Seattle Design 100+
John & Laurie Fairman
Shown here inside Glenn Richards Asian Furnishings & Antiques, the Fairmans also own Honeychurch Antiques

Asian antiques connoisseurs John and Laurie Fairman say they’ve found Seattle—with its proximity to Asia and landscape reminiscent of Japan—to be appreciative of Asian design. What they don’t reveal is how hard they’ve worked over the past 30-plus years to encourage that appreciation.

When they first opened Honeychurch Antiques here in 1977, they held free monthly exhibits at the store on Capitol Hill. Today, walking into Honeychurch, now on Westlake Avenue, is still like walking into a museum where art is for sale: Tags attached to objects such as Chinese chairs, Buddhist symbols and stone lanterns describe each one’s age,  history, function and cultural context. “We’re people who like the object not just because it’s Asian, but because it’s beautiful and it speaks to us,” John says.
 
Like the heirlooms sold in their shops, the Fairmans have a rich history. John’s Nebraska-born grandfather exported Asian goods from China in the 1920s but died when the Japanese occupied Shanghai during World War II. His son—John’s father—became a contemporary art collector. John and Laurie opened their second store, Glenn Richards, in 1998. Recently they added an  in-house designer, Rom Lee, and a contemporary art gallery, Drop City Gallery. “Making art makes the world a more interesting place,” Laurie says. “And bringing art into the home is a privilege and an honor.”

Thanks in large part to the Fairmans, Seattle now has one of the best offerings of Asian art of any city in the country, spoiling local designers such as Doug Rasar who incorporate artistic elements from the Pacific Rim in their work. “They’ve promoted the whole Northwest style,” he says.                       

Glenn Richards Asian Furnishings & Antiques
964 Denny Way, (206) 287-1877

Honeychurch Antiques
411 Westlake Ave. N., (206) 622-1225