Comfort reigns in home furnishings

Clients needs outweigh trends

by Elisa Claassen

Kitchens have become a focal point in many homes,
so homeowners and designers often pick top-of-the
line materials, such as granite countertops.
Photo courtesy Ken Harrison.

The building season in Whatcom County typically follows the weather, those in the building industry say. The months from March to November will be busy ones for those in site preparation and exterior work, yet the wintry months of the new year tend to bring out homeowners’ nesting instincts, and interiors become the focus.
The Building Industry Association of Whatcom County (BIAWC) sponsors the annual Whatcom County Home and Garden Show each year in early spring, offering the public the largest and most complete one-stop shopping opportunity for home building, home improvement and home-related products north of Seattle, said Bill Quehrn, executive director of the BIAWC.
BIAWC Master RemodelorsTM Council members report a growing number of residents are choosing to refurbish their current home to meet their present needs rather than trying to buy or build a new home, Quehrn says. “They may be remodeling to suit their current life needs. Our Certified Aging in Place Specialist remodelors target those customers. For example, the kids may be gone and Mom and Dad turn former bedrooms into studies, computer space, entertainment areas or craft rooms.”
Many remodel customers are choosing to add energy-saving appliances, better insulation, hot tubs or home theater rooms.
“My read on what I see happening in remodeling is a greater focus on the value of the home for its occupants and less of a concern for the re-sale potential. Our guys like to use ‘Remodeling is the investment you can live with’ as a slogan,” Quehrn said. “It is also getting easier and less costly these days to retrofit homes with features such as radiant heat, tankless water heating, double flush toilets and other technologies.”

Kitchen and bath remain high-value choices
Kitchen and bath additions remain the highest value remodeling choices, said Quehrn. Several local contractors concentrate their business on kitchen and bath design.
One is Kitchen Design Studio, newly relocated by Marshall Dobry to the corner of the Old Fairhaven Parkway and 12th Street in Fairhaven. Dobry brings experience from the Los Angeles Avenues of Arts and Design district.
“I think that kitchens have come to reflect the social as well as cooking needs of homeowners in a much more personal way,” Dobry said. “Kitchens have always been gathering places in the home, but the open kitchen plan, which I was an early pioneer in developing, is a rather recent reflection of lifestyle changes in which the preparation and serving of meals is no longer relegated to the isolated kitchens of old.
“An open kitchen is expanded to include, and even encourage, connected activities. This new social center is a significant attempt to make the home compete with outside attractions by providing a comfortable, multi-use gathering place to keep family and friends closer.”
With families and friends spending so much time in the kitchen, it becomes a natural choice to use materials that pleasing to the eye and touch.
Solid surface countertops are highly sought after with choices from Corian to engineered stone to paperstone, but granite is the top choice, said Corey Jensen, a design consultant for Lynden Floor Design. Another option, both cost effective and lightweight, is cultured stone. The diverse material can be used in both homes and commercial spaces in kitchens, feature walls and to cover up old brick fireplaces.
Realtor Ken Harrison, member of the Coldwell Banker Presidential Circle for top sales and founder of www.BellinghamWOW.com, has learned from showing homes what features are sellers and what are turnoffs. Tile and oak, a signature from the 1990s, quickly date a dwelling. Granite or marble and cherry are replacing the dated materials, as has slate, which has upstaged river rock.
Many have been turning to colored cements teamed with stainless steel appliances, Harrison said, and new composites are combining recycled materials, such as recycled paper with resin to look like black granite. The product can be cast into sheets and cut out with beveled edges.
Luxurious baths also have turned to natural stone and tile, furniture vanities, vessel sinks, and showers with glass, metals, body sprayers, rain heads and steam enclosures.
In flooring, shag carpet is back, but unlike the ‘70s version, this shag stays upright without the rake and is stronger and softer. Yet more clients are choosing to go with hard surfaces such as large tiles to make smaller homes feel more spacious; thicker step vinyl flooring that doesn’t require adhesives; and a number of wood floors including bamboo, Brazilian cherry, teak, oak, maple, cherry and cork.

Budget wise
For clients working on a budget in the $10,000-to-$30,000 range, a complete bath remodel is possible but won’t include amenities such as a marble shower with body sprays. A moderately sized kitchen can be remodeled in this price range using products such as laminate flooring, wood cabinets, some lighting improvements, and laminate countertops. Over and above that price range, said Matt Peterson, customers can get stone or quartz composite countertops, structural changes or additional windows.
Peterson, owner of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen in Bellingham, continues, saying a professional, well-planned kitchen and bath remodels in this area will recoup 90-95 percent of the investment costs the first year if the home were to be sold. He warns homeowners to avoid overbuilding for the neighborhood they live in and advises to seek a qualified design/build remodel company.
Dobry said, “The main question I ask clients watching a budget is to realistically assess what their objectives are. … A smaller budget just means you have fewer options, so it is important to be clear about what your most important needs are and be able to prioritize your wants. They all have costs associated with them.
“A conscientious, experienced kitchen designer who listens to your objectives can often present you with ideas that save money in thoughtful, interesting ways that still fulfill your needs and provide for your wants.”
“I always ask if they (customers) have put themselves on a budget,” says Didi Hagman of Valley Cabinets and More in Mount Vernon. It’s one of Hagman’s first considerations when working with customers.
Next, “I always ask, ‘Are you planning on staying in the house for more than 10 years?’”
If they are planning to sell in five years, they may not need the same durability than if they live in the house for another 10, Hagman says. On the other hand, a homeowner looking to remodel as a selling point may want different materials.
“Seventy percent of the resale value depends on the look of the kitchen,” Hagman said.
When working with a budget, Hagman recommends customers pick out their appliances near the beginning of the project so they know right away how much they will cost.
Answering the above questions ahead of time give homeowners a clear definition of what they can afford and what parameters to set when working with consultants.
“The key to completing a successful remodel is to accomplish your goals for the space,” Peterson said. “It’s a remodelor’s job to give you what you want for your home, not what they want to sell you.”

Putting it all together
No matter the size of your project – a weekend DIY or major remodel – the experts are ready to assist in putting it all together.
Kathryn Owens, an assistant manager of Stockton’s Paint in Bellingham, said that the store carries Benjamin Moore, Pittsburg paints, which come in close to 270 colors, as well as the Pratt & Lambert line.
With so many colors to select from, many customers choose to buy the small jars of actual paint to cover a 2-foot-by-2-foot square for $2.99 versus $12 for a quart – or $32-$38 a gallon for quality paint. When they get home they can see how the color looks with their own lighting versus that in the store on a small sample card, which may not adequately show the color’s true intensity.
Those homeowners in need of help can consult with their staff for recommendations and many bring in samples of rugs, tiles or other items such as pillows or clothing. (One woman brought in some raspberry sherbet to match before it melted and another brought flowers.)
For those worried about choosing a wrong color, “It’s only paint and can be redone,” Owens assured.
Staff designers at Samuel’s Furniture in Ferndale work with clients to coordinate area rugs and window coverings that clients may bring in with furniture. Unlike clothing, furniture is not seasonal and best sellers can stay best sellers for years. Samuels offers nearly 2,000 swatches of fabric to choose from. Color and texture combine to provide a range of looks.
Elie Samuel, owner of Samuels Furniture, is celebrating his 15th year in business. Top-selling colors in his store have been greens and browns; and leather, rather than fabric, is a perennial favorite.
Some of Samuel’s personal favorites include the bedroom and dining collection from Urban Craftsman by Klausser utilizing mango wood, a wood new to furnishings; solid cherry Amish-made, hand-signed pieces by Simply Amish; and the taller gathering tables or a round table with perimeter leaves, which aids in conversation and allows diners to enjoy a better view.
And Samuel says he is seeing “a trend toward cleaner lines,” veering away from traditional. For bedrooms, the Louis Phillipe, a French-look with soft, clean lines, has been a favorite.
Jensen, from Lynden Floor, agrees, “In design trends, ‘traditional’ still seems to be the safe choice for most, but we are seeing a rise in modern clean lines, especially in tile and cabinet choices,” he said.
“Transitional,” a cross between the traditional and more abstract with clean lines is also popular. In his own home, and with clients, he has mixed antiques with new pieces as many people enjoy family heirlooms yet they may not want a 200-year-old sofa to sit on or outdated appliances.

Individual style
“Now, more than ever, peoples’ homes are … their physical oasis,” said Holly Barbo, interior decorator and co-owner of Barbo Furniture in Bellingham. “It’s where we go to get away from it all.”
Her shop is a mixture of what she and her husband Chris Barbo design and make in their 2,300-square-foot Bellingham-area shop and quality pieces that they can order as well as furnishings, gifts and décor from 27 local artists – quilts, lamps, paintings, photos, pillows, vases. Clients have asked her to help with homes locally and abroad, including Sanibelo Island off of the Florida coastline (a tropical theme, of course).
Barbo steers away from creating a carbon copy of magazines to incorporate items that clients may truly love and what is harmonious for them. While her store may be smaller than other furniture stores, she offers up to 200-plus colors in upholstered pieces – enough to create an individual look for any home.
She likens the search for furniture to women who show up to an event wearing the same designer gown. No one wants to be a carbon copy. The same is true when it comes to furniture: “There is no need to have the same.”

Marshall Dobry of the Kitchen Design Studio in Bellingham’s Fairhaven district was an early pioneer of the open kitchen concept.




Woods with warm tones, such as cherry, are popular in today’s homes. Out of style, says Realtor Ken Harrison, is oak. Photo courtesy Ken Harrison.