
Pepper as you like it
1 stalk diced celery
1 med. onion diced
2 cups dried stuffing mix
2 cups dried 12 grain bread cubed... read more...

The Bathroom of Your Dreams: In Five Easy Steps

by Cathy Harris

Let me break what can be an otherwise arduous process down into five easy steps that will keep you, the home owner, in control, keep your design personal and ultimately save you a substantial amount of money. read more...

A Butterfly Emerging: Botanical Artist Alana Lea

by Christina Katz

Alana Lea. Her name is short, simple, pretty and has a little bit of lift to it, characteristics that all describe this artist whose career is taking flight. Like one of her beautiful painted butterflies "caught in the act of pollination", Lea is engaged in a daring dance of her own and doing it all on wings that have barely begun to dry.
read more...

Paradise Found... In Your Own Backyard

by Christina Katz

Steve and Lorna Bannister peeked into the backyard of a 1901 Victorian in the Letter Streets Neighborhood of Bellingham, Washington. There, a hundred-year-old dogwood in full glorious bloom... Since then, the Bannisters have been busy planting a little slice of paradise right in their own backyard. read more...

Loganita Lodge, on Lummi Island, Washington, is a vintage home that exudes a welcoming spirit. That spirit is reflected in the story that Karin Ahlstrom Bean, the current owner, tells of how she discovered Loganita during a weekend island getaway from Seattle. “Driving up toward Bellingham, I had a vision of finding a healing retreat for family, friends and associates. Rounding Migley Pt. on the north end of Lummi Island, I saw a sparkling white house, sitting on a broad expanse of green lawn overlooking Rosario Strait. It gave me goosebumps – it was the retreat in my vision!” read more...