The tables lining the wall are all different lengths, giving the long, narrow space a curving flow. Plunging, twisting iron rods shape the custom-made chandelier and exterior gates. It is nonlinear. It is fluidly organic. It is "the Fiore Thing."

With the opening of his third Fiore coffeehouse in Seattle, owner Deming Maclise feels that his logo, the flowing lotus shape Seattleites have come to expect to see lovingly rendered in the foam of a quality latte, no longer needs so much explanation.

"The Fiore Thing," as Maclise calls it, represents a brand he has been building since he opened his first coffeehouse in Crown Hill four years ago. It means top-quality, shade-grown organic coffee, pastries from local bakeries made with organic ingredients, communal tables that bring strangers together and the kind of friendliness behind the counter that can make your day. Everything from coffee grounds to napkins gets composted or recycled, and special plastic cups and straws made with cornstarch will biodegrade at the landfill within a year.

The new shop in Old Ballard completely indulges in its organic concept and design, which is meant to fall into the natural flow of the neighborhood as well. Salvaged materials rich with histories of their own decorate the interior of the 1902 building, while refined, modern embellishments speak to Ballard's gushing flow of gentrification.

Everything here is done right: iced coffee prechilled in a Toddy so it doesn't get watered down, a full spectrum of milk choices on the condiment bar (including soy), gorgeous, fresh-cut flowers gracing the tables and strong Wi-Fi for the laptop-inclined. If the community here gets it -- the Fiore Thing -- no doubt Maclise will be happy to go with the flow.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company