SPRING 2024

Explore a woodland PERCH, a recent Remodel / Addition of a 1950’s home on Mercer Island. Enjoy Suzanne’s final tour of her Guest House (DADU) in this SZ Build Video Series. SZ Gallery invites you to explore a group show of Posters for Gaza. In this unique exhibition, twenty-six artists come together to raise their voices. All proceeds go to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Join SCM Medical Missions on April 20th: Gaza Strong - Humanitarian Relief & Hope.

WINTER HOLIDAY WISHES 2023

In this season of joy, gratitude and giving, I encourage us to pause and share in the miracle of life, the common threads of our humanity - woven together, interconnected, regardless of religion, ethnicity or statehood.

As my family celebrates Christmas, the birthday of Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem, our heads bow in prayer for our Palestinian & Israeli brothers and sisters. May we emerge as a global community, united with the intent of healing our divides and embracing one another with love, respect and empathy.

 

Suzanne Zahr
Principal Architect | SZ Build

WINTER 2023

Explore a Mercer Island DADU (Guest House) and view event photos of our recent Open House! Suzanne also shares her Casita’s Interior Design intent & finish favs. Meet SZ Team’s Super Eduard Gud. While a single exhibit cannot encompass the entirety of Palestinian art & culture, the SZ Gallery invites you to explore We are Palestine. this thirty-piece collection, showcasing the rich tapestry of struggle and identity. All proceeds go to the Palestine Red Crescent Society

SUMMER/FALL 2023

Tour the 8110 DADU (Guest House | Casita), in person during our upcoming Open House! Learn more about the advantages of installing a Green Roof in Episode 7 of our SZ Build Video Series. Meet Marianne, the newest member of our SZ Design | Build Team! Get inspired by how SZ layers in cohesive Interior Design. And, check out our favorite SZ Picks from this summer’s Seattle Art Fair - which is your favorite?

SPRING 2023

Suzanne & Tommy tour you through different phases of construction in our next two Episodes of our SZ Build Video Series. Learn more about how your personal & professional values translate into design specifications. Enjoy our featured work of art, Together by Juliana Kang Robinson, and celebrate the 2023 Most Influential Women of Mercer Island!

WINTER 2023

Check out SZ’s Rockin’ Seattle Penthouse design. Next in our SZ Build Video Series, we feature structural framing of a DADU on Mercer Island. Meet Tommy, SZ Construction PM! Don’t miss our upcoming Art Reception, WOMEN: Then & Now by Monir & Mehdi Ghanbeigy, and Suzanne was recently voted Chair of the Mercer Island Design Commission.

FALL 2022

Next in our SZ Build Video Series, we feature our hydronic heating crew, as they weave pex tubing in the concrete slab floor of a DADU on Mercer Island. An untouched 60’s rambler opens up to the sky and tree canopies, embracing the surrounding woods & lake views. This ‘back-to-school’ issue shares creative pro-tips on how spaces help our kids learn. Join SZ at the MI Rotary International Dance for Peace!

SUMMER 2022

Next in our SZ Build Video Series, we feature our concrete crew, as they form & pour concrete foundation & retaining walls for a DADU on Mercer Island. Don’t miss MyMI’s recent post on Remodeling. Join us in celebrating the Grand ReOpening of the historic Caretaker’s Cottage. See what’s hot in Seattle’s summer art scene. SZ unequivocally supports the right to safe & legal abortions.

SPRING 2022

Introducing the SZ Build Video Series! Our inaugural episode features the groundbreaking and on-site stormwater management of a DADU on Mercer Island. Celebrate Suzanne’s 50th by donating a Factor of 50! to SUMM. SZgallery presents Milky Way I by Nabil El Makhloufi. Those in WA looking for ways to support Ukraine are encouraged to visit UAWA.

SEASON’S GREETINGS! 2021

What a wonderful way to end a memorable year! So fun to see the current issue of Mercer Island Living, featuring me and my girls (human & four-legged). I will treasure the moments captured in this article with immense gratitude for my beautiful family, small business and beloved community.

Wishing you and yours a healthy & happy 2022!

SUZANNE ZAHR, Architect | Builder | Horse Lover

FALL 2021

This ‘back-to-school’ issue shares creative pro-tips on how spaces help our kids learn, info on the benefits of green roofs, excitement over the Seattle Universal Math Museum’s upcoming exhibit, For the Love of Math! + Debra Van Tuinen’s current exhibit, Golden Falls, and the MI Design Commission confirmation of Suzanne Zahr for her second term.

May / June 2021

This issue focuses on the positive impacts we bring to our community, through property development, design, construction, art and philanthropy. SZ believes that conscientious leadership is the key to success and prosperity for all. Check out ViV Crossing by Rêve Development, the Care for the Cottage grassroots campaign, Seattle Universal Math Museum (SUMM) and our relaunch of First Friday events with celebrated PNW artists, Debra Van Tuinen. Oh, and we’re hiring!

March / April 2021

Five years ago, I proudly swung open my Design | Build doors on Mercer Island, with an idea towards changing the way I approached my profession. My talented team and I ventured down the creative path with a diverse array of residential clients, and while each home was as unique as their owner, commonalities emerged. Slowly but surely, a new design and lifestyle approach began to take shape in my mind – one that, despite its name, is actually very forward-thinking. I call it ‘Modern Nostalgia.’

Think about all the things you ask of your home - especially these days. Does it nurture you, or sap your energy? Do you move through your daily routine with ease (even when the outside world is turbulent and stressful)? Or is your home hectic instead of restorative?

In celebration and honor of our Five-Year Anniversary, here are five recent works that each exemplify the Five Tenets of ‘Modern Nostalgia’ Homes.

Grounded | Soulful | Transformative | Authentic | Sexy but Practical

January / February 2021

This issue celebrates our being a Luxe Interiors + Design Gold List 2021 Honoree, MInext interview with Suzanne & Josiane (PICHA), Postcards from the Edge Art Giveaway, an inspiring interview with friend & client, Dayo Edwards of DayoSense, and the Women in Living Color of the Inauguration 2021.

September / October 2020

This issue introduces an Architect’s Home [Case Study] on Mercer Island, Passive vs Active House impacts, a tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg - in her own words, O.SH!TT (Our Safe Harbor in Troubling Times) movement, and ways to plan your vote.

July / August 2020

This issue spotlights a Mercer Island waterfront home in Luxe Magazine, celebrates the grand opening of La Fête Pâtisserie Française on Mercer Island, encourages you to be a Visual Activist, re-thinks working from home, and offers ways to help the victims of Lebanon.

May / June 2020

This issue offers a sneak peak of Rêve’s new Multi-Family Development in Seattle, SZ Build prioritizes your Health & Safety, SKIN - Exhibition will be on display this First Friday: Outdoor Art Walk, WeLoveMI campaign results in financial support, and we featureways to support Black Artists, Thinkers & Change-Makers.

March / April 2020

This issue offers a sneak peak into a recently completed waterfront home on Mercer Island, financial resources for Small Business, a Virtual Art Opening of SKIN, a look back at four years on Mercer Island, and photos of a recent family visit to the Grand Canyon.

January / February 2020

This issue explores creative 'space-planning', from efficient Coliving Apartments by Common to Interior Remodels of four Mercer Island homes. Stazione25 has officially opened! Don't miss Parker's editorial on the benefits of going Design | Build & All Together, All Different, as curated by studio e, with select works spanning the past decade by Seattle artist, Warren Dykeman.

November / December 2019

This issue welcomes Gary Henderson Interiors to our office on Mercer Island, shares a recent Addition/Remodel in Leschi, celebrates our 3rd Annual Holiday Party in the Persian Garden, introduces our newest SZ team member, Parker Eberhard, and encourages our community to Shop Local at Island Treats & other small businesses.

September / October 2019

This issue features the schematic design of a new home on Mercer Island, the first phase of Embright, a start-up office in Pioneer Square, inspirational insights from our featured Artists, Catherine McMillan & Michelle Williams, and an axe-throwing outing for the SZ Team.

July / August 2019

This issue features SZ’s catalog of Tailored Homes, The Bay Collection; Kebony - natural wood, made to last; introduce Artist, Jean Sbarra Jones, and her exhibit, What Dreams May Come; and a preview of the Seattle Art Fair 2019.

May / June 2019

This issue features the design of a biotech company, Nortis, Inc.; present a time-lapse video of Stazione25; announce the art opening of Kosta Kulundzic's Tropic Iconic collection; offer an artist's insights in a Q&A with Kosta, himself; and share reflections of Hudson Yards & Highline in NYC.

 

March / April 2019

This issue features a new masonry product Watershed Block; introduce SZ/s number's guru Kim Benjamin; celebrate our 3rd Anniversary with the opening of AfroFuturism presented in partnership with PICHA an African online stock photography website; travel to Palm Springs to tour an environmentally sustainable ranch home; lavish in a photographic journey of Suzanne's recent visit to French Polynesia.

January / February 2019

This issue features a spotlight on Shou-Sugi-Ban (traditional Japanese technique of charring wood), Lara's take on Construction Management, paintings by Debra Van Tuinen, Love Birds by Mehdi Ghanbeigy, and an inspirational note on pursuing simplicity & authenticity. 

 

November / December 2018

This issue features the news of Marc Vassallo's book, our new-found love of Heath Tile, a spotlight on Persian Artists, Monir & Mehdi Ghanbeigy, a Q&A with our Master Craftsman, Christo Doko, and an inspirational note on pursuing happy accidents.

 

September/October 2018

This issue features Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), the Design-Build process, a spotlight on Mercer Island artist Lucia Neagu, a Q&A with our Development Coordinator Shannon Carver, and the inspirational building challenge of Passive House. 

 

July/August 2018

This issue features the design behind our Seattle home remodel, our first SZ Blitz Build, a spotlight on Deborah Kapoor and TENACIOUS, a Q&A with our architectural intern Shakiba Ahmadi, and the reasons we're inspired by Solarize Mercer Island. 

 

May/June 2018 

This issue features a behind-the-scenes look into the design and permit process for the Niedermans' lakefront home on Mercer Island, our recent trip to Portland, Oregon for the AIA Portland Homes Tour, a Q&A with Erin Milan (our new featured artist), an interview with SZ's Lara Tedrow, and a spotlight on Sylca Designs. 

 

March/April 2018

This issue features two video interviews: a Q&A with atelierjones' Founder and Principal Architect Susan Jones and a microMICA Moment with Suzanne and Keith. We also have a special piece reflecting on SZ's two-year (Cotton) anniversary, along with a feature on SZ Gallery's April and May artists (Laura Castellanos, Juan Carlos Castellanos, and Robert Wood). Our Moment of Inspiration was the announcement of the world's tallest rammed earth structure made with SIREWALL in Islamabad, Pakistan.

 

January/February 2018

This issue features an interview with Seattle interior designer Gary Henderson and a piece on our January/February featured artist, Gitte Peters. We also shared updates on the Stazione25 project (along with the KIRO 7 News footage) and we previewed the brand identity of Rêve Development. This issue's Moment of Inspiration was from Suzanne's trip to Sayulita, Mexico. 

 

November 2017 

This issue features our perspective on Case Study Houses and Low Impact Development techniques. We also share an insightful interview with Heidi Durham of Art with Heart on their brand refreshment, as well as how inspired we are by the Women Business Owners' Nellie Award recipients. Monir & Mehdi Ghanbeigy were the featured artists at SZ Gallery for November and December. 

 

October 2017 

This issue features our office remodel for Coppei Partners, photos from Juliana Kang Robinson's opening reception and the grand opening of Caruccio's, and our upcoming featured artists from Iran. We also have a new Q&A Column on the blog called "Ask SZ."

 

September 2017

This issue features our design project with Meteorcomm, build updates on Caruccio's, our September/October featured artist Juliana Kang, and an interview with Laurent Bourscheidt of L+B Design. Our moment of inspiration was the Seattle Art Fair in August, which inspired us to think about the role of art in today's world.

 

August 2017

This issue explores the project lifecycle of Caruccio's and Suzanne's involvement in each phase of the process, from the conception of Lisa Caruccio's dream to building the space and the brand identity. Our moment of inspiration is our top 5 inspirational creators from art, architecture, and design.

 

July 2017

This issue features an announcement of Suzanne's appointment as a Design Commissioner for Mercer Island, an interview with construction manager Ed Bom, a feature on State Senator Lisa Wellman, announcement of the Stazione25 brand, and our moment of inspiration from our fundraiser with Gratitude Sailing NW.