North of Northwest Lovejoy

The newest "it" neighborhood in Portland is NoLo. That stands for North of Lovejoy. It runs from north of lovejoy to the river and west to 20th. It's the Pearl, but across I-405 to 20th. It's the only place left to build. Mix writes in the October issue the area "was considered the next big thing. Then the bottom dropped out. Businesses suffered from a lack of foot traffic..."

But there are some interesting things happening. The Pearl District Business Alliance (PDBA) has formed a group that will bring the merchants and real estate owners together to promote the area using all their social networking skills.

Mix says there are new restaurants going in. There's Wine Unwind that took over the space vacated by Vinideus at 1019 NW 11th. "Drop by on weekend evenings, when bluegrass and jazz combos offer live music."

There's Via Delizia, 1105 NW Marshall - gelato, neighborhoodcoffee shop and lunch spot - at night illuminated lanterns make you feel as if you are in Sienna.

MetroVino, a new bistro and wine bar, opened this year in the D.F. space at 1139 NW 11th.

Little Green Grocer is at 1101 NW Northrup, on the streetcar line. "Eat Well, Drink Well, Be Well" is the motto on the window.

Then there's Bridge Port Brewpub &Bakery, 1313 NW Marshall. The "transformation from warehouse to upscale neighborhood" has happened at the brewpub in a remodeling that save s the best of the old. It's where we meet.

You will see more more happening in the NoLo. Stay tuned and come visit.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery
We love it in NoLo across from the new Magnum Opus, arriving in late October.

Don Draper's Furniture on "Mad Men"

Are you a fan of "Mad Men" like we are? It is such an eye opener to see how just a little over 40 years ago, men were such smokers, drinkers, double-standard chauvinists. It's fun to see how the role of women has changed radically since those days in the early sixties.

You may be wondering where the show got some of the furniture seen in Don Draper's office.

Not everything on the "Mad Men"set is genuine 1960s vintage Manhattan. The sofa, chairs and coffee table in Don Draper's office are made in Los Angeles by Futurama. Owner Jeffrey Perry, who began selling vintage furniture in 1986 and has since reproduced classics in the manner of William Haines and Vladimir Kagan, created the Boxy sofa ...with a nod to the late Southern California designer Milo Baughman.

Interior Design with Color Contrast - Better.tv

Here's an interview of interior designer Libby Langdon about adding color. Interior Design with Color Contrast - Better.tv

If you are an interior designer, take a look at how she markets herself and her website Libby Langdon Homepage.

The Miche Bag!

Here's a departure from furniture, but it's right in there as far as frugal and fashionable, the Miche Bag. Here's a video that shows how the handbag works

Explore The Pearl Ad

See our ad in today's Explore The Pearl magazine



Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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B, Smith Teams With Hammary

Hammary, a La-Z-Boy subsidiary and carried by Landfair Furniture, will introduce a new line of licensed case goods as part of the B. Smith Home Collection at next month's High Point Market.

The introduction, part of lifestyle expert, television personality and restaurateur Barbara Smith's line of home furnishings, will include around 34 pieces for occasional, bedroom and dining room.

The B. Smith look embodies contemporary design inspired by transcultural influences that merge eclectic style with ethnic influences that draw their inspiration from Smith's world travels as a model, author and business professional.

Signature items in the collection include a platform bed and coordinating dresser in a luxurious, dark mahogany finish with dramatic, carved accents.

"The bed is a statement piece that is a fusion of Asian, African and Caribbean influences," Smith said. "It epitomizes my vision of blending design with a world view."

We'll have pictures next month.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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20 ways to perk up your home for cheap | Home & Garden | Star-Telegram

20 ways to perk up your home for cheap | Home & Garden | Star-Telegram

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Interior Design 101: how to decorate windows

Interior Design 101: how to decorate windows

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ZGF Has A New Portland Home

Somehow, we've missed this addition to the Portland skyline. Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects (ZGF) has a new home at 12th and Washington and is on track to achieve LEED (NC) Platinum and LEED (CI) Platinum. The new building has wind turbines on the roof that will generate 1% of the building's energy needs. Those turbines were mounted in mid-August.

Other sustainable features include a 6,000-sq.-ft. terrace and eco-roof that serves to mitigate storm water and reduce the building's heat island effect. Office ventilation mainly is achieved through a combination of an Underfloor Air Distribution System (UFAD) and natural ventilation. The system provides individual control through adjustable diffusers at each workstation. Passive chilled beams will aid in cooling on particularly hot days. Passive chilled beams are perforated metal panels mounted near the ceiling and chilled with cold water tubing.

The new mixed-use building not only will house ZGF, but will have street-level retail space, four floors of office space (for ZGF) and 17 floors of residential living space.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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Block 90 Wins!

Not to be missed! During an evening ceremony at NW Natural on August 26th, The Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland announced the 2009 NW Natural Street of Dreams award recipients.

Realtor’s Choice Awards
Best of Show: Bedford, 937 Condominiums
Best Interior Design: East Village, Block 90
Best Kitchen: The Manhattan, Block 90
Best Home Furnishings: The Manhattan, Block 90

Professional’s Choice Awards
Best of Show: Maison, 937
Best Interior Design: Maison, 937
Best Master Suite: An Uncommon Life, The Encore
Best Kitchen: Maison, 937
Best Architecture: 937 Condominiums

People’s Choice Awards
Best of Show: Bedford, 937
Best Interior Design:The Manhattan, Block 90/Skywatcher, Waterfront Pearl
Best Kitchen: The Manhattan, Block 90
Best Master Suite: Luster of the Pearl, The Encore

We congratulate Jim Gillespie and architect Don Vallaster of Vallaster and Corl Architects who developed Block 90. Special thanks to Debbie Melville of DM Designs and Dawn O’Shaughnessy of Westside Designs who were the interior designers for both units, The Manhattan and East Village. We are so proud of the work they did. We at Landfair Furniture are happy to be involved with the two designers along with Paul Schatz Furniture in The Manhattan, and Asia America and Cargo for East Village.

Imagine. Block 90 won five of the 12 awards!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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Balcony Bliss

We love the summers in Portland and we love sitting on the deck having dinner in the evening. Even most hot days eventually bring an evening breeze.

If you've visited the condos in the NW Natural Street of Dreams or are planning to visit, notice which urban condos have balconies big enough to furnish with comfort, style and use-ability.
Two buildings stand out: Block 90 and Encore on the Park. It looks like The Encore has decks of about 700 square feet with views of the river and the new park. Block 90 is showing two pent house condos on the fourth floor that have a 1,600 square foot terrace in The Manhattan and 800 square feet in the East Village. There's plenty of room for all kinds of outdoor comfort and great views of the Pearl.

One piece of advice for any buyer of a condo with a balcony or terrace: Weight can be a consideration. Check with your property manager for any building restrictions.

Let's Talk Pillows

I note with interest that Cindy Crawford has teamed up with JC Penney for a debut collection of bedding, bath, window, lighting, accent furniture and decorative accessory items. This item followed a press release last week that Jane Seymour has teamed up with Capel rugs for some new product introductions at World Market in Las Vegas.

Do the stars really design their collections or is done by some nameless designer, a ghost designer if you will, buried in the bowels of JC Penny headquarters?



Pictured above is The 'Indigo Dreams' bedding and window treatments are part of Cindy Crawford's new line for J.C. Penney. The queen comforter set is $179.99 (price will vary). It's available at jcp.com. The line comes to stores Sept. 4.

My husband always asks about the pillows on the bed. When, he asks, did we start to put more pillows on the bed than one uses sleeping? Some beds, at the Street of Dreams had pillows that came out from the headboard to the middle of the bed.

Then there's the stacking of the pillows before turning in. When you get up in the middle of the night, the last thing my husband wants to do is trip over pillows. In the morning the pillows need to be reapplied to the bed. With all that goes on in our busy lives, the time loss due to pillows on some of these beds must be huge.

I always have to trick my husband into helping me with the pillow cases. We have a race of it and I usually beat him. I can't imagine getting him to stand still for tens of pillows. The one area I agree with him about the excess pillows is that time I come home tired from a long day and I just want to flop face down on the bed. The flat space to flop is gone!

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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NW Natural Street of Dreams Magazine Is Online

This is great! Now the whole NW Natural Street of Dreams magazine is on the web. You can read about each condo, see the floor plans, see who helped make it a success by contributing their talent, furniture and accessories to the whole.

If you are not from Portland, take a look at our city and The Pearl. Its a great place to live and work.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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30 Years Of Saving Corks

Mike and I golfed with friends Sandi and Gerry, yesterday. They've sold their house in Forest Heights and are picking up sticks for a move to Scotsdale, Arizona. Guess the winters are finally driving them out of Portland.

While we were eating our burgers at Rock Creek Tavern after golfing at Claremont, Gerry said in getting rid of "stuff", he was not going to get rid of his 30-year collection of wine-bottle corks. We gave him some ideas about their possible use in his new home, but they did not include this idea:

Made from recycled wine corks by Gabriel Wiese, the chair burn a contemporary design.Gabriel Wiese has intelligently used the cork caps of the wine bottles, keeping the shapes intact.I don`t know if you can patient to collect all the corks in order to be able to make new pieces of furniture. via Gabriel Wiese

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery
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The Biedermeier Style

Mike has just written a piece at Home Accents Today about the Biedermeier style, inspired by this sofa from an article in Luxist, The Beauty Of Biedermeier by Deidre Woollard.

Shown above is a rare Biedermeier sofa attributed to the workshop of Josef Danhauser. Danhauser opened Vienna's first high-end home furnishings store. The sofa has walnut veneer and maple inlays and ebonized detailing. This exceptional piece is priced over $50,000.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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Is It Home Yet? Ad

I shared with you information about the new campaign from the furnishing industry and the World Market Center, called Is It Home Yet?

Here's the first ad:


Click to enlarge

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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Art On The Edge, Rhonda Addison

I was given permission to film Rhonda Addison work. I was impressed with her Oregon Landscapes and her other images. In one case she photographed sheep in the Willamette Valley added texture and Psalm 23 in script. That Psalm, The Lord Is My Shepherd, means a lot to me. My father used to read that to me each night before he turned out my light.



Her paintings were displayed in the unfinished spaces in the Pearl Design Center as part of Art On the Edge, presented by Studio Art Direct, in conjunction with First Thursday art crawl in Portland, Oregon.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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Art On The Edge, Mandy Main

Mandy Main gave me permission to film her paintings displayed at the Pearl Design Center in conjunction with First Thursday and Art On the Edge, presented by Studio Art Direct. The artists were invited to display their Oregon landscapes.



I was struck by Mindy's interest in the clouds in Oregon, sometimes high Cirrus, other times big fluffy white Cumulous clouds.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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Art On The Edge, Sidonie Caron

Sidonie Caron gave me permission to make a video of her paintings displayed as part of Art On the Edge, presented by Studio Art Direct, First Thursday. As you can see Caron's art is hung in one of the unfinished spaces in the Pearl Design Center.

Caron has her studio close by and has spent some time looking at the underside of the Fremont bridge, the same view we have when we step out the front door of Landfair Furniture at 15th & NW Savier.



I just love people that find beauty in all that's Portland.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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Art On The Edge, Eric Bowman

Eric Bowman gave me permission to make a video of his art displayed in the unfinished portion of the Pearl Design Center. The occasion was First Thursday's Art On The edge, presented by Studio Art Direct.



Eric painted some familiar scenes, to me native Portlander that I am.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design gallery
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