Selecting a kitchen sink while trying to achieve the appropriate look for a period kitchen can be a huge challenge. There is just so much misinformation and misleading marketing out there. It is often very difficult for homeowners to know what is correct for their specific period. Many of the ads, images, and plumbing stores insist that clay-fired farm sinks (also referred to as apron front sinks) are “historic.” Though they are indeed historic, this is an English style of kitchen sink rather... more

Wow! That’s what all of us long to hear and feel about our decor, be our home small or grand or somewhere in between. And the good news is that goal is easily accomplished. All it takes is putting aside our fear of color (especially in the Pacific Northwest, where taupe passes for a jewel tone) and the knowledge that little things loom large. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Two friends who wanted to save some really great wood from winding up in the landfill started Viridian Wood Products. It was that simple. When my business partner, Pierce Henley, moved into his current home in Scappoose he found a pile of discarded hardwood in his new yard. On the surface it didn’t look like much, but just beneath the rough exterior he found amazing beauty, and he began to use it for all sorts of projects around the house. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Helleborus Orientalis 'Red Lady' in a winter garden. I don’t know about you, but this fall season has really snuck up on me. I simply cannot believe how fast this year has gone by. I swear, New Year’s Day 2011 seems like yesterday. Okay, so maybe it is. Or maybe it’s because we had such a late start to our good gardening weather. I don’t know, but it sure feels weird. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

When we think of a kitchen renovation we usually see lots of dollar signs … And often these projects are big-ticket items ranging anywhere from $50,000 and up. There are times when kitchens need to be gutted to the studs. But often with old houses such heavy-handed approaches are not necessary. With old houses, sometimes less is more when it comes to making changes. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

I love my garden. Just sayin’…. I really love my garden. Over the last two years we have been totally remodeling our outside spaces and now that it is completed, I can hardly believe that it is mine! One of my favorite things in my garden, next to my stellar Agave collection, is my olive trees. I have 12 happy trees in four varieties. Yes, Virginia, you can grow olive trees in Oregon. You can, and you most definitely should. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

The year is 1962. A grand summer picnic is being held to celebrate the opening of the new Milwaukie Elks Lodge on McLoughlin Boulevard in Milwaukie, OR. The large picnic grounds behind the main lodge are filled with happy families enjoying a cookout of barbeque beef, grilled hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, and cole slaw. Many are engaged in a game of croquet, or tossing horse shoes. The dulcet strains of Elvis Presley are heard on the PA system. Several women look like they might be Doris Day’s... more

In Part One, “Care Of Your Antique Victorian Picture Frames,” we looked at how Victorian frames were made, from their molding and ornament, to the various finishing techniques used to duplicate a carved, museum-quality frame. Middle-class Americans were now able to afford these semi-productions, picture frames for their parlors. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →