Designer has an eye for Industrial Chic
(photo by Cheryl-Anne Millsap)
Each week I record my Home Planet column for my Sunday Morning Essay program on Spokane Public Radio. After my studio time I always try to stop by The Vintage Rabbit, which is located on the street level of the same building on North Monroe.
Owner, Jan Richart is usually there and we chat for a few minutes as I look around.
The Vintage Rabbit (here’s a Spokane Grapevine post about the store) was one of the first places I discovered when I moved to Spokane in 1999. I decorated my new house with old things, many of them Vintage Rabbit finds, so over the years I’ve become familiar with many of the dealers there.
Last week as I walked through the booths, I noticed a woman shopping in the same space. She was looking at a large vintage locker-unit in a corner and after a minute, snapped off the price tag hanging from a string.
“This is my new armoire,” she said, turning to me with a big smile.
That’s the way it is with treasure hunters. We get so excited about our ideas and finds we just have to share.
Kris Mack introduced herself and we talked for a few minutes while Jan helped her clear out the big piece and get it ready to go. It seems we have a similar story.
Kris just moved to Spokane a year ago and is now slowly filling her new home with funky vintage finds. As a designer, she has a good eye. Drawn to a more industrial look, she and her husband love to create one-of-a-kind pieces from unique antique and vintage items.
“I love looking at things and imagining them in a different way,” she told me. “It’s a way to save money and to be creative.”
I snapped a quick photo of Kris and her $200 find - which will become an armoire in the master bedroom - and I’m looking forward to writing more about her. I’d also like to introduce her to all of the other junkers out there.
You can read more about Kris Mack's design work here.