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By candace kramer, November 4, 2011 12:51 pm

I always enjoy seeing multifunctional design. It takes thought, precision and creativity to fully utilize a space and have it work on many levels – just like this fabulous Artist Studio/Guest House designed by Virent Architecture.

The owners of this sleek new out building are quite the creative team – one being a graphic designer and the other a metal smith! They desperately needed room to create but also desired a living space for the occassional guest.

Streamlined and modern the space is warmed by using natural woods and soothing colors. Coming in at a modest 700 sq. ft.,  it still meets all the clients’ needs and has a good dose of architectural pizzaz!

To view more projects from Virant Architecture go here.

Have a fantastic Friday!

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By candace kramer, October 25, 2011 8:29 pm

Hello friends! You know I’m a total sucker for re-used, re-cycled and re-purposed when it comes to building so when I found this fabulous bar in Portland it was love at first sip! Meet one of the newest, hippest and greenest bars in Pdx – KASK!

This intimate cocktail lounge serves up delicious concoctions on their rough-hewn walnut bar that is supported by a rock-filled gabion wall. I saw this kind of construction when I was in Austria -  it was everywhere! They would make benches and fences out of it!

Can’t go wrong with good ole’ rock!

The eco-friendly cork floors keep the green vibe and instead of wasting paper, ever-changing black boards inform patrons of what’s on the menu. Love that!

Kask is owned by the restaurateurs from neighboring, Gruner – another fine establishment with a focus on the warm, rich flavors of “Middle Europe”. Go check out both destinations for amazing food, drink and a peek at some creative green building materials!

Hope your week is going well!

 All images via here.

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By candace kramer, October 12, 2011 5:36 pm

Hello friends! I’m back! Summer was busy, busy and my time spent with family and friends was top priority! Now that Fall has come and everyone is getting settled back into their schedules, I have found time to work on my blog once more. As I mentioned in a past post, my son and I worked on rejuvenating the garden of my rental home and we were also in the process of building a storage shed. Both projects turned out brilliantly and here are some of the pics to show our fabulous results!

First up, the garden. It was so long neglected, full of weeds and completely overgrown but we brought it back to life!

And yes, that is my “new old shed” back there! Cute right?

Even though our summer was extremely mild, Peter managed to pick a ripe tomato from the vine before heading back to school!

Okay, now for my shed! As you know, I researched sheds online, in stores and just about everywhere! I wanted just the right design. Simple, funky and constructed using some of the salvaged materials from the garage remodel (soon to be granny flat) I’m working on.

Finally, I found a shed builder – Justin Marical – that had great ideas and would build to my specs. Check out his great company here. He was very open to using my salvaged materials and helped me design a 12 ft long and 3 ft deep, lean-to style shed that fit perfectly with the scale of the backyard garden.

This old window was from the main house which I had replaced with a new vinyl double hung.

Peter washed down the old door from the garage, which is now the front door to my shed.

The shed threshold was created with bricks that we found on site. Peter did a fantastic job laying these in.

The beautiful red stained cedar siding was left over from an old condo project I worked on! This siding is usually very expensive but I got a great deal on it and Justin was drooling! ha ha! I added an old flower box that had previously been installed on the main house and the lovely trellis was installed by my very talented Russian carpenter – Eli! He has done some gorgeous work on my beach house too. Even the roof was done with left over composite material. Isn’t it cute!? I’m so happy with the result and it felt good to use materials that most likely would have ended up in a landfill.

What projects did you complete over the summer?

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By candace kramer, August 24, 2011 10:20 pm

Just recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Leah Hersey of Jersey Girl Weaving. She’s a client of mine and when she told me about her home studio, I wanted to know more! Over tea and snacks, she told me the story of how her newly built studio was born.

Leah has always had a passion for textiles and inevitably fell in love with the art of weaving. Not quite as portable as knitting or as compact as cross-stitch, Leah soon realized that she would need space – a lot of space – to fully devote her self to this craft. After all, a real loom takes up a whole lotta floor. Enter the idea of constructing an out building and making it her full time studio!

Aptly named Jersey Girl Weaving – a throwback to her time living on the east coast – this new building has provided the space, natural light and artistic solitude that Leah was seeking.

I couldn’t resist capturing all the beautiful details of Leah’s space…

I just love all the colors and textures! The groupings of sheep create a sense of whimsy and honor Leah’s love of wool.

I know that having this new space makes Leah’s art a central focus in her life and brings her much joy.

By thinking creatively, she maximized her property and utilized her space with care and purpose.

Do you ever dream of having your own home office or studio? Where could you create this space?

Thanks to Leah for inspiring us!

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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?