ursamajor's Profile

i will admit that these townhomes are not high end. they make no claim to be. they are entry-level homes located in area of town where the "craftsman" and "san francisco" style townhomes so prevalent in seattle would be utterly out of place. in other words, they are anything, but "cookie cutter." These townhomes are sensitive to their surroundings. They are responsive to the area they are located in. i have been by them, and they do not stand out in an unseemly way. they seem to draw inspiration from some of the 1960s - 1970s commercial spaces adjacent to them. i think the developers should be applauded for this effort.
these circumstances are a world apart from the "loft" homes built in the middle of the desert outside of las vegas pictured in the article. the developers of these loft mcmansions appear to have simply cashed in on a trend without regard context. this distinction is entirely relevant and is where your claim of similarity is weak.
[In point of fact, Georgetown is hardly a neighborhood without services. i imagine many people are attracted to the area b/c it is so close to downtown (15min by bus) and near to so many places of employment: boeing, amazon.com, starbucks HQ, are all located in 3-5 miles. it is also within walking distance to Seattle's Safeco Field and Qwest Field, as well concert venues. it is on this point that mrgreen is uninformed.]

How about AT Seattle? There is a rapidly growing urban population. In fact, Seattle just surpassed DC in terms of population size and is only a few 1000 shy of Boston. There is definitely a real interest in art and design, evidenced by the national success of local stores like www.velocityartanddesign.com, our newly expanded downtown art museum, and our nationally acclaimed sculpture park.

the trees that "zebrawood" is harvested from are native to West Africa and are endangered. I would strongly discourage you from buying any product made of "zebrawood." This includes veneered products (like the Room and Board tables and the cabinets pictured). Instead, I would consider a sustainably harvested (Forest Service Certified) wood native to North America.

If you are really set on the zebrawood look, i believe there is a bamboo product available as a veneer or as cabinetry-grade piece of plywood with a somwhat similar tiger stripe pattern.

smart looking, but not especially inventive. looks like a cross between a Wegner folding chair and Risom lounge chair.

i love the exposed ceiling and the large windows. the layout is also nice, and the colors work. however the decor feels impersonal to me. i don't see a strong sense of personal style. i see only a generous furniture budget and DWR catalogue.