Seattle Culture
A Career created by Design
Rocky Rochon’s keen eye for space and color has transformed everything from penthouses to townhomes. At age 67, he’s not done yet.
Rocky Rochon has tackled some of the West Coast’s thorniest design challenges, ranging from executive offices for Steve Jobs to Apple’s prototype Company Store to penthouse apartments for Seattle’s top entrepreneurs. His stellar career almost never happened. Rochon was laser-focused on earning a fast-tracked architecture degree at the University of Washington, doubling up his class…
One Couple’s Kitchen Quest
Living in the backyard. Climbing through windows. Here’s how one family made it work.
The idea to remodel their 1929 kitchen floated on the fringes of the imaginations of Nick O’Connell and Lisa Sowder for years, thoughts that bobbed to the surface only to be tossed aside by the sheer impracticality of it all. How could they, two busy professionals with three children and a dog, undertake a full-scale…
AIA Home of Distinction: Harmony with History
A creative remodel of an historic capitol hill condo results in a peaceful and intimate setting where old-world luxury meets a book lover’s retreat
Imagine owning enough books to fill Portland’s famous Powell’s Books and having to boil down your collection to a single 12-foot shelf. That was just one of many personal and technical challenges facing Carol Grossmeyer in her long quest to find a forever home. Grossmeyer and her husband grew Milwaukee-based Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops, founded…
Seattle Magazine Essentials
Holiday Magic, Dining, Whiskey and Help For Stressed-Out Parents
Snow ShowSnowflake Lane returns for its 17th year The heart of Bellevue once again becomes a majestic holiday destination during the 17th annual Snowflake Lane holiday extravaganza. Enjoy falling (faux) snow, a resplendent, professionally produced light show, nightly choreographed parades and festive dancers. The fun begins on Black Friday and runs through Christmas Eve. More…
Seattle magazine’s Most Influential People of 2021
These innovators took bold actions and big risks during a trying year. From the arts to civic engagement to business, here's a look at those who made a measurable difference across the state in 2021.
Linda Derschang; Black Coffee Northwest owners Erwin and Darnesha Weary; Jon Scholes; Michael Greer; Pallavi Mehta Wahi; Seena Mortazavi; Susanna Ryan; John Tomkowiak; Vivian Hua
Backstory: Seeing the Light
The Woodworth Apartment Building now features an art display
That huge, colorful display of art you may have noticed while passing by the intersection of 10th Avenue and East Union Street is here to stay. The new Woodworth Apartment Building now features a rotating, 60-foot-tall projected art show curated by different artists. It will light up every night at dusk year-round. New installations will…
Sponsored | How COVID-19 Changed College Admissions
What Every High School Parent and Student Should Know
After last year’s unusual college admission season, parents of high school juniors and seniors have more questions than ever about applying to college during COVID-19. The global pandemic has created a new landscape for students currently applying for college, says college counselor Kelly Herrington. “When people ask me how COVID-19 has changed college admissions, I…
AIA Seattle Home of Distinction: Traditional, Yet Modern
Bold colors and shapes define this Leschi remodel
Although they had recently bought a beautiful home overlooking Lake Washington, Tom and Jen Hobbs soon fixated on a sleeping beauty resting just down the hill. They had to wake it, and were prepared for the moment. “We’ve been married 20 years. We agreed early on that we would focus our money and energy in two…
AIA Seattle Home of Distinction: Thinking Big to go Small
Architect, homeowners overcome sizable challenges
Pullman residents Iris and Mark Lange purchased a century-old Green Lake farmhouse in 2014 as a possible residence for a son who was considering attending college in Seattle. At the time, they thought the lot might also be a good future fit for a small new home known locally as a detached additional dwelling unit, or…
AIA Seattle Home of Distinction: Tucked into the Trees
Cozy Whidbey Island project is seemingly at one with nature
Acclaimed architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen, who passed away recently, once observed, “Good architecture never shouts at its neighbors.” Many human neighbors of Little House/Big Shed don’t even realize the homestead exists. Located on the southern end of Whidbey Island, it is not so much constructed as it is lovingly slipped into the silviculture like a bookmark in…
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