Recently, some friends of ours introduced us to a fabulous Interior Designer, Donald Dewsnup. As soon as we met Donald, we were impressed by his taste in furniture, styling, and the way he worked in an integrated fashion with his clients. His thoughts are focused on what the client needs to express their inner Diva in their own home. This is a refreshing change from some of the other designers we have met, whose focus is more about their own design sense. We welcome Donald to the Diva fold and look forward to having him as a future contributor to the Diva blog.

Resetting the Room

by Donald Dewsnup

Designer, Donald Dewsnup

As an Interior Designer I like to surprise my clients by helping them to discover something about their own style and taste. One of the effective ways to discover your own style and taste is what I call “resetting the room;” just like resetting a dining table simply changes everything in the room and start over. Just like changing a table setting, replace the vase with a unique alternative, let’s replace the silverware with a contemporary selection and as far as the china, we offer you a selection of fun and innovative patterns to choose from!

Here are some “resetting the room” ideas that are the latest trend this Fall.

The shades of grey are back in style from a light antique earth to dark as chalkboard grey for accent walls and sofa sectionals. The greys are complimented by different shades of orange or “marmalade glaze” for accent pillows on the sofa sectional, area rugs, and desk chairs.

Accent Chairs in Earth Tones

To accent the grey colors and orange accents bring in natural light woods for desk surfaces, coffee tables, and end tables as well as fun table top décor. The natural light wood would be complimented with white bookcases, white mid-century side boards and white accent pillows. All this mixes well with espresso brown sofa tables and end tables, as well as, tan, white or dark brown leather arm chairs.
There you have it, the latest look and trends for “resetting the room” this Fall.

When summer finally arrives in Washington State, there is great opportunity to get out on the open road and take in the endless wave of rolling hills of the Columbia Valley. Thus, when it was time for Diva Chavi & I to take a mini work break, we decided to hook up with our pals, Isaak & Rassamee, for a Leo Birthday wine tasting weekend in Walla Walla. With our old dogs and giant wine cooler sharing the back seat, we packed up and headed out.

Walla Walla is a quaint town tucked away in the southeast corner of the state. The Walla Walla Region is part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA (American Viticulture Area), which is known for having some of the best conditions for growing world class grapes; hot, dry sunny days and cool clear nights. The combination of stellar fruit and artful vintners, such as Long Shadows, Woodward Canyon, Cayuse and K Vintners, has made Walla Walla a household name amongst Sommeliers and wine geeks everywhere.

What I love best about Walla Walla is that you can plant yourself at a hotel in town and meander your way from tasting room to tasting room, stopping here and there to browse in an antique store or have a lovely lunch. We stumbled (no pun intended) upon Olive Marketplace & Café during our downtown tour. Their apricot chicken salad, paired with a glass of Dusted Valley Rose, was divine. We also had a fantastic dinner at Creektown Café in honor of our Leo Gals’ (Chavi & Rassamee) Birthdays. They source most of their produce and meat locally, which always get you brownie points with the Divas, plus, the service is impeccable. Fried smelts, a killer burger, grilled nectarine & goat cheese salad and to-die-for deserts all added up to an amazing meal.

Buty Tasting Room - A wine shack in the midst of wheat fields

Okay – enough about food. Let’s talk about the real reason we drove 5 hours in the 103 degree heat, to only barely escape a $144 speeding ticket – WINE! Overall, we had great experiences everywhere we went but the real winner of the “best winery that was not even on the Kim V. Colaprete radar screen” is Five Star Cellars. It is not fancy on the outside, but, once the vino starts pouring, you will be blown away. We tasted 9 wines and each one was better than the next. Loved the 2007 Sangiovese and their quirky Petit Verdot/Cab Franc blend was unique and refined. While you are out in there in waving wheat land (by the airport) be sure to check out Buty Winery as well. Their whites are elegant and floral and their Rediviva, a Syrah/Cab blend, is mouth full of wonderful.

As with all small towns, Walla Walla is a microcosm of quirkiness, with all its peeps, no matter how different, living together in wine-soaked bliss. Our last night there we wandered into Vintage Cellars, a tiny wine bar downtown. We encountered the strangest mix of folks, all chilling together – tattooed lesbian college kids, tourist from Utah, khaki-wearing wine makers and an ancient guitar wielding Cuban gentleman, who serenaded the entire crowd with old Cuban love songs. A most perfect end to a fabulous adventure in Walla Walla Wine Country.

Do you want to know what the market is doing on your neighborhood? Our friends at Rainier Title send us a monthly report on the state of the housing market. This report gives information on the number of closings and the average sales price by zip code.

For example, in South Seattle (98118), housing prices have dropped from an average of $374,000 in June 2009, to $368,750 in June 2010.

If you are buying or selling a home in Seattle, knowing what is going on in your neighborhood will make you a savvy Diva Dweller.

King County Condo Report

King County Single Family Residence Report

The most diverse zip code in the United States will be having their annual “Rainier Valley Heritage Parade” on Saturday, August 21st. The parade will feature hydro planes, cultural talent, drill teams, drum lines, and marching bands. What a great way to learn about the many different cultures right in your back yard!

After the parade, join the Divas at Verve Bistro & Wine Cellar, where $3 glass pours will be available until 5pm.

Location

Columbia City – On Rainier Avenue, between S. Orcas St. and S. Alaska St.

*Save time and gas! Take the Light Rail to the Columbia City Station and walk two blocks east on S. Edmunds St., or ride Metro’s #7 bus route and exit at S. Alaska St. or S. Orcas St.

Schedule of Events

Parade     11am – 12pm

Summer Streets Party    12pm – 3pm

$3 Wine Pours     12pm – 5pm

Just received the most recent Built Green newsletter for August and was comelled to repost one of the calls for submission. Seattle Public Utilities is looking for submission for Hypbrid Deconstruction pilot projects. We were fascinated by the term “Hybrid Deconstruction”. Is it car? A new inner city housing complex? Speak in plain English folks! Basically it refers to the process of deconstructing an existing building while reusing and reallocating as much of the old building materials as possible. The Divas are really fascinated by this process and would love to see someone take (as the french say “bidionville”) or crack shack and turn into something interesting and livable.

Seattle Public Utilities Hybrid Deconstruction pilot projects for 2010: Call for Submissions
Seattle Public Utilities is seeking additional Hybrid Deconstruction pilot projects for 2010 to support deconstruction research and training program development. Pilot projects wil potentially be eligible to receive a portion of the grant to support the following: research and development of hybrid techniques; development of training programs and on-the-job training; and research on lumber grading and re-use standards. If your company has any potential deconstruction projects in 2010 and are interested in the above goals, please contact Seattle Public Utilities Green Building department or King County GreenTools.

Find out more fabulous Built Green goodies after the jump <<GreenBuiltSeattle>>

The launch of our little film “Diva’s Adventure on Capitol Hill” thus far has been a huge success. One of the best things about the launch is being introduced to a new little Capitol Hill Blog called the Capitol Hill Triangle. The blog is simply fabulous. It has reviews of the best happy hours on the hill and little happenings occurring this summer. Please take time to check it out.

Our Diva Dweller Clients transformed a former crack den in Madrona into a stunning home. Just two girls with LOTS of vision. The transformation was stunning and overwhelming. We could not believe the work they did in such a short time. One day last fall we were driving through the hood and came across the renovated home. Stunning!

Cleaning your bathroom does not have to be a stinky job.

Skimming through my Google Reader one day, I came across an article in Re-Nest about a natural way to clean your bathroom. The ingredients were simple; one grapefruit and ¼ cup of kosher salt. I love the smell of citrus, so decided to try this cleaning method out in my bathroom.

Following the instructions on the website, I halved the grapefruit and sprinkled the salt on it (and in the bathtub). It was so easy. The acid in the grapefruit did a great job of breaking up the grime and the salt provided some tough scouring action. The best part…the smell was way better than that of harsh chemical bathroom cleaners. My bathroom smelled fresh and fruity and my tub was sparkling clean.

The one drawback I noticed…seeing all that grime on the grapefruit made the thought of eating grapefruit a bit unappetizing.