Assembling Ikea Furniture is Now a Tool in Couples Therapy
A couple shops at an Ikea store in Chengdu, China —Photo by Liu Jin/Getty Images
It's often joked that Ikea's labyrinthine stores and hard-to-assemble furniture can ruin relationships (see: Tina Fey and James Marsden'sIkea-induced fight on 30 Rock). But according to a new Wall Street Journal report, the struggles of tackling Ikea as a couple are so real that at least one psychologist started using the retailer's furniture as a tool for improving couples communication. According to Santa Monica-based clinical psychologist Ramani Durvasula, Ikea stores have become "a map of a relationship nightmare," with the kitchen section stirring arguments about who shoulders more of the cooking, the children's section opening a whole different can of worms, and so on.
We worry a lot about the commuters coming in to Seattle every day and clogging up I-5. But what about the Seattleites who head east over Lake Washington? The FYI Guy tracked down the ten census tracts that send the most commuters out of town and found that they're among the city's densest as well as busiest. Capitol Hill send the most folks over (2,054 total) while Belltown, Westlake, East Queen Anneand South Lake Union all rank high as well. [FYI] Image: Marc SmithBring Home the Bacon Where They Used to Sell Bacon
Do you want a unique house? Try living in a place that started out as something else, like a 1922 grocery - you know, a grocery, not a supermarket, from back in the days when there weren't even aisles to wander. In the Central District is a grocery turned house with 1 bedroom and 1.5 baths for $489,000. The floor space is only 1,200 square feet on a barely larger lot of 1,751 square feet. That's about a thirtieth of the space a modern supermarket uses. But, now it's a house. The remodeling is urban, modern, functional, and stylish. The old concrete and patined walls remain, reminders to history. The kitchen is sleek, and probably more useful than some exotic examples installed in mansions. The steel spiral staircase is new, and a nice break from the linear nature of the rest, which was necessarily square-ish. The half bath has more room than the full bath, and a lot more opportunity to redefine the space - simply. Decks, including a hot tub, take advantage of the central location providing views of the city and the mountains from a place that's watched the city grow if not grow up.
Five Properties Worth Buying Along Metro Bus Route 226
Seattle has buses. Use them! In which case you might as well find a place to live along a line. One line at a time. Here's the next one, selected at random for the fun of it.
Yes, it is possible to live and work within Bellevue, and have a bus that will take you to downtown - Bellevue. The area does have more than one downtown, eh. From Eastgate and Bellevue Community College, up to Crossroads and Overlake, then to the Bellevue Transit Center in downtown Bellevue, route 226 swings through the center of the Eastside.
↑ Just south of Eastgate, across a little road called I-90, is a house for sale with 4 bedrooms, 1.1 baths, and 1,700 square feet for $558,000. The number of bathrooms alone should tell you that this house isn't new, built in 1955. It's certainly looking updated and care for. The single, long, exposed roof beam is a mark of the era. That bathroom probably wasn't original, nor the kitchen. The biggest changes are that divided highway. Back when the house was built, the traffic went through Renton and Issaquah. Ah, it was probably quieter then. Now, well, at least it's commuter convenient.
Paul Kirk Midcentury 2-BR in Hawthorne Hills Asking $644K
Flat roofs, bands of windows and simple cubic shapes. Those are some of the hallmarks of Paul H. Kirk's midcentury home design and they're all on display in this 2-BR, 1.25-bath in Hawthorne Hills that's asking $644K. The once AIA president designed this two-level home relatively early in his notable run as the Pacific Northwest's iconic architect. Upstairs, there are gleaming hardwoods, original 7-foot windows and a deck. Downstairs, you'll find both bedrooms, a family room and access to the classic backyard. Out back, there's a newly-constructed soundproof studio for your own creative efforts (or as a tiny guesthouse).
Smith Tower PH Tour; McMenamins' Bothell Hotel/Brewery
· Inside the Smith Tower apartment [K5]
· McMenamins opening its biggest hotel/brewery in Bothell [K5]
· Seattle puts off food-scrap fines until next year [ST]
· 'Glamping' comes to Moran State Park [ST]
· Is Seattle Ready For Rent Control? Kshama Sawant Thinks So [KUOW]
· With a remodel, the Sorrento goes from stodgy to chic [ST]
· Pike Place is for everyone, including those in cars [STB]
· Activists trying to stop work on new UW animal lab [ST]
· Cheryl Chow Court opening in Ballard [DJC]
· Sound Transit Board Adopts Alignment for Lynnwood Link, Bellevue MOU [Urbanist]
· Here are some high-end rentals: Nine penthouses in The Bravern[DJC]
· McMenamins opening its biggest hotel/brewery in Bothell [K5]
· Seattle puts off food-scrap fines until next year [ST]
· 'Glamping' comes to Moran State Park [ST]
· Is Seattle Ready For Rent Control? Kshama Sawant Thinks So [KUOW]
· With a remodel, the Sorrento goes from stodgy to chic [ST]
· Pike Place is for everyone, including those in cars [STB]
· Activists trying to stop work on new UW animal lab [ST]
· Cheryl Chow Court opening in Ballard [DJC]
· Sound Transit Board Adopts Alignment for Lynnwood Link, Bellevue MOU [Urbanist]
· Here are some high-end rentals: Nine penthouses in The Bravern[DJC]
What's All the Fuss About Memphis Design?
Photo via Memphis Milano
Briefly forgotten, but by no means gone, Memphis—the 1980s phenomenon that shook the design world to its foundations—is creeping back into the mainstream. At this year's Salone del Mobile, signs of its re-emergence were widespread. Original Memphis, which peaked from 1981 to 1987, illustrates the hallmarks of postmodern '80s design: strong geometric motifs, mixed materials often including laminate, clashing and saturated colors, and a repudiation of anything streamlined and tasteful—a veritable "shotgun wedding between Bauhaus and Fisher-Price."
From young designers issuing riffs on Memphis furniture to the reissued 1980s classics themselves, here's what we saw in Milan (also known as the city that gave birth to the movement).
Cornerspotted: It's Valley Street & Boren Avenue
Yesterday, we asked you to guess where this Seattle spot that's seemingly always under construction is located. It was a fairly easy one and we got a bunch of guesses that it's Valley Street in South Lake Union looking east.
Images: Seattle Municipal Archives, Google Maps
Back in 1914, that was the Ford Motor Co. assembly plant straight ahead. As South Lake Union built up around it, this is where Model T's were assembled for those of us here in the Northwest. It's since become a Public Storage building.
Commenter walker-d reminds us, "A lot of changes to this neighborhood over the decades, from when I first saw it back in the mid sixties; then a very gritty working area of Lake Union with businesses that would probably amaze many of the present South Lake Union work force and residents."
· All Cornerspotter coverage [CS]
· All Cornerspotter coverage [CS]
This Week in Strange, Weird & Terrible Seattle Real Estate Listing Photos
As the weekend approaches, let's take a look around the Seattle real estate listings to find some examples of the strange, the weird and just the plain terrible. (Come across one we missed? let us know…)
Can everyone please take care of their shit before we sell this house!
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Here's a Delridge Home For You, the Koi and the Chickens
An uncommon property has come on the market in West Seattle that has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, and 1,560 square feet for $380,000; but it comes with a combination of elements that may be unique. How about a house with hot water for you (in the hot tub), temperate water for the fish (in the koi pond), a studio space for an artist, and room for thechickens to scratch and roost? The house was built in 1942, and a lot has been done to the 0.41 acre lot since then. Much of the inside retains some of the wood details, but the kitchen has been upgraded, and the bathroom may be the most modern part of the house, at least style-wise. But, it is what is outside that makes it different. The koi pond is well-designed to keep out raccoons and heron that may consider it fish in a barrel. The chicken coop is either invisible or part of the nicely built building off the back deck. A detached artist studio can be appreciated for any artist that doesn't want to have to listen to the house noises and disruptions. There isn't much lawn, but there is room to garden - an uncommon combination. The extensive fencing may be there to keep the chickens in or keep the solicitors out; either way a good idea.
Please Stand & Salute The Most American House in America
How much more America can this 3-BR Everett home on the market for $189K get? None. None more America. This 1,728 square foot (you couldn't stretch it to 1,776?) tribute to liberty and justice for all was sold after foreclosure for $158K just a few weeks ago but it looks like the new owners can't handle all that red, all that white and all that blue. Few Americans can these days (Thanks, Obama). If you're like us, you're wondering what kind of patriot did this paint job and thanks toLooney Listings, we learned it's Sam Bloomfield, a man who takes his love of this country to levels you've only dreamed possible...
Seattle Housing Inventory Isn't Just Low, It's Also Stale
We already know that Seattle's housing inventory is at potentially-record lows. But maybe part of the problem isn't just that inventory is low but that said inventory is rather stale. Redfin published a reporttoday that finds 59% of active listings in the Seattle area had been on the market for more than a month as of March 31. That's better than how it was in Q4 2014, but, not by that much. According to Redfin agents, a home that's been for sale that long in this hot market is likely overpriced or in need of serious work. You've been forewarned, buyers, do your homework and don't just settle for what's available.
· Homes For Sale or Homes Gone Stale? [Redfin]
· Seattle Housing Inventory Is Now The Lowest Since 2007 [CS]
· Homes For Sale or Homes Gone Stale? [Redfin]
· Seattle Housing Inventory Is Now The Lowest Since 2007 [CS]
Call This Ellsworth Storey Capitol Hill Colonial Yours For $2.2M
Oftentimes when discussing the work of Ellsworth Storey, we're talking about homes that resemble Swiss chalets or invoke an Arts and Crafts sensibility. Not so much here but that doesn't make this Federal Avenue 4-BR any less impressive. Designed by the legendary early 20th-century Seattle architect and completed in 1913, this all-red brick colonial is asking $2.2M. The interiors have been modernized and maintained, but it's the backyard that catches our attention. Vintage-style gas lights, a tranquil water feature and the sizable stone patio make it a mini-getaway of your own. Just steps from Volunteer Park, it's a Seattle classic with a direct link to the city's architectural and real estate history.
Seattle's Best Patio Dining; Three Renee Erickson Restaurants Eliminate Tipping
This week's top hits from Eater Seattle, Curbed's sibling bar, restaurant, and nightlife blog.
COMING ATTRACTIONS -- Two years ago when we learned that a Phillip Starck-designed luxury SLS Hotel was destined for the new Fifth and Columbia Tower (replacing Seattle First United Methodist Church), there were whisperings that it might house a restaurant from the world famous James Beard Award-winning chef José Andrés. Those rumors are now confirmed: The Spanish chef will bring his cuisine to Seattle when the 184-room hotel opens in 2017. Many credit the chef with introducing the concept of small plates to the U.S., and The Seattle Times says he's been called "the face of Spanish food in America."
EATER MAPS -- Eater today released its map of 18 of Seattle's best bets for patio dining. Break out those sunglasses and order some Vitamin D to go with your meal.
CONTROVERSIES -- Following Ivar's lead, Renée Erickson is the next to cut tips from her restaurants since Seattle's new Minimum Wage Ordinance went into effect April 1. Beginning Monday, May 4, The Walrus and the Carpenter, The Whale Wins, and Barnacle will no longer accept tips. In their place, the restaurants will add an 18.5 percent service fee to meals that will be shared between front- and back-of-the-house employees.
Introducing Alexandra Lange as Curbed Architecture Critic
We're pleased as punch to announce that as of this week, design critic Alexandra Lange is joining Curbed to write a monthly architecture column. Combining the street-friendly perspective of Ada Louise Huxtable with the critical commentary of peers likeJustin Davidson and Michael Kimmelman, Lange has crafted a freelance career that combines deep research with an incisive viewpoint on all things design. "Curbed has always practiced a form of architecture criticism," Lange says, pointing out recurring features like Rendering vs. Realityand the sites' aptitude in coining nicknames "for the latest mountains, blots and ripples to descend upon our cities."
"I think I share that irreverence but add context, experience, and the dorky-but-necessary dream that architecture can make cities better for everyone," she says. "Architecture criticism has already outgrown the old model of one city-one newspaper-one critic, and I look forward to exploring what being a critic for the floating digital world can mean."
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