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By candace kramer, August 10, 2011 2:20 pm

It’s been an active summer for me with lots of time spent digging in the dirt! I love it! With my garage remodel in the works at my rental home, it was time to tackle the overgrown, under appreciated back garden! At one time, it was a lush thatch of earth full of raspberries and fig trees with ample space for growing fresh garden veggies. Unfortunately, my renters – even with their good intentions – failed to care for it and mother nature took over. The result – a tangled, weedy, thorny mess!  SO…I called in my hardworking and willing son, Peter, who is currently home from college. We toiled away in the sun, happily pulling weeding, trimming shrubs and planting new vegetables and herbs. Two of my favorites – sorrel with its lemony goodness and watercress, with a peppery bite that is fabulous on a BLT!

It’s looking SO much better! Thank you Peter!

As you can imagine, with all this gardening going on, I’ve acquired quite a few gardening books and have been hanging out at the local nurseries. Some of my favorites – Cornell Farms and of course, Portland Nursery. Oh, and if you happen to be out near Hood River, you must stop by Good News Gardening – a fabulous gardening center with a lovely Garden Cafe! It’s such a delight to visit these places and come home full of inspiration!

What’s going on in your summer garden?

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By candace kramer, May 17, 2011 3:23 pm

As many of you know Aging in Place is a big focus of my work (see definition below) and having this knowledge truly helps my clients make their lifestyle one that will last!

Aging in place refers to living where you have lived for years, typically not in a health care environment, using products, services, and conveniences which allow you to remain home as circumstances change.

This Saturday, the local remodeling firm, Neil Kelly will be hosting a wonderful event:

The “Home for a Lifetime” Fair…

Click below to download the flyer for more info:

Home for a Lifetime Poster

Should be a fantastic, informative and inspiring day!

For more information about Aging in Place go here.

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By candace kramer, May 11, 2011 4:35 pm

In Portland, the first Thursday of every month is celebrated in the stylish Pearl District. Galleries, pubs, restaurants and design studios leave their doors open late to welcome Portlanders seeking out inspiration, delicious snacks and a glass of free wine! What a fabulous combination! I was in the crowd last week, my design radar was on and I found myself enamored with a new interior design firm – bright designlab. bright has over 25 years of experience in the arts of interior design, graphic design and architectural photography, plus they are LEED accredited! Gotta love that plus, who couldn’t like a company with these values:

work hard and be nice to people . design through simplicity and elegance of form . focus intently . behave with integrity above all else . always seek out beauty . never stop growing and learning new things . treat creativity like breathing.

Check out their simply gorgeous retail space…flooded with natural light and a symphony of textures, you can really feel the creative vibe in here!

bright’s partnership with local cabinetry company, Hammer and Hand, is evident and their stunning installations are seen throughout the space.

I absolutely love these retro, bright fridges from Smeg appliances! Perfect scale for smaller kitchens too! They were stocked with beer for First Thursday!

What a wonderful space!

Hope your week is going well!

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By candace kramer, March 16, 2011 5:10 pm

image via KDA Developement

What makes a great place to live? It’s a good question right? I was recently listening to webinar on AARP about this very topic. Click here for the webinar handout full of good resources!

Certain ingredients are needed to create a truly wonderful place to reside and walkable communities rank among the highest for their livability!

Here are some bullet points from this wonderful article about walkable communites:

• Housing Values are Higher where its Walkable
• Walkable Communities Attract “New Economy” Workers
• Walkable Communities are becoming a Business Relocation Alternative
• Walkable Communities Reduce Commuting Costs
• Walkable Communities Cost the Taxpayer Less
• Walkability Attracts Tourists
• Walkable Communities Can Capture an Emerging “Lifestyle” Retail Market

What’s not to like about those stats!?

image via walklive.org

So what ingredients are needed to create a walkable community?

• Sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks – encourages pedestrian and bike travel
• Good, safe, public transportation – reduces car traffic, pollution and noise
• Community services and events – things like farmer’s markets and festivals encourage community participation and local commerce
• Parks & Green spaces – encourages healthy lifestyle, recreation and exercise
• Places for fun! – cafes, local boutiques, community pools – places to gather and socialize strengthens communities

Does your home town have these? If not, consider getting involved in your Community Planning groups and let your voice be heard. Having these elements in your community not only creates a more pleasurable place to live, it raises home values too! If you are wondering how walkable your community is, go here and get your walkability score!

We all deserve a home where we feel safe, happy and enriched by our community. Get involved in your town and make it a better place to live.

Call me if I can help and I’d love to hear more about your hometown!

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By candace kramer, February 10, 2011 1:31 pm

Last week I had coffee with Rhonda Knoche, a fabulous designer for Neil Kelly Remodelers.

The Neil Kelly Company just won 11 regional CotY (contractor of the Year) awards from the Nationals Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). Rhonda won an award for Whole House Remodel under $250k! Kudos to Rhonda and Neil Kelly! As many of you know, I was a designer for NK  for 10 years and still think they have some of the best talent out there!

Some of their beautiful work…

Gorgeous right?

Anyway, I wanted to pick Rhonda’s brain about Universal Design , Aging in Place and local information about these issues.

Like Jane Austen says ” There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort!”

Rhonda is a CAPS designer, Certified Aging in Place Specialist or as Rhonda puts it,

“Universal Design is subtle design and appeals to those that value sustainability.”

Music to my ears!

In her last seminar, she shared with the audience her recent accident, breaking her leg and how she dealt with the physical limitations and mobility issues in her own home.

The big three items she covered in the seminar were;

1. Enter and Exiting home

2. Stairs and Ramps

3. Kitchen & Bath modifications.

Be sure to click here for all their up coming seminars.

Patrick Roden RN,PhD, has a website and blog, aginginplace.com – where he address all the issues of how to continue to live in your home throughout your maturing years, safely, independently and comfortably. He grew up living with his grandma in a multi-generational home and his impressions are truly inspiring.

Thank you Rhonda for some great ideas on living & aging gracefully in the comfort of our homes! Glad to see that your leg looks better too!

p.s. Right now in 2011 we have 70,000 centurions in 2040 there will 700,000 in the U.S.