What we all marveled at upon completion of this project was how we were to able take a variety of other peoples cast offs and turn them into a pretty wonderful, aesthetically pleasing home for a family to move into.  Each of the families that move into a rental unit at the Anne Ross campus, KEEP everything that they have in their home when they move in.  This enables them to move forward without starting over each time.  Looking around at the items in the home, this mom and her kids have lots of great stuff for now and the future.

We’re excited to share our success with you all.  Please take a moment to look at the finished results and read the comments from our contact at Annie Ross:

“They absolutely loved the house, and were so excited! I wish you could have seen it – the kids didn’t want to leave their bedrooms once they saw them, and the mom kept asking how you guys knew all of their favorite things!  Apparently she loves light green and purple, and was so excited about the living room and kitchen.  The little boy is in a map phase right now, so he was really excited to have one on his wall, and the little girl just walked around smiling for a good half hour after picking out her bed.

They asked me to thank you profusely, and are so excited to have a new home that is so beautiful!”

…and that is why we volunteer

It all started last year when I finally bought a laptop computer with my Christmas money. I was so excited because I could finally do some work while I sat in the shade on our deck overlooking the river. But I still thought I would need to use my older desktop computer in my home office. Boy was I wrong! After a whole year, I have never again sat in my office to use my desktop computer. My laptop has everything I need.

The second thing that happened — my new business coach talked to me about creating a work space that was comfortable and free of distractions. I realized my office wasn’t comfortable because I hate sitting in an office style chair. I’m much more comfortable sitting in a lounge chair with my laptop — um, well — on top of my lap.

Then the third thing — one of my technologically savvy clients turned me on to various wireless technology that makes it so I no longer have to deal with a hideous mass of cords hanging under my desk. Yay!!

So, I’m completely re-thinking my home office and turning it into a haven — yes, that’s right, a haven — where I can retreat to focus on work. I’m re-examining everything in there to make it function just right for me. If you are ready to re-vamp your home office, or setting one up for the first time, the following questions and tips will help you create an office that works for YOU!

Equipment:

Do you still use a land-line telephone? I disconnected mine when I realized that I only used my fax machine 3 times last year and I make and receive all of my calls on my cell phone. I’m saving $40 per month by getting rid of the land line. That got rid of an ugly phone and answering machine on my desk and eliminated 2 phone cords and an electrical cord – Super!

Do you still use a desk top computer? Some people need them for the large screens. Mine was 6 years old, and my 1 year old laptop actually has 8 times as much memory capacity. So, for me, the laptop is all I need and that eliminates a whole bunch of stuff from the top of my desk.

Wireless docking stations and wireless printing: My techno-savvy client told me about these advances in modern technology. Why would an interior designer be so excited about this? Well, it means that you are no longer forced to put your desk on the wall right next to the cable or phone outlet. You don’t even have to put your desk or docking station in the same room as the cable outlet! It totally eliminates so many cords hanging under your desk, so you can sit your desk in the middle of the room if you feel like it and only need to be concerned with an electrical cord or two.This is amazing design freedom!

Layout:

Now that you have all this freedom to put your furniture where you want it, you can arrange things any way you like. Here are some tips on layout.

If clients come to your home office, the best impression is made by having your desk face the entrance to your office. Having your back to the door is also bad feng shui.

If you are the only one who goes into your office, then consider placing your desk to take advantage of a nice view. No view? Then treat yourself to some nice art so you have something beautiful to rest your eyes on when you’re thinking.

An L-shaped desk is generally more efficient and comfortable to use (as opposed to a desk in front of you and a credenza behind you) when you have many items you need to reach for over and over. Place the things you need frequently closest to you, and the rest further away.

Furnishings & Aesthetics: continue reading …

photos: istockphoto

First I’d like to tell you a little about my experience with the store. Surface is a truly unique finish materials boutique. I recently worked with them to help one of my clients select flooring, countertop and backsplash materials. My sales person was David Horn. His professionalism, helpfulness with my client and expert product knowledge was all first rate. The staff members are all very respectful of the designer/client relationship and will help you as much or as little as you want. The showroom has a warm and comfortable ambiance with nice big work tables to lay out and compare all your possible choices. Enormous windows give you great natural light so you can really see the colors and textures. If you like a little privacy, they also have a separate conference room where designer and client can really brainstorm uninterrupted.

For my last client, I went in alone to preview their selections, then when I knew I was coming in with my client, I phoned ahead and David had all the selections pulled out and arranged on a work table for us when we arrived. Their vast selection is encased in big rolling carts so not everything is on view at once. Initially, I thought this would make it harder to view products, but after being in there with a client, I really appreciated that this display system kept us from going into overwhelm or being distracted with too many choices.

*******************

Kerlite:

This product is an ultra-thin – just 3 mm -  super strong, porcelain tile that comes in seven sizes, including huge sheets. You can use it on floors or walls, but here is the very cool thing — you can put it right over existing materials including old tile or even linoleum without having to take out the old material. This is true even going over textured floor tiles.

Available in 26 colors and 3 finishes, my favorite is the tone-on-tone floral pattern. The photos of the bathrooms and living room are from the manufacturer’s website and they show the use of the huge sheet sizes to minimize grout lines. It’s also perfect for great kitchen design applications such as backsplash walls.  Kerlite is even frost proof so it can be installed outdoors. I’m told that this product has even been installed as siding on a home exterior. I’d love to see that.

In keeping with my desire to find sustainably made options for my clients, according to Coto d’Este, Kerlite ceramic tiling material is “obtained from natural and carefully selected raw materials, such as light clays and pure feldspars,” and “firing is carried out in electric kilns without any release of polluting fumes.” With seemingly endless uses in both interior decor and exterior design applications, it is a product worth checking out. As porcelain tile goes, this is rather high-end, retailing around $12 per square foot. But for the amazing flexibility and lack of demo work, it could be a great idea for your next design project.

Here are Portland Interior Designer, Pangaea’s, tips for some very cool ways to add warmth to any space without touching your thermostat:

Colors are referred to as “cool” or “warm” for a reason. All white rooms, or rooms that are decorated in cool colors like pale blues & greens, literally feel warmer when colors like red, golden yellow, brick, rust, burgundy & plum are added.

These super cool throw pillows by Koko are a great mix of cool & warm colors. The wool felt fabric is warm to the touch and they are like little works of art to boot!

When I feel goosebumps coming on I reach for a luxurious faux fur throw. This one by PreFurs in Lynx is absolutely amazing! The look of fur is warm and inviting, and on the practical side, it keeps you toasty on the coldest of evenings.

Read on for more cool ways to add warmth to your space …

]]> http://idsportland.org/the-warmth-of-cool/feed 0 http://idsportland.org/2010-distinct-style-awards http://idsportland.org/2010-distinct-style-awards#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:58:35 +0000 IDS Portland http://idsportland.org/?p=985

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Drew Carney from KGW was at the show this morning and featured the IDS booth on the morning news.  If you didn’t catch, here’s the video for you to view.  Thanks Karen for a job well done!

Click here to view the video!  Out & About at the Home Improvement Show

The video is divided into 4 parts.

• Segment #1 is the introduction of the show.
• Segment #2 features our own Brian Kemnitz from Pearl Painters who has a booth promoting his artistic finish school
• Segment #3 features the IDS booth and our own Karen Linder
• Segment #4 talks about the primary feature of the show – the Make – a- Wish Foundation and the treehouse brought in for the show.

Click to Register

Registration closes at the close of business on Monday, August 17th. The HIS committee will publish the schedule to all who responded by Wednesday, August 19th. If there are additional shifts available, those interested will be contacted directly. Be sure to indicate on your initial request if you’d like two shifts in which to participate. We want to open this opportunity up to as many designers as possible, so we are starting with one shift each.

Please note that participation is open to all active IDS design members of any level. If you’re receiving this email and are NOT a member, it means that you’ve attended meetings and we’d love you to join! Booth shifts are reserved for current members only at this point, however. If you’ve considered joining and want to participate, now would be a great time to sign up!

Questions? – Email Committee Chair, Karen Linder

Need more information?
The Details

We are very excited to have a booth at the Home Improvement and Remodeling show that will be held in September, 24, 25, 26, 27 at the Convention Center.

Our booth is large, takes up four spaces, located on prime real estate, Location! location! Location! We are going to have a spectacular booth – sure to catch the eyes of every “Do it your selfer” walking by, a show stopper! I say that because we are going to have “Before” and “After” rooms, each space a 10 x 10 room, completely redesigned to represent the fabulous work we all do as interior designers. The design committee has come up with two beautiful rugs donated for show use from NW Rugs, this piece will be our inspiration for both rooms, we also have some “lovely” before furniture/accessories to showcase and we are working on procuring beautiful furniture, draperies and accessories for our after room.

Click to Register

The front section of our booth will be the design area. In this space we will have cafe tables set up for work spaces, complete with baskets of fabric, tiles, paint chips and magazines. Each designer will have an opportunity to showcase their portfolio on their shift. Our goal is for each designer to have face to face time with potential clients, giving them ideas of ways you can help them with their “design dilemmas”, take away of mini design boards you created for them at the show, complete with your business card attached! Remember the statistic of 74% of the show attendees plan to make a purchase in the next six months.

(these are initial renderings that are still being finalized)

We will also be having a $ 5,000 drawing for a shopping spree or room makeover! Who will be the lucky designer? It is going to be a “Designers Challenge”; we will enter all designers from the show in a drawing, pick three names and these three will meet with the winner. The winner will interview each designer and each designer has an opportunity to present their solution, the winner chooses!

IDS will have a large presence at the show, I hope many of you will sign up for a three hour shift, it is a great opportunity to add new clients to your business!

Best regards,

Karen Linder

Click to Register

Color & Design Trends and Understanding what GREEN is all about.

RSVP to Pam Simcox @ 503-968-0100
Start Time: 5:00 pm
Date: 2009-05-14