The New Homesteaders: Chelsea and James Minola's Craftsman Quarters on Bainbridge Island - Remodelista
How do you link good design, smart business practices, and a social conscience? James and Chelsea Minola have been having this discussion since they met as RISD industrial design students on a winter-session class in Guatemala almost 10 years ago. Photography by Ben Blood, except where noted. Chelsea and James in their living room, home to Grain’s customer service desk. The couple painted the living room their go-to white, Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White, and the mantle is in an Ace Paint color called Khaki Shorts. The pillows and rug are examples of Grain’s small textiles collection, which is made by a number of artisan groups in Guatemala, several of whom Chelsea and James were introduced to during that fateful RISD class. Above L: The couple use their basement lathe to hand-turn their beeswax Totem Candles–”we don’t use a pattern, we just do it by eye, so they’re all a bit different,” James told us. They’re shown here in a Grail Dish, part of Grain’s hieroglyphics-patterned terracotta collection made for them by a potter on Bainbridge Island. The room overlooks a jungly backyard that backs up to a park. Above L: The period kitchen, with its linoleum floor, Formica counter, and metal cabinets, was largely left untouched. The upstairs consists of two dormered bedrooms, neither with closets, so chests of drawers (this one came with the room) are put to maximum use. Set in a paneled niche, the bed is flanked by Grain’s Dish Side Tables and Circlet Single Sconces of FSC-certified ash with handblown glass shades made by Seattle artist John Hogan. The vintage dresser pairs well with the Stitch Nonagan Mirror, a hemp-twine-embellished design backed with apple ply–”excess wood from the apple farming industry,” explains James. A bedroom window seat with a Danish cord chair prototype. Above L and R: The upstairs landing showcases more of the couple’s work, including the Hung Mirror, inspired by James’s pre-RISD experience as a boat builder in Maine, and an etched-glass Circlet Triplet Sconce. Ada’s room has an Ikea crib–read about it here. The house has dark green shingles and wood-framed windows. It’s within walking distance of town and ferry, a 30-minute ride to Seattle, and on overcast days, they can hear the foghorn blowing. The couple converted a neglected backyard shed into a custom chicken coop with a slatted facade and walk-in ramp.