Tuesday, September 17th. The shoes I wore to meet the architect....

were white again, but suede this time. With black bows. Purchased at a little boutique in the Hamden neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland.

White suede shoes.

His studio is sunny and warm, with generous, friendly windows, welcoming the west. Down south in SODO. Aesthetically pleasing in SODO. Right across the street from Macrina, my friend.

We were late because we missed the exit and then hit some deadends coming off of Marginal Way.

Mark greeted us at the door. No, Stella did first. Stella the boxer. The architect’s boxer. Then Jim and Stacey. Stacey who took notes on the wall space, writ ample and white. And Jim who has visions of green pockets for the spaces between the lots.

“Are you excited?” Mark said. “The first thing we’ll have you do is a little design charette. If this house we’re designing for you were a publication, which publication would it be?”

Will had his post-it sheet, and I had mine.

His said:
Dwell
Modern Solar
Bicycle
Landscape Design
Seattle Mag

Mine said:
Kinfolk meets Dwell
The New Yorker
The New York Times Sunday Magazine
ARCADE
Whole Living

When asked Why those? we mentioned things like white space, elegance, humanism, efficiency, city love, visual hierarchy, architecture, simplicity, sustainability, austerity, artisanal, beautiful things, a patina, and the importance of the handmade. We talked about it for over an hour, minus a sidetrack I took talking about storage for my shoes. An accordian-like expandable bookcase is what I want for those. In the utility room. The utility room, my friends. For that is where I cross the threshold from private to public, barefoot to shoed. Sheltered, then exposed. Here to there and back again.