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Transform your interiors through Alchemy.

When Evelyn Lee left her job at Microsoft to open a home-design business in Belltown, she set out to create her dream store. The result, tucked beneath the Cristalla condominiums on Second Avenue, is Alchemy, a stylish East-meets-West home décor shop that appeals to a variety of tastes—and budgets.

From a German-designed dining line made of Manchurian Ash to hand-painted fine bone china, Alchemy offers seemingly miraculous transformations for almost every taste, whether classic or contemporary. For shoppers seeking something truly unique, Alchemy imports Asian antiques and converts them into functional pieces, such as an 1895 antique wedding carriage that is now a wine cellar. The store also features original artwork by Asian artists—exclusive in the U.S. to Alchemy.

But don’t expect to break the bank. Lee carries high-quality products ranging from expensive to affordable. “If you’re a good dresser, you can beautifully mix and match designer items with something super inexpensive,” she says. “I think it’s the same with furnishings. I offer a lot of interesting things so that people can be good ‘dressers’ and find their own unique styles at home.”

2029 2nd Ave., Seattle, (206) 448-3309, alchemycollections.com.

In case you missed it...

Alexander Lighting opened its new showroom in SODO, offering an expansive selection of lighting fixtures as well as on-hand residential lighting design specialists; 2450 8th Ave., S., Seattle, (206) 624-7357, alexanderlighting.com.

Kathy Banak’s West Seattle Authentic Home Store opened a new location north of University Village, expanding its popular offering of home accessories, color consultation and expert “Interior Style Guidance”; 2809 NE 55th St., Seattle, (206) 985-6635 or authentic-home.com.

DESIGN DETAILS:
Architecture: Heliotrope Architects, (206) 297-0442, www.heliotrope.cc