Recently we decided that it would be fun and informative for the divas to do a blog spotlight each month of fabulous Diva Dwellers and the hood they live in. Diva Dwellers Karen and Raymond were kind enough to kick off our spotlight for February. We met this fabulous couple at a New Year’s Day soiree at our pals Bernard and Jim’s house. We had a lovely chat about art, travel and green remodeling. Well – simply put – we hit it off instantly. The Divas were lucky enough to help Karen and Raymond buy a “cosmetic fixer” in Burien which they have transformed into a  sensational Diva Dwelling. Here is their story!

How did you meet the Divas? We met the Divas para-sailing on the French Riviera, or in a little cantina in Tijuana in the 50’s… or it may have been at a mutual friend’s house. The Divas showed up at Bernard and Jim’s place on New Year’s Day, and the party kicked into a whole other gear. We remember people chanting, “Divas! Divas! Divas!”

What type of home did you purchase? One with turquoise carpet, a black toilet and an aluminum foil backsplash behind the stove. So in other words, one requiring much elbow grease, TLC and fresh carpet. House code name:  “Super Happy Fun House.”

What was your first “OMG” house moment? Raymond: My first oh-my-god moment, that I am willing to talk about, that didn’t involve vodka, was seeing the new carpet installed. It made say to myself, OMG, this is our house now. We can do whatever we want.

What is your greatest home extravagance? Karen: The indoor pool. No, the yacht garage. No wait, it’s the airplane hangar. Definitely the hangar.

What is in your junk drawer? Why do you ask? What have you heard? (The sound of Raymond getting of the couch to see what’s in our junk drawer. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle.) Napkins, lip balm, sunglasses, keys, saxophone, binder clips, coasters, oven-mits, time-travel machine, matches, post-it notes.

Would you rather:
Raymond:

• mow lawn / paint the fence – painting chain-link, not my thing. Mowing the lawn is actually pretty good exercise.
• untangle computer cords / sort socks – highly organized in the computer department, like a military-action figure, but socks take a couple of minutes to sort.
• test the smoke detectors / fix squeaky doors – since a hammer won’t fix the squeak, I’ll test the smoke detector
• plunge the toilet / clean out the refrigerator – what kinds of questions are these? Am I supposed to do these things
• clean the gutters / take down holiday decorations – ah… yes, take a holiday. That sounds great.

Karen: mani-pedi? Is that a choice? Do I have to do that other stuff?

What is your favorite Hood hangout spot? It’s not quite a hangout, but for really great food we go to Bistro Baffi, which Kim and Chavi introduced us to. Lovely little Italian joint near Burien Lake. Damn! I wish we were there now.

What is your favorite local organization/non-profit? Artist Trust – As an artist and a writer, their support with growing our careers has been invaluable.

What do you love the most about your house? Raymond: That my wife lives there. At the end of the day, there is nothing better than coming home to her!

Oh and did we mention that Karen and Raymond are both artists? Well they are cause that’s how we like them. Check out Karen’s blog Karen Ussery Fine Art Photography. Raymond is a writer and we are very excited about his upcoming tour de Artist Trust. Catch whats going on with Raymond at his blog RaymondUssery.