Dwell January/February 2018

In all the years since I started Dwell, this is the first time I’ve written an Editor’s Letter. I’ve lived on the peripheries of the day-to-day workings of the magazine, but I’m constantly thinking about Dwell, caring for it, tending to it. Lately I’m much more involved, serving as the CEO. Since the magazine launched in 2000, publishing has changed again and again. Through the upturns and downturns, we’ve always tried to be a voice of optimism for people who want their home to reflect their values and a champion of the professionals who can help them accomplish that. Those who know me know that I have an allergic reaction when I hear “modern” referred to as a style. Modern is a way of communicating with our culture and attempting to…

I love “Sparrow” house so much, I hollered “yes!” in the middle of the article and scared our intern!—Kernan Coleman I just wanted to send you this note of appreciation for the great story and photos of our home in the November/December issue [“Know Your Angles”]. Also, the theme of Visionary Design in the Editor’s Letter spoke directly to me: “Others may not like your style, your choices, your ideas. Who cares? Your project is not for them. It’s for you.” I found myself thinking and saying this many times during the process and after moving in. So thanks for everything you do! —Nolan Ploegman Thank you for your Editor’s Letter in the November/December issue. We are embarking on a new build that is somewhat daunting. It is our fourth home build,…

As glass marbles glide along the four separate tracks of Loop— the third and latest project by Snarkitecture for clothing brand COS—the mechanics seem so simple. Nothing but kinetic energy propels the balls through the periwinkle-tinged circuits, some 1,300 feet of metal rails that were hung from the ceiling of the white-box Gana Art Center in Seoul, South Korea. But what really powers the experience is human interaction. Those able to catch the exhibition last November were encouraged to pluck marbles from the tracks and reintroduce them at will, injecting a bit of randomness into the clockwork-like proceedings. And Loop had a way of influencing its audience right back. Like falling rain, the gentle trickle of marbles reaching the end of the line hushed onlookers, creating an atmosphere that was…

CONTRIBUTOR’S CORNER “Like everyone else, I love nothing more than swooning over pictures of roomy spa-like baths,” says design writer and lecturer Dora Vanette, who spearheaded the Kitchen and Bath special for this issue. “But in my railroad apartment in New York, the biggest issue is the bathroom is too small to even house a sink.” Fortunately, the situation isn’t permanent, she says: “We’re moving soon.” The layout. Countertops cut the room in half and the low-hanging dark cabinets make us feel trapped. We’re prisoners in our own kitchen. Send help!! Richard Shanks When we did our kitchen, we didn’t want to see the microwave, so we got a 36-inch drawer unit and put it in the island. The problem: The 36-inch is just a 24-inch with a wider faceplate and door, so…

For most of the 40-odd years that Paul and Bonnie Bunning visited San Juan Island, they stayed in a ramshackle cabin on a rock-strewn, moss-covered hill overlooking the Salish Sea. After they retired, the couple decided it was time to add modern amenities like running water to their rugged getaway, so they hired Seattle-based Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects to renovate. But Geoff Prentiss soon convinced them that to really take advantage of the site, they needed to start fresh. “I could create something where the different parts of the house all celebrated the different views they had previously experienced in one single spot, enlarging and diversifying their experience,” says Prentiss. From the road, the new house that he and project architect Dan Wickline designed, located next door to the…

In all the years since I started Dwell, this is the first time I’ve written an Editor’s Letter. I’ve lived on the peripheries of the day-to-day workings of the magazine, but I’m constantly thinking about Dwell, caring for it, tending to it. Lately I’m much more involved, serving as the CEO. Since the magazine launched in 2000, publishing has changed again and again. Through the upturns and downturns, we’ve always tried to be a voice of optimism for people who want their home to reflect their values and a champion of the professionals who can help them accomplish that. Those who know me know that I have an allergic reaction when I hear “modern” referred to as a style. Modern is a way of communicating with our culture and attempting…