Room For What Matters
In a Capitol Hill condo, downsizing offers freedom to play
PREV
|
 BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Alberta's decorative painting skills are shown off on the dining room wall. On the tables are bowls and sand-cast sculptures by Jonathan Clarren. The kitchen has plenty of cabinets to handle the couple's need to keep kosher -- twice the china and cookware.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Alberta Weinberg's office and guest room, shimmering with mandarin-orange walls, exudes the exoticism of a Turkish or Moorish seraglio.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES In the living room, an early-20th-century daybed and a glass-topped French iron table set the European tone, along with 18th-century crystal sconces. The cabinet houses Spanish painted glass.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Ken's study is called the "Cabinet of Curiosities" and houses some of his varied collections. One curiosity is a versatile early-20th-century lamp that can be mounted on a wall or used as a desk lamp.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES The angel figure, "Apollo," in the foyer is by Debra Sherwood. |
WHERE DO THEY come from — all the people moving to new condominiums and the many refurbished older apartment buildings where rentals have morphed into owner-purchased units? The sale of single-family residences all over town offers a clue. And Ken and Alberta Weinberg are one couple whose experience "downsizing" from 3,000 to 1,600 square feet reflects the trend.
Ken is executive director of a local social-service agency. Alberta was proprietor of an eclectic First Avenue retail shop, Found Objects — a great place to browse for antiques and new decorative accessories for the home until it closed in June 2004. They'd lived comfortably since 1988 in a Dutch Colonial on Federal Avenue East. It took years to repair faulty heating and plumbing and bring back character-defining features to the remodeled interiors. Despite their affection for the place, by 2004 the realities of being stewards of an old house came to the fore and they started looking seriously at their options.
Seated in the light-filled living room of their north Capitol Hill condominium, Alberta reflects, "We both reached a point where we wanted something that required no maintenance and that would enable us to go away without worrying about house sitters and painting and roofing and gardening. We were ready to make that move. Ken's work is very demanding, and I had some ideas of other things I wanted to do. The condo allows us to have that kind of freedom from stress and maintenance. An older house, as wonderful as it is, needs constant attention. So this is great. We just close the door and go away, and that's that."
They chose to buy one of 24 units in the Harvard Estate that, along with eight town homes, was built on property formerly owned by Cornish College of the Arts. A number of late-19th- and early-20th-century residences adapted for office and classroom space were razed for the project.
One of the key advantages of the condo is its closeness to the Broadway shopping district, so the Weinbergs don't need to use their car as often. They are also looking forward to new mixed-use projects (replacing former supermarkets on upper Broadway) that will further improve the neighborhood.
How to show your stuff
Asked to offer advice on how to display treasures effectively, Alberta Weinberg offered these tips:
Light. Add task lighting designed to spot/wash/enhance the art/objects you plan to display.
Groupings. Objects may be related by theme, form, color, period/style etc. Occasionally dramatic pieces can stand alone. One small object by itself probably won't work, but a spectacular large object can.
Color. This may be the single most important element in successful displays. Seek out objects that relate to each other. Include textiles, wall color, wall art and hardwoods or carpet(s) in your design.
Experiments. Amusing, unexpected or unusual juxtapositions make for exciting display.
The successful transformation of their Federal Avenue East house had been due, in large part, to complementary interests. Ken, an inveterate collector, spent his spare time looking for furniture and accessories. Alberta, with her love of textiles and color, selected a palette and materials for the refurbished rooms and took charge of stenciling surfaces and finding appropriate fabrics. Both of them set their goal to making the environment a light-filled background for their shared interest in art.
The same holds true in their current home, which showcases the work of local artists such as Bill Brewer, Debra Sherwood, Carl Chew, Geoff Garza, Stuart Keeler and Michael Machnic. There are also paintings, glass, ceramics and textiles from their travels to Israel, Spain, France, Italy, Turkey and Mexico.
"I often think of this as a Paris apartment — a mixture of old Europe and strange and odd things that attract us," Alberta says of the effect they've created. Of course, they had to reduce their possessions considerably to downsize. But that was valuable — allowing them to seriously evaluate what was important, what still held their interest and delighted them.
As for their penchant for collecting, that hasn't changed much. "Antique malls provide us with places for Ken to continue to 'troll,' but at a reduced rate," Alberta says. We go to auctions. And, even with the close of Found Objects, we still have many things we buy and sell, which is fun." And Alberta can still do what she does well: decorative painting and helping homeowners arrange their personal treasures.
Lawrence Kreisman is program director of Historic Seattle. Benjamin Benschneider is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff photographer.
|
|
|
|
Back to top