Giveaway at Oliver Fabrics

I have an exciting giveaway opportunity!  One of the places that I am interning with this summer is offering an upholstered ottoman in any fabric for you and a friend. 

Here's how you enter:

1. Like us on Facebook.


2. Go to the Oliver website page below.

3. Click the 'email us about this item' link.

4. Enter the email address for yourself and the friend you want to also win the ottoman in ...the inquiry box!



Here's the link to Oliver Fabrics Free Giveaway
 
 
Good luck!

It's in the details

So, I've been putting off this post for some reason.  I think because it's not just commenting on some random building, designed by some architecture firm I know nothing about.  This building is special because I know how hard the owner (my cousin) labored for years.  I'm talking years people.  But it has paid off- the house is completed and looks great.  Keeping an environmentally-friendly point of view, this efficient bungalow-style home offers a low carbon footprint through the use of several tactics.  I will discuss as we go... I hope I do the home justice (but doubtful...it's really something you need to see.)

Beyond the green aspects of the home, the design choices make the home that much more beautiful and worthy of appreciation.  I tried to play it cool, you know, not stand there with that awestruck look on my face like a kid in a candy store.  I love the popped out window with the slatted wood facing.

All of the cabinetry has the original floor boards on the facing, which my cousin sanded down and refinished.  This is the island where you can see he included some details (like a built-in shelf...)

And maybe the most meaningful detail- a cut-out in one of the slats, where they insert little drawings, pictures, etc.  While I was there, it was a sweet picture from their wedding in Costa Rica:

The original ceiling was kept in tact and left pretty much untouched (with the exception of a support beam).

These doors were handmade from existing wood from the house and allow an open-air feel from the living room into the backyard/patio area when opened.

Aren't they beautiful when the sunset hits them?

Back to the inside- the walls are painted with chalkboard paint, acting as a big sticky-note, or a place to doodle.

Built-in bench outside

Herb garden in a tub.  I need one of these.

This is their "shed."  I hope my shed looks this way one day, that's all I can say.  Or even better, I hope my shed has the flat-screen TV that their "shed" has.  Inside there is a wall of built-in bookshelves and a loft that you have to climb up into, with just enough room for a double bed and a built-in shelf.

I like tall, narrow windows.

From the inside

 

So that is the end of the Portland building tour.  I ended with this one because it means the most.  It was a labor of love.  I'm so glad I finally got to see it in person and visit with my family.

Shopping in Portland (correction- Window Shopping)

Somewhere in between the tours and the meals where I gorged myself, I made some room to do a little window shopping.  I stumbled across a store that focuses on modern furniture (straight out of my History class- shout out to Julie Wolfe!)

I think lighting might be one of the most influential changes (besides paint) that you can make to a room.  These are some beautiful fixtures- I'm digging the hanging chandelier.

If you don't already know this about me, I like green.  Maybe a little too much, actually. 

I love the historical timeline the store paired with the display of chairs.

Ah, Barcelona chair, you are pretty.

Stumbling upon the store was great, but I sure as heck couldn't afford anything on my student budget.  The one thing I did purchase in Portland (besides the aforementioned food), was this book I picked up at Powell's.  It turned out to be the best purchase I could have made for both my personal interest as well as the research I was doing for school.  I highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in Portland!

That about concludes the shopping I was able to fit into my trip.  I have a couple more Portland posts to make- Portland week is turning into Portland 3 weeks.

So, there were only 2 posts this week.  I have been crazy busy.  I'm talking running-on-coffee-hair-standing-straight-up-circles-under-the-eyes-busy.  I run from one place to the next to the next.  I purposefully packed my summer full of activities and work, but I may need to ease up- if only to do more blogging!  On a side note, I am really enjoying my internships and learning alot.

Ecotrust Building

The Ecotrust building in Portland is a renovated wold brick building with beautiful wooden beams.  The actual name for the building is the Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, built in 1895-ish and renovated in 2001.  Ecotrust is an organization that works to support sustainability in the Pacific Northwest.  All of the companies that have their businesses located within this building are environmentally-minded.  In fact, this was the first building in the country to receive a GOLD LEED certification! 

Here are some of the pictures!

The upstairs floor is open to below over this railing:

Skylights

Private offices

Bullwinkle

"The prominently displayed moose head in the lobby is intended as a non-ironic reminder that subsistence hunters still live in the world. (Like in Milwaukie.)  The moose was gunned down at about the same time this structure was originally built." -Bart King, An Architectural Guide to Portland 

The downstairs floor (I tried to sketch this...but was way out of practice- I'll post sketches later)

Patagonia is one of the companies in the building

I love the original flooring.  The planks are really wide.

Outside of the building from the back

The steel towers serve two purposes- structural support and access to the green roof on the west side of the building where there also happens to be beautiful views.  (I couldn't figure out how to get up there. :( )

Map I found of all the major rivers in Oregon.  Right up my alley.

East Exterior of the building- stucco and brick facade

I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday or Monday.  I am working from Charlottesville and had planned to do a bunch of posts from here, but I left my notes, sketches and my favorite new book (The Architecture of Portland- I snagged from Powell's) in Richmond.  I will update this post at a later date with a little more information on the history of the building itself.

When given a good work space, students can make good stuff.

The title will make sense in a minute.  Promise. 

My cousin's firm, Michael Willis Architects, happens to share a LEED certified renovated building with several other companies and workspaces.  One of those "others" happens to be the University of Oregon's Architecture Program.  Michael suggested I make my way up to the 5th floor to check out their work for their final critiques.  He forgot to mention how insane their workspace is.

I'm talking state of the art, beautiful huge space where each student gets their own semi-private built-in workstation with pin-up space in a room filled with light from floor to ceiling windows.  Did I mention they have a laser-cutter and 3-D printer?  I tried to keep my cool, but I think some of the students might have started to wonder who I was as I stood in the corner drooling.

This picture does not do it justice.  I felt a little creepy snapping pictures of their space, but I had to share this with my classmates.  I wish I had a picture of our space to compare the desk table that I have to work on to this.

Anyway.  The title.  When given a good work space, students can make good stuff.  Their designs were beautiful.  Their models were amazing.

On my little exploration day in the city, I also visited the AIA building (American Institute of Architects).  They had some student work on display from the University of Oregon.  This featured both conceptual and architectural drawings and models. 

This is the AIA building from the outside (also LEED...)

So, needless to say it was both inspiring and humbling.  Go Ducks!  I hope that I can take some of this inspiration and apply it to my thesis work for this upcoming school year. 

[Side Note: This is the first full week of my 3-jobs-6-days-of-work-week-week.  It's not even Friday and I'm exhausted.]

Portland Art Museum

The Portland Art Museum was a quick stop, but a fun one.  Cuz, Karen, took me after finishes her working day to check out some contemporary art by some Portland artists.  They had a special exhibit featuring artists from Portland- which seemed perfect for me to check out on my adventure.

I hammed it up a bit with the pictures and I think Karen might have thought we would get in some trouble with taking so many pictures, but I was a rebel.  You can just call me Melinda Daredevil Harvey.  That's right.  Taking pictures.  Taking names.  Watch out.

In all seriousness, there's something about an art museum that makes me feel at home.  I am so inspired by art and the force that drives it- differing for every artist.  I once got a private tour in Chicago at the art museum and I discovered that for me, art means so much more when you know the story behind it. 

It didn't hurt that the space itself was designed beautifully.

Anyway here are some of the pictures from the exhibit:

Karen's Favorite

Love the skylights and cut outs in the walls

YIKES!  Love the style, not so sure about the subject.

Nice horsey.

Chihuly Glass Sculpture

Wool, Bronze and Cedar

Good inspiration to make some art...