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

Okay, so this is not about Interior Design. But clients ask me for help with their Exterior choices too. This client has a house in Milwaukee that they are fixing up with some remodeling inside and also were painting the exterior and installing a new front door. My client really had her heart set on gray and she is also using grays for her neutral colors inside, so when she asked for help on her color selection, it was really about choosing the right gray. I thought you would enjoy seeing how helpful the free online color selection programs are. This one is Personal Color Viewer® by Benjamin Moore.

Here is the exterior before painting, and below are three of the many grays we considered. You can see what a difference each shade makes. I recommended a paler warm gray because I felt it worked better than the deeper and cooler grays on this wood exterior. Her interior grays are also warm in tone and it made their new front door in a deep iron gray really pop out as a focal point.

Continue reading to see the “after” photos & new door …

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.

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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.

As the rain has started to come down in sheets and the nights have turned COLD, my fireplace has been put into use in a big way. Many years ago, urban living in lofts, condos and apartments meant living without a fireplace. But technology has changed all of that. One potential client who recently contacted me said his one concession in buying a condo in the John Ross Condomiums in the South Waterfront district was to forego a fireplace – but we have a solution for him. Another client in The Wyatt high rise apartments in the Pearl District had a fireplace listed as one of her first items to add to her decor. I was also in the 937 Condominiums in the Pearl District last week and felt sad that for almost half a million dollars, you end up with no fireplace! So, this post is for you! Whether you have a condo in the Pearl or South Waterfront, or a house where there is no built-in fireplace, with today’s technology, there is now a fireplace for everyone, every room, and just about every budget! Read on to see several fireplaces that can be added to homes without an existing one. There are free-standing models,  wood burning models, environmentally friendly models, suspended ones and wall hung types. Links on where to shop for these are at the end of the article. Make yourself a nice cup of cocoa and imagine sitting next to one of these!

Pangaea’s Picks: Top Ten Fireplaces

1.  Harry Leenders – Hands down, my fave for a suspended, rotating fireplace. Love the sleek lines.

2.  EcoSmart’s Denatured Ethanol burning fireplaces can be set into a built in display or they have many free-standing styles. Environmentally friendly and renewable fuel is a plus.

3. This Eurofocus has nice clean lines and is angled to look great in a corner.

4. Rais is just simple and lovely.

5. What top ten list would be complete without the modern classic Fireorb suspended fireplace?

continue reading …

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/live-at-the-show http://idsportland.org/live-at-the-show#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:55:20 +0000 IDS Portland http://idsportland.org/?p=951 Continue reading →]]> We’re so excited to present our beautiful booth at the home improvement show.  Your IDS committee has worked SO hard to create a booth that represents us beautifully.  I would encourage all members to go support your colleagues and check out their booth.  The booth features before and after concept rooms and a working design center where our IDS designers will be putting together designs on the spot for the general public.

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.

For decades, when you got ready to sell your house, the conventional wisdom was to paint all the walls back to white. But that is SO yesterday!  White …. the color of snow & ice … does absolutely nothing to warm up a house. It doesn’t highlight architectural features and it doesn’t enhance the colors of your wood, granite or other finishes. To sell your property today, it’s best to use soft warm decorator colors that are current. That way they not only look beautiful in the home, but will go with the existing furnishings of your prospective buyers and remind them of the beautiful new furnishings and colors they have been eyeing at the stores in anticipation of their new home.

A professional paint color consultation will help you paint out the colors that turn buyers off and select ones that appeal to them.

Accent Walls: Which walls should be accented? Where should the accent color start and stop? An accent wall can create or enhance a focal point or it can highlight architectural interest. It might be the wall with the fireplace, built in shelving, or the wall that soars up two stories. Selecting the wrong wall for your accent can pull focus away from important features of your house or even make a room feel unbalanced, which most people sense as a vague feeling of discomfort in the room, even if they can’t put their finger on why it feels that way.

Red Walls: I’m afraid that the news here is you need to paint those out! Although many people like to paint dining rooms red, and I see them all the time, red walls stop most buyers in their tracks. Any broker will tell you that they get negative feedback when showing properties that have bold red walls of any shade. Red is a tough sell. Why leave something in your home that has the potential to turn off so many people? When I stage a home, I can mitigate some of that impact through the use of art and accessories … but doing both the painting and the staging will give you the most attractive results.

The same goes for any bright, bold or “too deep” colors. If the color names “sunny yellow” “hunter green” “peach” “federal blue” “maroon” or “burgundy” can be used to describe any of your rooms, then a paint color consultation is in your future.

Even though guests in your home over the years have always said they love your colors, don’t fool yourself into thinking that means the colors can stay. The problem here is that when guests come over they aren’t thinking of living in your house! I, too, would have to paint out my own beloved accent walls if I put my house on the market. So, don’t take it personally, it has nothing to do with having good or bad taste. It’s all about wide appeal.

The “Right” Colors: If I could tell you here the exact colors to use, I would do it … but it isn’t that simple. When I choose paint colors for a property going on the market, I look at the wood tones in floors, cabinetry, doors & moldings, and also consider any finishes such as granite colors, fireplace stones, carpeting, tiles, amount of light and exterior house colors as well. The colors of the house should flow from the outside to the inside and the colors in all rooms should work well enough together (not change radically) so that as you walk through the property, you always feel you are in the same house.
Colors that are soft and a little “smoky” or “creamy” work better than very pure colors. Think of colors like toast – caramel – taupe – sage & muted water colors.

Finishes: The right finish – satin – eggshell – flat – will make a difference too. In general flat, or matte finishes are very forgiving if your walls are not in perfect condition. They also look the most “true” to color because they don’t reflect a lot of light. Satin or eggshell finish paints have a little bit of a sheen to them. They show imperfections in the walls so you need to prep your walls more carefully. They are very good for kitchen & baths where the walls may need to be cleaned often. Use semi-gloss for moldings. High Gloss paint is generally best for painting cabinetry.

Sustainable: Remember to select paints that are “Green” – no I don’t mean the color! There’s just no good reason not to use paints with zero or low VOC’s. They are readily available and only run about $5 more per gallon than the ones with the nasty chemicals. Your prospective buyers will be happy that they don’t smell your new paint, and most of them will consider it a positive point about your property. Devine Color and Yolo Colorhouse are two locally produced, eco-friendly paint lines and I recommend them both! The paint color samples at the top of this post are from Devine Color. Both brands are sold at Powell Paint Center in Portland.

If you are in the Portland area and are getting ready to sell, please call me for your professional paint color consultation. Or, if you just want to freshen up your home, then a paint color consultation can help you select the right colors for your personal taste and style. Call today at 503.816.4394

Pangaea Interior Design is a full service firm specializing in residential projects and also offering home staging.

Whether you love the rich reds of mahogany and cherry, the pale brightness of maple, hickory and birch, or the deep and dark loveliness of walnut, there is a wood floor for you!

photos courtesy of US Floors

Yesterday I attended the monthly meeting of the Interior Design Society, Portland chapter. We were hosted by Tualatin’s Treadline Construction, specializing in hardwood flooring. I’d like to share just a few tips on choosing hardwood flooring and some very nice sustainable options.

1. The color, grain, size of planks, and character of wood can set the tone for the look of your home just as effectively as your furnishings. So, choose a look that will work with the style of your home’s architecture and furnishings. Wide planks of reclaimed wood with the patina of years of use fit beautifully in a casual style, traditional home. In a contemporary space, I love the look of narrow strips of palest birch or maple, or the deepest color of “ebonized” ash. Rich mahogany or cherry seem to evoke a feel of rich elegance.

photos courtesy of Stone River Hardwoods

2. Select wood not only by it’s color and grain, but by the area and use for which it is intended. All trees are not created equal. Some are much harder than others. If you have a high traffic area, children or pets, you’ll be better off with a wood which has a higher rating for “hardness”. They will all scratch & scuff with enough abuse … high heels and dog’s claws are no friends of wood …  but the harder the wood, the better it will hold up. Brazilian Cherry is one of the hardest woods which is readily available in flooring. The experts at Treadline have a chart that compares all the types of wood and can give great advice on the most suitable wood for your application.

3. Wood is generally considered to be a “green” option because it is renewable. To be sustainable though, be sure the wood you are buying is certified as being sustainably harvested. There are a number of certifications out there, but at the moment, the only one that will get you LEED points (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification. Other sustainable practices include harvesting dead or dying trees, sunken logs, or using reclaimed or recycled wood from old buildings.

A couple of particularly notable options in sustainable wood flooring are:

Cork: Cork flooring is made by taking bark from trees without killing the tree. The bark grows back and can be harvested repeatedly … a little bit like shearing a sheep for wool. Aside from being a wonderful sustainable option, cork is beautiful and is extra cushiony under your feet. It comes in quite an array of colors and with a range of looks from very fine grains to large inlaid pieces which are very striking.

photos courtesy of US Floors

Bamboo: If it has been awhile since you looked at Bamboo flooring, check it out again. There are several new looks on the market including very narrow strips which look quite contemporary and also an end-cut mosaic pattern of tiny rectangles. Bamboo is rapidly renewable, but some manufacturers use formaldehyde in the process, so look for bamboo flooring that is formaldehyde free.

photos courtesy of Allwood Imports

Wood is a beautiful flooring option that feels great under your feet and adds value to your home. With proper care it will last a very long time. For help with choosing flooring or anything else for your home, please contact me at 503.816.4394, or email me at design@pangaea-id.com. You can see my portfolio online at http://www.pangaea-id.com

This classic Adirondack style chair is being made in a totally new and sustainable way by Loll. And who can resist ‘going green’ when it looks this good?!

These chairs are made from 100% recycled post consumer “high density polyethylene” which is a plastic resin made from recycled items such as milk jugs, margarine tubs, detergent bottles and so on. While I love the leaf green shown here, they make these in several colors and alternate styles.  To find out about more styles and other items — even your DOG can have sustainable options at Loll — and to get buying info, read the longer version of this article on the Pangaea Interior Design Blog.

I also found a local craftsman making classic Adirondack chairs out of 100% reclaimed wood from industrial construction pallets. If you prefer wood to plastic, it’s tough to beat this combination of reclaimed wood and local manufacture within 15 miles of Portland, Oregon.

So pick the one that fits your aesthetic and your pocket book and sit back with a tall, cool glass of Lemonade. Enjoy the sunshine!

Pangaea Interior Design offers full interior design services to residential clients as well as home staging in Portland Oregon.

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