Whether you’ve been taking steps toward green living or you’re a newbie and want to jump start your efforts and reduce your carbon footprint on earth, one area of opportunity is your toddler’s room. Two interior design instructors from The Art Institutes share how to make your toddler’s room sustainable. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

“It is not your mother’s light bulb anymore. Most of us grew up with the 60-watt light bulb in our lamps and the smaller 40-watt light bulb in the refrigerator. Seniors recall the big silver-tipped bulbs, 200 or 300 watts, that were part of the white ring fixtures in schools. Then, when I was a child I saw a new kind of light, fluorescent tubes, used in schools and work places to save energy and provide even light,” claims Kay Newell (the Light Bulb Lady), owner of Sunlan Lighting, Inc., North... more

If you have read my column more than once, you are well aware that I am a total garden geek. A garden is an ever-changing performance art project. I love a good garden. I also love plants, and I love, love outdoor furniture, and adore how, when done right, it all comes together. So I guess having a career as a garden designer as well as an interior designer was a really obvious choice for me. How lucky am I to get to wallow around in the dirt and get paid for doing it! This is just a preview...Read... more

The Wallace House, above, designed by architect William Whidden in 1888, was the first Colonial Revival-style house built in Portland. Intensively-planted urban gardens and mature street trees give the neighborhood a connection to nature. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

With vintage houses and buildings, the hardware and lighting are architectural “jewelry.” In any renovation or restoration, attention to detail is crucial to a successful outcome. And among the many details, matching the style of hardware to the period of the architecture is critical. Actually, any changes to a vintage or historic house or building need to be considered with regard to what is right for the period of the architecture and the individual building. This is just a preview...Read... more

With all of the high-speed communications available today, it is easy to do research. One topic that seems to be showing itself in parents’ magazines, newspapers, and television shows is lead usage. Studies have shown that lead in our bodies causes harm in many ways. The group that can suffer the most damage are children six and under and pregnant women. Children can have learning difficulties and behavioral problems as a result of lead exposure. Adults are also affected with kidney problems, blood... more

If you’re buying or selling a home, you’ve probably been advised by your realtors to test for radon levels. For the rest of us, though, radon testing probably hasn’t made it onto our home improvement to-do lists. But, according to public health officials and agencies, radon should be at the top of everyone’s list — especially those of us who live in Oregon. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Funny thing about houses — they don’t comprehend that the economy is less than stellar. They still need regular maintenance. January is my time for organizing, cleaning closets, tidying cabinets, and overall rearranging. This creates lots of opportunities to notice all the things I want to fix and update in our home. Unfortunately, with the holidays just finishing and a tight budget, much of our home improvements may need to be put on the back burner for a while. This is just a preview...Read... more