Green Homes

Last Sunday, I wrote about The Resort Effect and noted that

...creating a resort at home becomes more attractive as transportation costs climb.

Pure Contemporary in Behind the Curtains has an article about GE,
A blueprint for building green homes called ecomagination Homebuilder Program.

This new program helps residential developers and builders design homes that are not only comfortable, but that are more efficient in their energy consumption and indoor water consumption than industry–accepted average new homes.

[...]

In the last two years, natural gas costs have risen 42 percent and electricity costs have risen 17 percent, according to a report in Energy Source, March 2007.

Homebuyers are choosing energy efficient homes and look at some of the things provided:

• an interactive wall panel that provides current and historical feedback on electricity and water consumption.
• appliances that pair innovative energy efficiency with groundbreaking features and cutting–edge design.
• indoor and outdoor lighting that consumes up to 75% less electricity than standard incandescent lighting.
• if the home is equipped with solar power, this system is designed to produce power year after year and typically meets 20–30% of a home's electricity needs and works in conjunction with the local utility to provide complete service.

We complain about high energy costs and our leaders declare goals of ending our energy dependency, however, those higher costs are spurring development of new products to ease our energy consumption and giving us greater control over our environments. All that R&D would not have found a market if energy prices stayed low. Some predict a future of $100 to $200 oil.

I'm not worried. I look forward to electric cars and zero point energy.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Lamps & Lighting
GreenHomes
Bev & Mike

Neighborhood Notes and The Pearl

Neighborhood Notes takes exception to The Oregonian describing Landfair Furniture's move, in Storefronts, as a move to the North Pearl Design District

...becoming known as the Design District, with Globe Lighting, Bedford Brown, Kravet and other related businesses within a few blocks of one another

She notes

While I understand the need to market the North Pearl, I think it's a mistake to label that small section as the one that specializes in design when we have a huge home furnishings group peppered throughout the neighborhood. It's like saying that the area around the armory is "the gallery district" because of a few galleries in close proximity to each other.

The North Pearl Design District leans to To the Trade and is easy for interior designers to make many stops and the area is very accessable via freeways from anywhere in the city. Landfair Furniture does 80% of its business with designers. However, we welcome home furnishing and accessory shoppers and are in a position to recommend designer help if needed.

Neighborhood Notes is correct that there is a huge home furnishings group spread throughout The Pearl. There are walking tour maps of the area to help you discover all that The Pearl offers. Many are having sales, as she notes, this Memorial Day weekend. For a full list of home furnishings stores see Your Guide to the Pearl District.

As for Landfair Furniture this day, we are closed Saturday through Monday. My first three day weekend since before the move and I would like to spend some time around the house with Mike, planting tomatos and basil, b-b-qing, and enjoying the first dry Memorial Day weekend in the last six years.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

HomeFurnishings Bev & Mike

Storefronts

by ANNE LAUFE

LANDFAIR FURNITURE AND DESIGN GALLERY

What's new: This spacious furniture store, the first tenant in the new Pearl Design Center, opened in March on the northern edge of the Pearl District.

Where & when: 1636 N.W. 15th Ave. at Savier Street under the Fremont Bridge, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

What's cool: Landfair carries an eclectic array of home furnishings -- from traditional to contemporary -- from designers such as J.D. Chamberlain, Sherrill, Rowe and Hekman. It also plans to add a line of durable, affordable children's furniture.

Who: Beverly and Michael Landfair opened their first store on Macadam Avenue in Southwest six years ago. Beverly says she travels to High Point, N.C. -- "the daddy of all markets for furniture buyers" -- every six months.

Why here: When the Landfairs lost the lease on their first store, they looked around for something bigger and more accessible. This section of the Pearl is becoming known as the Design District, with Globe Lighting, Bedford Brown, Kravet and other related businesses within a few blocks of one another.

Quote: "We have animal crackers out and water in the fridge," Beverly Landfair says. "We try to make it kind of homey." Get in touch: 503-245-4222

ANNE LAUFE Have a Storefronts tip? Send details to Portland@news.oregonian.com

Oregon Passes New Bottle Bill, Artists Deprived

Beginning Jan. 1, 2009, Oregonians will have to plunk down a nickel deposit on every bottle of water they buy. Yes, the Oregon House passed the Oregon Bottle Bill. The Senate passed a similar bill, so Oregon will recycle instead of dumping.

Oregonians buy nearly 200 million bottles of water each year and most are not recycled. The state Department of Environmental Quality estimates that Oregonians trash as many as 126 million bottles every year.

Over at Fabulously Green, we see that artists have been creative with these plastic bottles:

Aartist Michelle Brand was inspired by the bottom of Dasani water bottles.

The inspiration for these plastic petals were found at the bottom of a bottle--literally. Turn your empty Dasani bottle upside down and voila--a botanically inspired base. Michelle cuts, sands, and strings together recycled bottles to create this light catching fabric.

You can only do so much with 200,000,000 bottles. It's about time!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Woman Power: Are You Surprised?

C.B Whittemore posting at Flooring The Consumer writes that "Women hold the power of the sale". A big change is coming to retail in the world of retail:

Consider this: The majority of retail operates in a world designed, owned and managed by men for women consumers.

Whittemore says these retail establishments are "not connecting with their woman customer."

Connecting successfully means truly understanding who that person is, how she interacts with your store and what value she obtains from you. Although she may have tolerated the way things have been, she increasingly prefers environments that recognize her, welcome her and acknowledge her as having the means to make significant purchases.

Consider, also,

• Women represent 51 percent of the overall population

• Women are better educated than men

• Sixty percent of women work.

• In 55 percent of US households, women make half (or more) of their family’s income. Thirty percent of women out-earn their husbands

• Women are the major purchase decision makers for home furnishings

• Women carry 76 million credit cards

• Women are more profitable than men.

• Women are more brand oriented than men

• AND...women are more likely to give referrals!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

May 17th Open House

Beverly (left) and sister Carol celebrate Open House on May17th at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery in the Pearl Design Center.

Beverly and husband Michael look proud of their creation.

Shakti Space Designs

On May 20th we posted about Organizing tips from Mary Carol Garrity in Organizing: Think outside the basket, One of Garrity's suggestions for organizing was to create a message center in your home and suggested painting a door to look like a chalkboard.

Lo and behold I find out about Lucinda R. Henry owner of Shakti Space Designs, LLC. Lucinda does Custom Wall Finishes, Old World Plasters and Murals. Glancing through her site I see a chalkboard as described, only done by Lucinda at Shakti Space Designs.



Lucinda Henry can be reached at 503.998.2411 and is Licensed, Bonded & Insured
OR: #154545 WA: #SHAKTSD949N3

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bib Aprons, A Great Impulse Item

Recently. I posted about impulse items in The $80 tube of Toothpaste. The secret to high priced toothpaste, that the big box stores use, is the careful placement of impulse items. Today, I learned that Popularity of aprons is remarkable

Long, short, frilly or barbecue-style, the apron has withstood the test of time, becoming a cultural icon of sorts.

In Arizona, local retailers suggest

● A floral-print half apron, embellished with two bold blue butterflies, brings a festive and springy look to the kitchen.

● Soft ruffles, hand embroidery and delicate floral cutouts on all-white fabric create a crisp, classic and feminine look for an old-fashioned afternoon tea or other special occasion.

● Mommy's or Daddy's little helper can practice cooking while looking adorable in a pint-sized apron

● Vibrant flowers, birds and metallic braiding

For me, I like the solid bib-apron.

A little web checking provides information that a dozen white aprons can be purchased for $48 a dozen. Most aprons sell in the $30 to $35 area. A logo can be added and you have a great impulse item. Can you believe it? People will pay you to advertise your store.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

The Resort Effect

On May 12th I wrote about the advent of Hularo, a man-made, totally weatherproof fiber, but unlike other plastic fibers it contains no PVC, will not crack or fade and does not give off toxic fumes. The unspoken story is that the hottest trend in America is moving outside.

The ideal outdoor room takes the comforts of the house's interior to a nearby outdoor space, usually one that is attached to the house. This means plush furniture upholstered in weather-resistant fabric, a cooking area or heat source and a covering, such as a canopy, to keep the rain out.

Deborah Krasner, whose recent book, "The New Outdoor Kitchen," explores one of the most popular new forms of outdoor space, explains the trend as an answer to our desire for instant comfort. Call it The Resort Effect.

"More and more we want the luxury we experience when we travel," she says. "We want that resort experience at home."

"This is a huge trend and an international trend," Krasner adds. Since she completed her book, Krasner has been asked to design outdoor kitchens in Sicily, Denmark and Britain.

Creating a resort at home becomes more attractive as transportation costs climb. (emphasis added)

Now if we can just get the sun to stay out here in Portland on the weekends.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Organizing Tips

Mary Carol Garrity, the proprietor of three successful home furnishings stores in Atchison, Kan., and the author of several best-selling books on home decorating, writes in Organizing: Think outside the basket at InsideBayArea.com. about organizing your home and increasing storage by suggesting:

• Cute containers for small items like stamps and office supplies

• Get the family to hang up their things with Hooks and Rods in the bathroom and mudroom

• Message centers of chalkboard painted doors

• Stealth storage with decorative containers that double as storage.

Baskets and boxes are another good way to increase storage in your home and they are attractive:

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

House Markers

While driving around Forest Heights last Friday, we noticed that many homes had very special and big house numbers. Now we've been to Home Depot and glanced at their numbers and generally they have individuals in black and brass that you nail or screw up individually. Not the kind seen in Forest Heights! I tell Mike on occasion that I want some of those big numbers that can be seen with ease from the street.

I surfed upon a site that carries what I'm looking for, Address Plaques, Signs and Markers.com and there are the numbers I have been looking for:


Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Alexa Hampton designs for Kravet

Interesting article in the Sun Sentinel about Alexa Hampton, the daughter of a famous designer Mark Hampton.

(She is) a busy designer for discriminating clients, she also designs furniture for Hickory Chair and fabrics for Kravet.

In the interview she was asked, "When do you think a room needs updating?"

A. Rooms that are done in the heat of a trend tend to need redoing five to seven years later. Rooms that are designed with a more personal or timeless approach usually last for a minimum of 12 to 15 years. At that point, I find that fabrics often poop out, depending upon the wear that they receive.

While she designs for the Florida market, she is a trend setter and there are some clues as to what will get picked up nationally.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Our Open House Was A Success

We moved to our new location in the Pearl Design Center on March 15th and Thursday night invited designers and friends to our open house. It was a wonderful night and many dropped by to wish us well and loved our new location. Face it, Macadam Avenue is just not that easy to get to, if you are coming from somewhere other than Lake Oswego or West Linn. We are actively getting involved in the Pearl community (more about that later) and had our first ad in the magazine "EXPLORE THE PEARL" (see below)

The building activity in the area is breathtaking. Just up the street, Safeway is building a new store and cranes are a fixture on the skyline. If you are in our area, stop by and introduce yourself. Mike's favorite food at the party was the Mexican Wedding Cookie.

We still have some cookies in addition to my favorite, fat-free animal crackers.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Wickes to close its five Minneapolis-area stores

And concentrate on Portland, OR.

The Top 100 company will close all five of its Minnesota stores and its Brooklyn Center, Minn., distribution center and “part of the company’s continuing strategy to focus its resources in high-growth markets including California, Chicago, Portland (Ore.) and Las Vegas,” Wickes said in a release.

[...]

The company said it is opening 10 new showrooms in those markets this year.

I counted 10 Cranes in the downtown Portland area this weekend, and might have missed a couple.

The $80 Tube of Toothpaste!

That's what good retailers like Costco and Target get for toothpaste, because you may have just stopped in for the toothpaste, but you bought impulse items that are strategically located around the store.

While few people would say they go to Target or Costco for pleasure, these retailers have gained an edge in luring people in for everyday products, and then enticing them to fill their carts with much more.

Welcome to the $80 tube of toothpaste, where a receipt ends up being far longer than the shopping list.

What can a small retail business learn from the big box stores? Your retail customers may walk in and say, I didn't know you were here and then on impulse walk out with a purchase because they derived pleasure from buying it.

In our store we have some items that look like a spilled wine glass. It always brings a chuckle and then the thought that this item would be great as a joke for that friend with light carpet or the white sofa.

Impulse items, the bubbles in the glass of good retailers.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture & Design Gallery

Green Hularo

Traditionally outdoor furniture has been made of teak, wrought iron and plastic. Teak was used because it wouldn't rot and wrought iron because it wouldn't rust. Now there is "hularo". From the Post-Bulletin:

During the past few years, a new material called Hularo has become the staple of high-end contemporary design for exterior furnishings. Hularo is a man-made, totally weatherproof fiber, but unlike other plastic fibers it contains no PVC, will not crack or fade and does not give off toxic fumes.

Here are some examples of outdoor furniture using Hularo

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Artistic Metal

From Ocala.com, Metal shows off its artistic mettle/Designs of all types are popular as wall decor

You might see decorative metal wall art pieces and grills outdoors, but they're now making decor statements inside the home.

These often-ornate pieces can be made of iron, other metals or even faux iron with the look of the real thing.

Pictured are some examples from Global Views:

Square Wall Panel - Circular Design - 42"W x 48.25"H

Louis Iron Wall Panel 24"W x 36"H

Maresca Iron Wall Shelf 7"L x 37"H

CBK also offers metal art:

Queen Headboard Bed with Oval Design, Iron Cast Top, Medallion Accents and Antique Rust Finish, 60"L x 2"W x 60"H

Wine Label Design 9-Bottle Wine Table with Distressed Red, Gold, and Antique Black Finish, 31"L x 11"W x 30.25"H

In many ways, iron wall grills work like any other piece of art you might put on a wall. But because they don't have an array of colors like you might find in paints or tapestries, they are less busy and blend in easily...

Both Global Views and CBK are carried at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery, now located in The Pearl.

Bev & Mike

More About Feng Shui

Here's a follow-up to a post Feng Shui Made Simple:

Feng Shui Flow and Colors

There are basically nine different aspects each of which has specific colors and materials associated with it that the Chinese believed were important and influenced by your surroundings.

Those aspects included:

• Prosperity which relies on the color purple and uses wood or water as its primary textures.
• Reputation or how successful you are which has the color red and the elements of fire and wood.
• Love and Relationships which is reflected by the color pink and has the earth and fire as elements.
• Family which relies on the colors green, black, and blue and trusts only in the ever changing form of water.
• Health which features shades of yellow, brown or orange and has both earth and fire at its heart.
• Creativity and children or offspring tones of yellow and subtle earth tones are used here with the element of metal to add strength.
• Knowledge and Skill colors of black and green with the earth to balance them.
• Travel and Friendly assistance stark whites and blacks with materials of either metal or water are used here.
• Career aspects of career use the colors blue and white and rely on the strength of metal to reinforce them.

Home Decorating Reviews continually comes up with articles of interest to Interior designers and DIYs.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Furnish

Like furniture porn, the new book Furnish: Furniture and Interior Design for the 21st Century is over 200 pages of full-color photos of design objects made by the world's brightest furniture stars. With work by emerging designers such as Jason Miller, Joris Laarman, &made and Jamie Hayon, as well as by more established names like Tord Boontje, Tom Dixon and Hella Jongerius, the images will look familiar to anyone who follows contemporary design.

Chopped up, pieced together, deconstructed, ironic, patched over, mutated and irreverent, the furniture in the book gives an overall sense of ever-reigning post-modern influences and plenty of art-as-design. Rather than organize Furnish by designer (a more conventional choice), each well-curated section points out specific trends like "Transformation and Hybrids" and "Limited Edition."



Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

HGTV Design Star

Sunday, July 22 begins the second season of HGTV Design Star.

The die is cast, the expert judging panel is back and 11 finalists have been selected to compete during the second season of the original interior design competition, "HGTV Design Star." It's anyone's guess which finalist will walk away with the coveted prize - his or her own show on HGTV... (emphasis added)

[...]

As with the series' first hit season, fans can expect captivating challenges that stretch the creativity, ingenuity and skills of the designers, artists, stylists, architects and craftsmen who aspire to host a television show.

Does this have the appeal of American Idol? Probably not, but I can see a lot of designers tuning in to gauge the competition and measure themselves.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Portable lighting

Courtney Mueller writes in Casual Living,

Outdoor lighting has evolved over the past five years, resulting in the creation of more elegant, sophisticated tabletop lamps for outdoor. Weatherproof shades, cords and bases combine to round out the outdoor living experience.

One Company singled out is this lamp from Frederick Cooper, a vendor supplying Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery.

The Thatcher teak lamp from Frederick Cooper stands with a square baluster shape complemented by black marble accents and a beeswax round stretch shade.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

In Step & In Style

Don't miss this article by Erin Hoover Barnett in "inPORTLAND": Uptown style, downtown address/Victoria Taylor keeps The Mercantile fashion-forward amid change, including an impending move.

At Christmas time all the presents were wrapped for the family, Mike's Mom and Dad, our daughters and the grandkids, my Mom and Dad and my brothers and sisters. Now it was our time. We went downtown and the first place we stopped was The Mercantile on the corner of 7th and Park. Mike found a sweater for me in a style unlike any I had ever seen in a wonderful gray-brown color. It fit perfectly and I could dress it up, wear it to work or dress it down and wear it with jeans. We asked the very helpful sales woman to hold it for us while we continued shopping.

Mike looked across the street at the big hole in the ground and then saw the Virginia Cafe up the block next to The Merc and said that Tom Moyers new highrise will be taking out this block. He wondered how long The Merc will be at this location and where they will move.

Barnett's article gives us a history of the store and owner Victoria Taylor. Victoria is one year older than me. She was born in 1949. She bought the store in 1975, at 25. Don't worry about losing The Mercantile to progress. The PDC is wooing her to stay downtown and has invited her to partake of low-interest loans.

Victoria Taylor's advice on Suceeding as a shop owner:

* The store is an extension of yourself.
* Know your customer by spending a lot of time on the floor.
* Listen to what your customer wants.
* Believe in what you are selling.
* Be able to wear every hat that business requires.
* Build good relationships with your vendors.
* Learn how to sell.
* You must be able to invest the hours to make it a success.
* Remember, it's not a museum; the clothes have to go out the door.

The last thing we did that night shopping was to stop back in to The Mercantile. The special sweater was waiting and my husband added it to his Christmas presents for me.

I've already circled Victoria's picks for spring and The Mercantile can expect a visit soon:

Lightweight trench coat

The new "little" dress (Hint: It's not black)

Dolman-sleeve tunic top

Straight-leg jean, white for sure

Extra-long tanks and T-shirts

At-the-knee shorts

Lacoste polo shirt, the new fit (longer, more buttons)

Flirty skirt

Multistrand bracelets and hoop earrings

Extra-wide belt

Missoni anything, for the color -- Victoria Taylor (as translated by fashion apprentice Erin Hoover Barnett

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Kitchen Remodel in Dolph Park

Ruth Mullen has an article about how Caryn Urata of Arciform worked with Peter and Mary Osterberg, inspired by Art Deco graphics, to update a 50s kitchen in Dolph Park.

Mary and Peter Osterberg lived with their functional but oh-so-'50s kitchen for four years before they felt ready to remodel. Then, it seemed, everything just fell into place; their prized Art Deco table and chairs, for instance, which they discovered at a local vintage store. Photo by Marv Bondarowicz THE OREGONIAN

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget A Otto: Sliding Into Loft Design

Bridgett A Otto has an interesting article about Gary Lee and Jack Messick founders of ConstructaVision and the use sliding barnlike doors in lofts to solve the problem of privacy for their clients.

Ann Laman of Soderberg Laman Designers came to them asking for a sliding barnlike door that would make a bedroom area private...

[...]

(Lee and Messick) found that making the sliders out of frosted glass allowed light to pass through without compromising privacy. By not using a floor track, they avoided any sign of a retracted door, save for the frame it hangs from.

SCREENPLAY: Sliding doors close off a bedroom from the living space in Ed Tonkin's loft in the Eliot Tower. The design of the door echoes the glass-and-metal design of the loft's expansive windows. Marv Bondarowicz THE OREGONIAN

[...]

The two men, both native Oregonians, seem half shocked by the demand for their sliding doors and how it has led them to develop other loft furnishings that emphasize efficient use of space.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget Otto Thursday on Saturday

On Bridget A Otto Thursday, our friend Julie DeJardin was featured in Otto's Going With The Flow.

David Hyser and Nancy Werner sought a lifestyle change and "engineered" a move to Portland from Chicago in 2004.

Their realtor was "horrified" at their choice of house to purchase due to its "issues":

There was no flow between the kitchen and the living/dining room. Homemade built-in shelving crowded the living area. Flooring changed from tile at the entry to carpet in the living/dining room to laminate in the kitchen. A dropped ceiling and poor use of space made the kitchen uninviting. Poor-quality window casings detracted from the windows in the living/dining room.

The couple interviewed a number of interior designers and found that Julie DeJardin fit them the best "because they felt confident she would listen to them."

Isn't that one of the most important things in working with people? Our clients want to know that we are listening and have empathy with them. That doesn't mean we give up control over the process, but we let them know how the solution we propose fits with their needs as they expressed them.

"This whole space now is contemporary and minimalist and engaging," says DeJardin. "It is now more simple and more beautiful."

Hyser and Werner agree.

"We're thrilled," Werner says.

And that's the goal of a good designer.

Julie DeJardin OWNER: DeJardin Design
YEARS IN BUSINESS: 15
SPECIALTY: Kitchens and baths
STYLE TOUCH: "I really work to personalize the space to the individual," DeJardin says.
CONTACT: 1500 S.W. Fifth Ave., Portland; 503-768-4540; www.dejardin.net

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Storage Beds

We received a call the other day from a woman seeking a bed with drawers underneath, a storage bed. This article by Amanda Somers caught my eye:

Talking of beds, there are times we all crave for more space to store everyday bedroom articles. You know, those heavy blankets, matching curtains, cushions and the like.

Storage beds fit the practical ideals of viability and functionality and serve the purpose of small spaces to near perfection. ...a neat and tidy bedroom is the dream of almost every home.

We found a storage bed at BermanFALK, the Sonoma storage bed. It is solid birch with dove-tailed self closing drawers. It also comes in a variety of finishes and in three sizes.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Floors and furniture... made from cow manure

We are all for "Green", however I'm a little concerned if this gets wet!

Home-buyers of tomorrow could find themselves walking across floors made from manure.

That's no cow pie-in-the-sky dream, according to researchers at Michigan State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

They say fiber from processed and sterilized cow manure could take the place of sawdust in fiberboard, which is used to make everything from furniture to flooring to store shelves.

And the resulting product smells just fine.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + design Gallery

Haunted Furniture

I was checking out furniture blogs and came across this chair, perfect for Halloween. I thought I'd seen about everything!



I don't know if they will accept COM. Hat tip to Cool And Modern Furniture.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Hot products in High Point

Courtney Mueller in Casual Living outlines some of the hot products at High Point:

This month marks the first early start for the High Point Market, held March 26-April 1 in High Point, N.C. The change doesn't have any effect on the variety of outdoor products featured at the show. From outdoor lighting to full-scale casual furniture collections, there will be plenty to see in the Furniture Capital.

Several vendors whose furniture is carried at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery are singled out:

Part of the Outdoorables line of outdoor lighting, Frederick Cooper's The Golden Stalk lamp is crafted from unique porcelain with hand-painted Tuscan leaves over black marble, topped with a sesame fabric round stretch shade.

Palecek's Al Fresco Marina Collection features a unique variegated gray and brown finish over an all-weather weave.

CBK's garden-style bench, formed with wire and iron, has an antique gold finish with a scroll design, creating an elegant piece for the outdoors.

Bev & Mike

Rowe Furniture Back In Action

From FURNITUREToday,

Last market, buyers were shying away from long-established Rowe, reluctant to place orders with a company that had filed for bankruptcy protection and was widely believed to be looking at liquidation.

This market, the 60-year-old midpriced upholstery producer, acquired by a high-powered investment company with close ties to the furniture industry, is back in action with new money behind it and a whole new attitude.

Stefanie Lucas, named last week as president of Rowe, said that new product is available,

including a collection in its Robin Bruce line from designers outside the industry, who were commissioned...to put a fresh face on Rowe’s offerings.

The designers, Silvano Banfi, Frank Zambrelli and Banfi Zambrelli, have designed for such fashion-forward companies as Judith Leiber, Calvin Klein and Coach. The group has never done furniture and approached the task like it was a big, empty canvas, Lucas said.

Lucas said it helps to be a woman as president of Rowe, because she is a target customer of Rowe's marketing.

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery carries Rowe, with its lower price point, as a complement to Sherrill and Duralee.

Bev & Mike

Fundamental Southwest

From Home Accents Today,

Color and texture capture the essence of the Southwest, while contemporary designs keep things clean and simple for urban living.

* A desert-inspired, burnt earth palette carries the look without added adornment or fuss.

* Subtle animal inspirations and rustic touches replace overt references to the region’s culture.

* Natural wood grains and unpolished materials keep the look from becoming overly refined.

One company singled out is The Phillips Collection:

Reclaimed wood and vines take on the appearance of sun-bleached animal bone in Driftwood Decor sculptures from The Phillips Collection.

You can see more at The Phillips Collection website or at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery on the corner of NW 15th and Savier.

Bev & Mike

BERMANFALK: New At Market

Phi, The Golden Ratio

Designers use Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese practice of placement and arrangement of space to achieve harmony with the environment. Some designers are, also using "Phi", a mathematical concept, a ratio, an aesthetically pleasing proportion of one length to another.

Phi is the ratio that results when a line is divided in one particular way. That ratio is sometimes called the golden ratio, the divine proportion or the signature of God because the resulting proportions are so aesthetically pleasing and show up again and again in nature.

Picture a line divided into two segments.



If the line is divided at exactly the right point according to phi, then the ratio of the longer segment to the shorter one is exactly the same as the ratio of the whole line to the longer segment. In our illustration, the proportions of the red and blue segments are exactly the same as the proportions of the whole line and the red segment.

Inscribing a square in a golden rectangle leaves another golden rectangle. Setting up quarter circles in each of the squares create very nice spirals

The Akron Beacon Journal has an article about two designers using phi in their space planning.

Phi, they say, yields interiors that are more calming and inviting than any arrangement they could devise themselves.

Interior designers study phi in their basic course work.

A good interior designer -- one who's trained in design, not just a decorator -- will incorporate phi into the proportions of a room.

"One of the reasons phi works...is it results in arrangements with a pleasing kind of asymmetry."

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Phi Golden Ratio Interior Design Bev & Mike

The dangers of watching design TV

Karla Hollencamp of Cox News Service writes about the dangers of watching design TV. They make it look easy on the "make-over TV prgrams, so before you begin a project ask your self some questions:

Do I have the time?

Any serious remodeling project takes more than a couple of weekends.

Do I have the tools?

Do I have the talent?

Carpentry, electrical work and plumbing require special skills. Interior design isn’t just picking a paint colour. Custom upholstery doesn’t just happen. These professions are a combination of knowledge and experience.

Do I have the treasury?

Hollencamp writes

Your mistakes will not only cost you time, they will cost you money. If you are trying to save money, this is frustrating.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

ABCs of interior design for children

Kip Farmer writes an informative article at Courier Press entitled ABCs of interior design for children. She He writes

The challenge of creating a child's personal space is among the most freeing of all design experiences.

Approach your child's space as a designer with a very special client. Observe your child playing, ask her questions, and remember when you were a child yourself. A little childlike thinking will lead to a unique space. By all means, think outside the toy box when decorating this important area.

She He offers a number "ABCs" for decorating a child's room and here are a few of my favorites.

• Framing your child's artwork adds color and motion into the space, while building a little self-esteem and pride in his room.

• Quit buying sets of furniture for your child's room. Mix styles to develop a more individual space.

• Walls are (sooner or later) made to be scribbled on, so paint a few with chalkboard paint to make an appropriate area for this creative impulse.

Read Mr. Farmer's article for all 26 tips.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Rustic Bedding Designs

Home Accents today highlights Pendleton Woolen Mills.

Sparked by a nostalgic, back-to-nature sentiment, designers are inspired by native cultural styles and embracing indigenous materials. Rustic bedding designs, inspired by traditional Navajo weaving, highlight the vibrant palette and rich textures of the old Southwest.

In a lively collection from Pendleton Woolen Mills, coral and turquoise come together to create a fresh Southwestern look in the traditional Los Ojos style.

Always nice to see an Oregon company get noticed!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget A Otto: Function Sans Formality

Bridget A Otto writes that the Teri Barichello, owner of a Lair Hill Condo, hires Amanda Klash, owner and principal designer of Montgomery Klash Interior Design and Emma McMacken a designer at the firm to help with the functions of a dual living and dining room

while also making the room comfortable for both entertaining and solitary relaxation. It's also likely that Barichello won't stay in the condo and that furnishings will have a future life in a larger space.

Klash and McMacken worked with shape and texture:

Differing heights and textures keep the room interesting and the eye moving from one thing to another.

The squarish furnishings are offset by round tables and round lampshades. In the square dining area, for example, Klash placed a round dining table on a square rug. Small round occasional tables are tucked among the larger seating pieces.

"The eye has to find things," McMacken says, and this can be a challenge in a small space.

What I picked up from the article was the idea that we get used to seeing a space a certain way and get closed off to alternative ways. A designer can help see things in a new way. Teri Barichello said,

"I have lived for YEARS with nearly no furniture. I was so accustomed to an empty space that the night I got home after the furniture came, I almost had a breakdown. It was overwhelming. The pieces I had been most excited about were the pieces that, once delivered, I had the most doubt about."

Klash was leaving on vacation the next day and asked Barichello to please live with the change for more than one night. When she returned, Klash promised, she'd fix anything Barichello still didn't like.

"She was absolutely right," Barichello says now. "I just needed to get used to seeing 'things' in what used to be one very empty space.

The design firm is located in its retail shop, MKID, at 1111 S.W. Alder St.; 503-224-7797 www.montgomeryklash.com.

Mark Stewart Home Design

Congrats to Mark Stewart Home Design of Portland!

Mark Stewart Home Design of Portland partnered with the national ABC television program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" to design a home free of charge for the family of an Army veteran in Lawton, Okla. The show will air Sunday, April 15, at 8 p.m. on KATU (2).

Company president Mark Stewart met with the home recipients, Gene and Peggy Westbrook, before designing their Prairie-style house with four bedrooms and 4.5 baths in about 4,000 square feet.

The family has special accessibility needs. Gene Westbrook lost the use of his legs after being wounded in 2004 during a mortar attack in Iraq. The Westbrooks' 9-year-old son, injured in a 2006 auto accident, is partially paralyzed.

Ron Nance, a builder for the Oklahoma project, expressed his admiration for Stewart's design.

"The home is beautiful, and phenomenally functional for the Westbrooks' needs," said Nance. "We were told over and over by the cast and crew this was their favorite home."

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Sleeping Alone

For years society has struggled with a name for two same sex adults committed to each other. Is it "marriage" or "civil union" or something else. Now the NY Times has highlighted another conundrum. What do you call the room where couples go to "cuddle" who are married but do not sleep together?

In a story To Have, Hold and Cherish, Until Bedtime,

Not since the Victorian age of starched sheets and starchy manners, builders and architects say, have there been so many orders for separate bedrooms. Or separate sleeping nooks. Or his-and-her wings.

[...]

In a survey in February by the National Association of Home Builders, builders and architects predicted that more than 60 percent of custom houses would have dual master bedrooms by 2015, according to Gopal Ahluwalia, staff vice president of research at the builders association. Some builders say more than a quarter of their new projects already do.

Most couples are not giving up sex, but can't sleep together because of snoring or different schedules or babies crying or just can't sleep in the same room.

Not everyone wants to talk about it. Many architects and designers say their clients believe there is still a stigma to sleeping separately. Some developers say it is a delicate issue and call the other bedroom a “flex suite” for when the in-laws visit or the children come home from college. Charles Brandt, an interior designer in St. Louis, said, “The builder knows, the architect knows, the cabinet maker knows, but it’s not something they like to advertise because right away people will think something is wrong” with the marriage.

Maybe instead of master suite they are "owners’ suites" or "couples’ realms". Sure, you might sleep better at night, alone, but I like my husband's warm body next to me on those cold nights and I like to be able to say something to him in the middle of the night when I know he's awake. If he's away from home, I can't sleep with my back to the door.

Besides, I didn't marry until I was 41. I've had enough of sleeping alone, thank you!

In a related story BBC writes that Bed sharing with your mate 'drains men's brains'. What an unfortunate choice of words.



Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

It's interior designers, not decorators

From The Triangle Online of Drexel University

In this era of Home and Garden Television, in addition to the current trend in home improvement, people have adopted what they think to be interior design based on the common misconceptions shown on TV. In actuality, these shows, though entertaining, are demeaning to the design profession and undermine the amount of knowledge and know-how that is actually involved in interior design. It is a profession that requires knowledge, skill and experience in all aspects of an interior space, including technical components, aesthetics, safety, function and ergonomics. Unfortunately, these shows communicate interior design as merely selecting fabrics and furniture - what is called decorating.

In fact, your fellow interior design students are striving to become much more than decorators, but professional interior designers. A professional designer has received adequate education, four years or more, which allows them to possess the expertise and aptitude to develop and carry through with acceptable solutions to problems in interiors. They must conform to federal, state and local laws, including building codes, and meet accessibility standards for the disabled and elderly.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

The Perils of Moving

Here's a laugh. Qwest handles our phone, fax, visa and computer lines at our Macadam location of Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery. We are moving to the Pearl so I called Qwest to switch service to the new location, figuring March 1st would be the day we switch over, but since I didn't know when exactly we would be in, I wanted service to be at both locations.

As the first got nearer, I moved the date off to March 8th. I met the Qwest Tech at the new location yesterday and lo and behold, the hookup comes into the building at the wrong location. I would have to speak to an engineer to determine if the big, ugly heavy line was run on the inside of the building or, my preference, the outside of the building. Away the Qwest Tech went saying the engineer would call.

Not to make things worse, but we have only temporary power because when PGE came out to hook up the power two or three weeks ago, they found the pole was rotten and a new one would have to be installed in 30 to 60 days. This morning, I arrived at the Macadam address, picked up the phone to make a call and the phone indicates it is out of service. I called my number from my cell phone and hear that I am disconnected. That is not the outcome I expected from Qwest!

To be fair, I called their 800 Number "to discuss your current service and find out what else we can do to help your business grow." After much forwarding, I talked to a Todd who said the service would be restored within the half hour. (You know how we all hate those telephone receptions that give you numbered choice after numbered choice. Even Qwest techies trying to reach another department have to listen to that stuff.) Then I spoke to the engineer about getting a terminal to the building, whatever that means.

So Mike is waiting by our phone at home to hear that Macadam is back up and operating.

Bev & Mike

Condos and Small Spaces

News about condos and small spaces caught my eye these last two days.



Pearl District Monthly shows 179 Condos in January/February are sold or pending sale or in late stage of selling.

Seattle Journal of Commerce has this article

While many people gravitate to a particular condominium development because of its exterior architecture or fabulous location, it is the interior design that should really be the focus.

In smaller units, interior designers focus on an open-plan concept.

The focus is on minimizing walls and enclosures to maximize the feeling of openness and spaciousness. This concept is also successful in two-bedroom homes, where one bedroom is treated as a flexible space with a movable partition or sliding panels that connect with the larger great room living space.

In larger residences, the bedroom and bath can be used to create

a feeling of retreat within the residence, a personal oasis for homeowners to keep out of sight from visitors.

Then Home Decorating Reviews has an article about Decorating Small Living Rooms and I thought some of the tips were very useful:

* Keep it bright
o Use natural light if it is available, and hanging lights or chandeliers or sun lights if not but keep the room as bright as possible

* Keep it open
o Whenever possible use the space efficiently leaving easy access in and out of the room in the direction of flow you wish to encourage

* Make a focal point
o If you have a focus such as a large picture, a fireplace or a window make that a focus to help expand the room into that ‘space’ and draw attention away from the limited size of the room

* Use light and airy colors
o Using dark woods and darker shades will make the room feel ‘closed in’ while neutrals and shades of white or café’ or even yellow whenever appropriate will lighten the room and make what would be stifling feel ‘cozy’ instead

* Avoid Clutter
o Most important in a small space is to avoid clutter or crowding in to many items or pieces

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery is moving to the Pearl Design Center at 1636 NW 15th. We have scheduled the movers for March 15th!

Bev & Mike

The Latest Look in Mirrors

Tracy Bulla writes Wall Decor: Riveting Reflections in todays Home Accents Today:

Get ready to be dazzled by the latest looks in mirrors. A neutral palette and dramatic frames render stunning styles, whether traditional or transitional.

One example Bulla uses of this new trend in mirrors is this Uttermost design:


Dainty rosettes accentuate the classical style of Uttermost's antiqued mirror, finished in distressed silver leaf with black undertones.

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery is proud to carry the Uttermost brand of lamps and accessories.

Bev & Mike

SE Portland Art Walk

I hope this isn't too late, you do have five hours:

...the SE Area ARTWalk...March 3rd and 4th from 10-5. Start your walk at David Duck's house at 3550 SE Tibbetts and pick up your map for the other 80 artists. You can also plan your walk...preview the art online...or print a map at www.seportlandartwalk.com.

David Duck has some great new photographic water images that are well worth seeing in person.

Looks like a great day for a walk.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

A Resurgence of White

Recently, I was quoted by Bridget Otto in an article, Pink has punch -- or does it? at predicting the new color(s)

Taking her shot at predicting color, (Bev) Landfair votes for white.

"I'm seeing a resurgence of white -- especially in contemporary furnishings," she said.

Interior designer Kimberlee Jaynes just added some new photos of the Lee residence and guess what's featured, white!



What a lovely place to live and such a view.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget Otto Thursday

Once again on Thursday, Bridget A. Otto delivers an interesting article about the use of color and texture. She interviewed Stephanie Ness and Erin Davis of Mosaik Design about the use of color and texture in a kitchen remodel. "Variations kept the room from being boring", said Ness.

Michelle Rolens of Neil Kelly Co. says people tend to go for the monochronmatic because it's safe.

Diane Plesset of D.P. Design and Publishing says, "Using color and texture requires rhythm."

Designer Nancy Mitchell of Nancy Mitchell Interiors says people make a mistake by adding too many colors. She suggests creating a more generic backdrop of earthy colors that can be accessorized today, tomorrow or later, but still look current.

The article is called Bold Harmony and offers some interesting perspectives.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Bridget A. Otto Mosaik Design Diane Plesset Nancy Mitchell
Bev & Mike

Citrus Punch

From Casual Living by Courtney Mueller

Perfect for the summer months outdoors, stripes, solids and a variety of patterns are brought to life in colors such as watermelon pink, lime green, bright yellow and more. Perfect to decorate furniture by the beach and along the coast, these fabrics pack a colorful punch, bringing to mind the sand, surf and sea.

Two examples of the trend are by Duralee which is carried at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery:


Duralee. 14248-642 in Daiquiri. 100% acrylic.


Duralee. 14261-601 in shades of green. 100% acrylic.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Our Search For A New Location

In January of 2006, Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery celebrated its fourth year in business. We had sublet 2,000 square feet plus some warehouse space from Macadam Carpet in Sept, 2001. A prime location on Macadam Avenue, between downtown and Lake Oswego, near South Waterfront, next to Starbucks and Martin Scott Fine Furniture all with plenty of parking. We began to think we should expand. We had no impetus to start looking for alternatives and really, in the back of our mind, thought Macadam might make another 1,000 square feet available to us that would be carved out of their space. Then Brett, owner of Macadam Carpets called me in and said, "Bev, we are running out of space and we might like to have your space. No hurry, but you might start looking."

We had initially signed a three year lease, but it lately had been year to year, with each business requiring notice of impending change by the other. Then Martin Scott went out of business so we took a look at their space and liked what we saw, but they required a minimum 8,000 sq. ft. in front and someone was looking at it anyway and that left 4,000 sq. ft. in the back. The back part had very little display windows, very little parking and a terrible delivery situation. We hired Jack H. Gallagher, III and J.J. Unger of commercial real estate broker, Norris, Beggs & Simpson and began our search.

One of the first places we looked at was a building just south of us that was formerly occupied by Healthy Legs. The rent was reasonable, we wouldn't need much in Tenant Improvements (TI) and we could even buy the building. It was fully occupied and the space available was 4,500 sq ft. However, the more we looked at the more we realized that designers could park there, but would have to exit the parking lot by backing out onto busy Macadam, and there was no way to receive deliveries except by parking the truck on Macadam and block one whole lane. Rejected!

We had a budget in mind for rent. We didn't want to pay more than $5,000 a month or $15 a sq ft. That eliminated many locations. We looked at the Willamette Week building, just off 23rd, it had parking, the right rent, the right space, the right windows, but inadequate delivery. We looked at a building on Sandy and SE 8th. It had the right space, adequate parking, great windows and great price. We could even team up with friends at Art*Home Company who were looking to downsize. The one problem: it was a welding supply company building, the TI could be open ended because of city requirements, earthquake protection and an owner unwilling to help with any of the improvements and they didn't want to sell.

We looked at a building at the end of NW 14th. We called it the Halloween building because it was painted orange. The rent was right, parking was iffy, windows were great, it was near Kravet and Goldsmith's and it was for sale or lease. The big problem was the owners wanted to lease the whole thing and the building was 6,400 square feet, that meant $10,000 a month. Art*Home Company could take 1,400 sq ft, but that would mean their rent would double and we would still have a second story to rent out.

Initially we wanted to remain on Macadam, but we would consider the eastside near CFM or the Pearl because of accessibility. We even considered for a moment a location on Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy. that used to be a interior designer's furniture store. In the beginning of our search, we heard about the Pearl Design Center which represents an extension of the Pearl District to I-405 and to Naito Parkway.

The Pearl Design's initial phase offered up to 9,000 sq ft with a minimum of 3,000 sq ft. The whole block was taken up by a welding supply company and going to be restyled to accomodate retail and the design community. The more we talked with our clients the more we heard, "I'm in the Pearl area almost every day." Or we heard how out of the way our Macadam location was or we heard how easy it was to get to the Pearl from almost anywhere, because of the freeways. That cinched it! We asked Jack and J.J to begin lease negotiantions with Tami Wood and Mark Madden at WDC Properties.

Tomorrow Lease negotiations and decorating.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Environmental Building Supplies

There can be disagreement about global warming and its causes, but there is no denying the Green Movement. Our bookkeeper, Helen Pilgrim, sends us a note about Slatescape, EcoCem and Paper StoneCounter tops. She says she first heard about it in the Oregonian Home & Gardens section. "I don't know how this compares to granite, but it looks great."


shown: Obsidian Bar Closeup

Slatescape and EcoCem are cement-based materials that are heat-resistant and have a casual, natural look. This man-made stone is manufactured in large sheets, and custom fabricated for each installation. It is available in a range of colors and thicknesses. Fabricated, finished and installed slatescape costs between $85.00 - $125.00/sf.



An innovative material that is manufactured in the Northwest, PaperStone is made using a proprietary blend of post consumer recycled paper and resin. PaperStone is sold by the slab (1"x30"x10') for $975.00, or can be fabricated, finished and installed for between $85.00 - $125.00/sf.

The products are either sold, manufactured or both at Environmental Building Supplies (EBS) who bills itself as a local and regional source of environmentally sound building products.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Environment Green Bev & Mike

Color in 2007

On Bridget Otto Thursday, the topic is color and pink in particular, in Pink has punch -- or does it? Is "Pink" the color of the year, 2007? Glidden thinks so when a press release says "pink is causing 'quite a stir among designers and homeowners alike'." Otto asks, Is it really?"

... although pink does seem to be popping up in clothing accents and midcentury modern furniture design, it's anyone's guess whether the color experts' prediction of pink -- "a truly worthy renaissance of a colour so long constrained" -- will catch on.

Otto quotes the Color Marketing Group and they see different colors for 2007:

* softer, more botanical greens inspired by nature.
* true blues from nature will be everywhere.
* the colors of rock and stone and soil.
* Deep, rich ethnic reds and warm, glow-y oranges
* No mention of pink.

Otto talked with interior designer Kimberly Jaynes

Not afraid of unusual and bright colors -- "In the Northwest, we need color" -- Jaynes used hot pink in a home in the Pearl about four years ago. It was a shocking pink, she says, that she tempered with chocolate brown and mixed in some blues and greens.

and Otto quoted yours truly,

Bev Landfair with Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery isn't exactly thrilled about softer pinks making their way back. They're hard to work with, she says, and remind her of the last time pink was big.

"You get that poodle feeling."

Taking her shot at predicting color, Landfair votes for white.

"I'm seeing a resurgence of white -- especially in contemporary furnishings," she said. "

In another article in today's Homes & Gardens, Bridget A. Otto visits the home of Bob and Stevie Burke.

It took more than two years to create the Burkes' home on the property they bought six years ago. The original structure, a three-story cabin, was demolished -- save for part of the entryway and some of the framework -- and removed from the hillside nearly piece by piece before the site could be excavated.

Just look at the front door. It reminds me of doors we saw in Florence, Italy.

The photo taken by Marv Bondarowicz shows the front door found in India

I noticed that Stevie credits interior designer Karol Niemi "...for infusing the house with color."

Bev & Mike

Duralee Fine Furniture acquires Owners Select

Duralee Fine Furniture, owned by high-end fabric supplier Duralee, has acquired the assets of upscale upholstery producer Owners Select.

Bruce Narolis, former president of Owners Select, has joined Duralee Fine Furniture as director of manufacturing.

Owners Select, which relocated its production this month from High Point to Duralee’s 180,000-square-foot facility in Morganton, N.C., features kiln-dried hardwood frames, eight-way hand-tied seat suspension, premium fiber back cushions and throw pillows, as well as exposed mahogany, European beech and maple.



Owners Select, now a separate division within Duralee, will continue to operate under its own name. Its product will be sold exclusively to the trade through its sales representatives.

Robin Gordon, director of marketing and advertising for Duralee, said the Owners Select brand is “poised to reach a larger, high-end clientele and is the perfect complement to Duralee and Highland Court fabrics.”

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery is proud to carry the Duralee Furniture line along with Duralee fabrics.

Bev & Mike

It's Official. Landfair Moving!

The Pearl Design Center is the newest addition to the growing
Home Design area in the northern end of the Pearl District. With over 47,000+ sf, it's a great location for retailers, showrooms, and studios specializing in home furnishing and design.

At this time we'd like to announce the first Tenant to Pearl Design
Center: Landfair Furniture & Design Gallery. Currently located on Macadam, Landfair Furniture & Design (Gallery) showcases high end furniture and home furnishing lines, and is a favorite of local Interior Designers. Pearl Design Center is proud to be their new home.

Pearl Design Center is being completed in phases, with just over 6,000 sf currently ready for Tenant Improvements. An additional 18,500 sf is being pre-leased, with 15,000sf slated for completion in Spring 2007, and 13,500 sf, slated for completion in Summer 2007.

For more information call or email.

Tami Wood
WDC Properties
1205 NW 14th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
(503)221-2900 phone
(503)223-2567 fax
twood@wdcproperties.com

We are very happy to be almost doubling our size and are looking forward to being near other designer destinations.

The new address is 1636 NW 15th, Portland, OR 97209

Bev & Mike

R.I.P. Ed Zieg

Our friend Charles Edward "Ed" Zieg, born in 1941, husband of interior designer Nancy Zieg, died this past week of lung cancer. Ed was a tall drink of water, a good ole boy and we loved his wry sense of humor. Mike and I are happy we got to know Ed over dinners with Nancy.

About two years ago, while out walking with Nancy, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He had it checked and doctors discovered lung cancer on a lobe of his lung. He had it removed and underwent chemo and hoped they had the cancer licked. A subsequent checkup by the doctor last summer found that the cancer had returned. This time the doctors didn't give him much time to live. We will miss him and miss the dinners we could have had together. Our hearts go out to Nancy and their four children and their extended family.

A celebration of his life will be held at 1:00, Tuesday Jan 16th, at Adams Chapel in River View Funeral Home on SW Taylors Ferry Rd.

Bev & Mike

Updated 12:45 on 1/14/07

Artichokes At Risk!

One of my favorite sights is to be in QFC or Fred Meyer and see Artichokes 10 for $10! I get my Mike to put one on a 5:30 PM in a pan of boiling water with some special herbs and olive oil. About 7:30, I am ready for a "prickly" feast. That's what Mike calls them, as in, "Do you want me to fix you a "prickly" for dinner?"


I read today that the cold arctic air that passed through Portland is now as far south as the Artichoke fields in Castroville, California and the farmers are working hard to save the crop from the cold.

...beefed-up field crews raced Thursday to behead the prickly buds before Mother Nature leaves them rotten to the core.

The stakes are high. At Ocean Mist Farms, a grower whose name is synonymous with this 'choke-crazy town of 7,000, they're bracing for more than just a frigid weekend.

``We expect to lose as much as $1.5 million if we freeze,'' said vice president Dale Huss, who's bracing for temperatures in the low-to-mid 20s today and possibly through Sunday.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Artichokes Castroville, CA Bev & Mike

Barware: Alluring Accessories

From Home Accents Today by Tracy Bulla:

Eye-popping accents stock the bar this season with the emphasis firmly on chic. Decorative trays, wine stoppers and ice buckets boast animal prints and lavishly shimmering metallics to amp up the glam and glitz.

One of the vendors featured is this accessory from Global Views:

Picante Red trim spices up the retro hexagonal frame of Global Views' walnut trays and coasters

Global Views is a featured vendor at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery.

Bev & Mike

Global Views BarwareAccessories Bev & Mike

Voluptuous Vines

From Casual Living:

The graceful, meandering lines of the vine come front and center in home accents this season. Equal parts rustic and sophisticated, vines are showcased in ultra-modern prints or classical translations. The real thing also gathers steam in other interpretations, feeding into the eco chic, renewable resource movement. Whatever the case, vine-themed designs are heavy on style and substance.

An example of "voluptuous vines" from Palecek:

Palecek's dimensional Vine wall art is crafted of all-natural, renewable resources for an eco-friendly alternative that packs plenty of style.

Palecek is featured at Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery.

Bev & Mike

Palecek vine-themed designs Vines Bev & Mike