In the spirit of nomadic tribes roaming the landscape in search of sustenance, we have migrated to a new location once again... a mere 306 steps from our prior location our new studio is larger and flooded with natural light. We enjoyed doing a lot of the construction work ourselves, to the great entertainment of our adjacent neighbors, our friends at Clark Construction. They tell everyone they made all the straight cuts, and everything "experimental" was our handiwork, all true! Our ongoing enthusiasm for looking at things anew inspired us to focus on recycling and invention in our new space. Come by anytime we'd love to show you something old, something new, something bold and something indigo blue!
See the movie ...
Oh we just couldn’t wait! The beginning phases of construction on Buck Mountain were just so interesting we couldn’t help but create a little teaser view of the drama that is unfolding. Click the link below to see what fun you can have with some concrete, some steel, a big mountain and a really big crane. Special thanks to
Vincent McAninch for his handsome documentary, a sequel is certainly under consideration. See the Buck Mtn project page for more information.
Living on an island we are fond of saying that, “a rising tide raises all boats.” We can’t help but participate in helping to raise the tide for some of our favorite local organizations. This past year we built a doghouse for PAWS Bainbridge and a treehouse for Carden Country School…
Peace Through Unity
One day recently while rifling through the archives we found a design competition entry we’d done in 1997 for a Peace Memorial at the Little Bighorn Battlefield Site in Montana. While we didn’t win, we did get an honorable mention from the National Park Service and were reminded that we still liked the looks of our proposal.
Michael Wangen –Planning Commissioner. CIA Graduate.
Our esteemed colleague Michael has immersed himself in local politics, as a Bainbridge Island Planning Commissioner. After having served as both a Planning Commissioner and City Council Member in Vero Beach Florida we think his call to participate is confirmed. We wish him the best, and feel his measured style, professional experience and insight into community land use process will certainly benefit our town. It turns out in his spare time Michael is also quite the chef. Flipping through Domino Magazine one day he casually shows us an article about the cooking program he participated at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) in Hyde Park, NY… and there is Michael’s picture, chef hat and all! Well, I can tell you from personal experience, he takes cooking seriously as well…perhaps you’ll join us for family meal one day.
During our trip last fall to New York City I casually picked up a book, entitled “Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence” by Andrew Juniper. I devoured the book, as it spoke to the soul of our design and life philosophy. “ Wabi Sabi finds beauty and harmony in what is simple, imperfect, natural, modest and mysterious. It can be a little dark, but it is also warm and comfortable. It may be best understood a feeling, rather than an idea.”
NYC Report
Last fall we visited Belinda’s cousin Christina in Brooklyn while we were taking in the PRE-FAB housing exhibition at MoMa and the DUMBO art scene. I was wholly unprepared for the astounding culinary adventure we would undertake with Christina Tosi of Momofuku renown and her posse of foodie friends including Jon Bignelli, Sous chef at WD 50. Wow! Is all I can say…explore their links and the ones hidden in the images below for a taste of what is best about NYC.
Lounging around
As it happens, see Expert Vision one of the main ideas of our dream kitchen design landed on the editorial cutting floor at Better Homes + Gardens. No matter, here it is for those who care . . . . .
"The dream kitchen loge" (defined) – A balcony consisting of the forward section of a theater mezzanine box: private area in a theater or grandstand where a small group can watch the performance; "the royal box."
• Creating "luxe" at home — it's a canopy bed right in the kitchen. Be the envy of friends and neighbors once they try it, especially their pets!
• It is a convertible — lounge, daybed, chaise; so you can lean on the edge in a slouched or standing position, hop up and survey your minions. A tete-a-tete lounge for a conspiratorial chat.
Consider this….
The very essence of our business involves changing the landscape. Each change, no matter how small, can be an inherently better, more thoughtful choice than another. With the implications of changes becoming more global in their effects each day, we try to measure each of our decisions toward a common good. We also strive to support ideas and businesses that support that same goal of improving our respect of the environment and sustaining it for the health of future generations. We encourage you to consider these ideas as well. Enjoy!
The traditional process for making indigo comprised
three stages: first, the leaves were fermented in a steeping
vat; then a liquid was extracted and oxidized in a beating
vat; from that, a blue precipitate was allowed to form
in a settling vat and then collected, dried, and compacted,
In the 19th century, English indigo factories in India
cornered the market. Often they were unmechanized -- despite
the innovations of the Industrial Revolution -- because
cheap labor was so plentiful.
Left: a beating vat in an English factory in Bengal, c.
1877. Waist deep in a nauseating liquid, Indian workers
air the mixture with wooden sticks. Specialists, the standing
Englishmen wearing pith helmets, chose the exact moment
to stop the beating.
Ruminations on indigo
...we wish we’d written this ourselves, but we can’t take
such credit, so thanks to our friends at the Seattle Art Museum
for such an inspiring and concise history of our favorite
word and their current exhibit entitled Indigo.
"Indigo is a natural dye that has supplied artists with
echoes of blue for more than four millennia. It can evoke
the pale blue of a clear sky, the near black of midnight,
and even the infinite richness of the sea. Today, it serves
as the basis for "blue-collar workers" and 501 jeans,
as well as the more elusive qualities of a melancholy "mood
indigo." Dyeing with indigo is said to be a process akin
to alchemy, requiring vats with fermentation that need to
be kept alive. Multiple dipping delivers a dye that is so
colorfast it can last for years and still retain distinctive
color as it fades.
Indigo’s special effects range from simple dots to elaborate
illustrations. Different methods of resisting indigo or applying
it can result in hazy patterns or shimmering surfaces. The
Seattle Art Museum owns textiles from some of the best-known
centers of indigo production. Africa, Japan, and Indonesia
have fostered dyers whose mastery of the difficult secrets
of indigo is renowned. Garments worn to designate royalty
in silk will be seen alongside those in cotton to identify
workers. Textiles used as bed coverings and furnishings to
establish a sacred space will be hung. Examples from China,
India, and ancient America provide further evidence of indigo’s
prevalence." >> Seattle
Art Museum website
253 winslow way west, suite 102 • bainbridge island •
washington 98110 • 206.855.9399 • hello@BeingIndigo.com
