Mountain Modern

Perched above outdoor apparel store KAVU in Ballard, Fry Modern (5419 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle; 406.582.8085; frymodern.com) perfectly complements its neighbor with a rugged, mountainous aesthetic of its own.

The store, opened in 2009, is filled with warm woods, repurposed objects and handmade works from artists living in the Northern Rockies, including Montana-based owner Russ Fry, who was offered the space by KAVU’s owners. The 34-year-old self-taught metalworker admits that he made a lot of rough pieces before he came out with some good ones. Now he’s an expert with some prized pieces to his credit, such as the distressed drafting table ($6,800) and the wrought-iron Mexican bird bed ($1,780), inspired by birds found at a junk store down Mexico way.At the shop, Fry encourages browsers to have a seat in the massive sculptural steel chair ($2,700) designed by Isaac Arms, and assures that they’ll be pleasantly surprised by how comfortable it is. Take a seat—you might just be the one to bring it home with you.

Pictured: Russ Fry,  Mexican bird bed, distressed drafting table, Isaac Arms' metal chair.