We spend at least a third of our lives in a single room. We turn there for comfort, refuge, and daydreaming. So why don’t we give more thought to our bedrooms? Not to get too personal about it, but it may have something to do with our private and public selves. We give our all to impress and entertain others, so the kitchen and other main floor rooms get our primary focus. But the bedroom is private, and if no one else is going to see it, we may think it unworthy of our attention — to our own... more

I love the idea of using repurposed and recycled materials in my interior projects, but I hate the idea of giving up great style. In my many trips to design markets and gift shows I have found some amazing recycled and repurposed products that are super stylish, easy on the eyes, and easy on the environment. I have managed to find pieces that are the true definition of green, no greenwashing here! One of the main benefits of eco-friendly furniture is that it means less material ends up in the landfill.... more

We recently completed a remodel of the second floor of our 1924 bungalow, which involved reconfiguring 500 sq ft into a master suite with a bath and two closets, a second bedroom, and a reading alcove, all without adding a dormer or changing the roof line. Like many who consider remodeling, we contemplated moving but chose instead to live with dust and contractors for six months. As an architect, I had already helped many homeowners achieve their dreams of a new kitchen, bath, or large addition.... more

What many of us could use in our lives right now is stillness. Stillness is the quiet restfulness of the contemplative – harmony, if you will — that allows escape from the mind-numbing sensory overload of the technological world. What I call stillness is what Arts & Crafts progenitor John Ruskin called repose, what he considered the ingredient essential to calling something a work of art. Because the ultimate work of art in the Arts & Crafts Movement was the home, it... more

Boys’ Fort, the design team of Richard Rolfe and Jake France, loves summer in Portland. “You can LIVE outside…just briefly,” jokes Rolfe. Highlighting a recent design for an outdoor living space, Rolfe and France illustrate how they incorporate salvage and vintage items into their designs to create a one-of-a-kind look. “When someone walks into your home, you don’t want him or her to feel like they’ve just walked into a Pottery Barn catalog. You want them to feel intrigued... more

Do you have a teenager who’s bugging the crap out of you? A mother-in-law or brother-in-law who visits too frequently and stays too long, keeping you out of your office (which doubles as your guest room)? Do you have a hobby (knitting? quilting? tying flies?) that was once confined to the dining room table and is now spilling onto the kitchen counters — or perhaps into even more inconvenient locations? I have a friend who keeps excess yarn in the bathtub, and I am careful not to wonder about... more

When my husband and I bought our 1925 English Tudor house eight years ago, the sellers had just remodeled the kitchen. Or should I say “remuddled” the kitchen. We could see right away that there were many corners cut and that it would eventually need to be remodeled again. I was disappointed because I wanted to design the kitchen for myself. Other than that, it was a great house, on a large corner lot, in a nice neighborhood with a two-car garage. The house needed a lot of work but had the proverbial... more

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. “Sustainability is a popular subject, and most experts in design agree sustainability has to be a way of living and incorporated into our every day,” says Kristina Held, interior design... more