Homeowners have countless choices when it comes to fixing their floors. One option is to re-sand and re-stain an existing wood floor. If that won’t do, it’s possible to tear out the old floor and start anew, using new or reclaimed wood products or environmentally friendly materials like cork or linoleum. In some cases, setting a new floor over an old is the best option, especially if the existing floor — for example, vintage linoleum — contains asbestos. A licensed contractor can help you... more

There are many ingredients that make a kitchen overhaul or update successful, and texture tops the list. “I look at texture as the performance of a well-coordinated drill team; you want all the selections to coordinate in some way so they each play off each other,” explains Sandy Hendricks, owner of Ovation Design-Build, based in Lake Oswego, OR. Above kitchen design by Stephanie Johnson of Arciform LLC. A kitchen can be monochromatic and still be rich in texture, with its dram a drawn from the... more

It all started with a stray comment. Tobey Parsons was taking Kathleen, his wife of 33 years, out of town for her birthday. “I mentioned to my kids (four, all grown) that we might remodel the kitchen when we got back,” he recalls. The Parsons came home to a surprise: No more kitchen. Their children had demolished the dilapidated room down to the studs. “We washed our dishes in the utility sink for next two years,” Parsons says, laughing at the memory. It wasn’t funny at the time,... more

When mid-century modern houses were built in the 1950s and 1960s, the most striking feature of their interior was usually their open and flowing floor plan. Living room spaces flowed into the dining room, which flowed into the kitchen. A vaulted ceiling over it all really did make the core of the house one big “great room.” This was, after all, the era of “togetherness.” If the ceiling was vaulted,... more

Skändia Design and Remodeling is a design/build firm that works throughout the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area. Established by Paul Olson in 1993, Skändia has enjoyed 11 years of making friends while remodeling their homes. Although the name “Skändia” implies a distinctive Scandinavian style, the truth be told, Skändia Design works on projects of every style and description. Paul Olson says, “By choosing... more

“Cabinetry is the core essence of design,” says Julie DeJardin, kitchen designer and owner of DeJardin Designs of Portland, OR. As the sole support of countertops, backsplash, appliances, and dishes, the functionality and finish of these basic boxes determine whether a remodel is successful. Today’s trend is a wood-clad kitchen, where major appliances are sheathed in wood, creating an unbroken expanse of color and grain. Cherry is still popular, but staining or painting it dark brown is gaining... more

More than a place to cook, eat, and do the dishes, today’s kitchens have evolved into the top hangout room in the house. Creating a kitchen community fell out of fashion in grand homes built in the 1800s. Even middle-class homes, constructed after World War II, eschewed family gathering in favor of narrow kitchens with no seating area, save for a formal dining room. While each passing decade has increased the emphasis on creating a functional, family-friendly kitchen, it wasn’t until the surge... more

Scott Mumma cutting cabinet panels in Arciform’s fully equipped woodworking shop. Many of Arciform’s clients ask what exactly does “arciform” mean? According to Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus, Arciform is an adjective that means to deviate from a straight line. Anne and Richard DeWolf, co-owners of Arciform, agree that this definition is also an accurate description of how... more