(Photo: Pearl District Bridgeport Condominium featuring monorail lighting, George Kovacs Floor Lamp, Kartell pendant lamps - interior by Pangaea Interior Design) If you are moving to the Portland, Oregon Pearl District from somewhere in California (who isn't? -- I did!) or any other sunny place, you are probably noticing that there just isn't as much light here with the cloudy and rainy days we often have. In fact, for the whole first year I lived here, I would think it was around 5:00 … (2 comments)
interior design: Home Staging Portland Style: Home Staging Tips For Pet Owners, Part 2 - Making It Easier
- 01/31/10 02:01 PM
In part 1 of this article, I focused on your pet’s safety and well being during the marketing of your home. If you want to be sure that your furry family members survive and thrive during the marketing of your house, please read Home Staging Portland Style: Home Staging Tips for Pet Owners, Part 1 – Pet Safety.Those of us with pets have special challenges when it comes to making sure our homes are clean, odor free and ready to show at a moment’s notice. Not everyone loves animals the way we do. Some have allergies and nobody likes pet odors! … (6 comments)
interior design: Bold Moves: Thomas O'Brien Validates My Creative Interior Design Instincts
- 01/24/10 03:52 PM
Today I got a big boost of validation for my creative interior design instincts from Thomas O’Brien! Not that he has any idea he did this, of course. But I found out today that I have something interesting in common with this famous designer who has designed residential interiors for the likes of Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren, and who has become known to the masses with his Modern Vintage® line of home furnishings and accessories for Target just to name a little of what he has done. At this point in my career I can’t name celebrities as my clients … (7 comments)
interior design: Designing a Home Office That Works For You!
- 01/18/10 04:21 PM
I wrote this article for my newsletter last week. I got to thinking that almost all of the Home Stagers I know work out of home offices. Real Estate Brokers usually have home offices as well. So, I thought I would go ahead and share this. I hope you enjoy the article and can create the perfect home office for you. 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 … (15 comments)
interior design: Serving Up Sustainable Style
- 12/03/09 06:48 AM
I wrote this post for my own website and it is geared toward my interior design clients, but I thought that my home staging colleagues would enjoy the last example. I think we are all DIY enthusiasts at heart. Hope you enjoy it. During the holidays, if you are the type who loves to entertain, serve up your refreshments on sustainable and stylish serving trays. Whether you use serving trays to place on an ottoman in your living room in lieu of a coffee table, or you want a convenient way to get your hors d’oeuvres (yes, I had to look … (3 comments)
interior design: Information & Entertainment: Home Stager & Interior Designer Uses Her Blog to Benefit Past Clients & Business Contacts
- 10/24/09 08:10 AM
It took me a long time to get started blogging. I kept thinking I didn't have anything to say! But my mentors kept telling me I needed to get started, so I asked my husband what I should talk about. He said "what do your clients want to know? Okay, so I'm slapping my forehead. It all seems so simple now! Can't imagine why it took me over a year to figure that out! My blog posts cement my connection with existing clients, prospects, business contacts, friends and family in two ways: Information: What people want to know. By writing informative … (4 comments)
This ActiveRain group is for anyone interested in modern urban architecture, interior design, art, contemporary and sustainable trends. Are you sent into rapture by clean, sleek lines? Can't get through the month without your copy of Dwell Magazine? Do you think "crown molding" means the Queen's tiara got a little too wet? Do you love Lofts, open plan architecture, and sustainable design? Is your niche market related to this? Then this is the group for you! Join us and start by posting a little intro to yourself, your biz, & what your particular passion is. Your moderator … (6 comments)
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. For more styles and other items … (3 comments)
interior design: Living in a Fish Bowl ... Or Floor to Ceiling Windows and What to Do With Them - Home Staging & Interior Design Tips for Lofts / Open Plan Homes - Part#3
- 03/14/09 01:13 PM
I was meeting with my window coverings vendor at a client's loft in Portland's Pearl District. We were measuring for shades to cover the floor to ceiling area of glass sliding doors with transom windows above them. I told him that my client wanted shades for the doors, but that so far I had been unable to convince her to also have shades made for the transom windows above, even though right across the courtyard of her building, other higher floors had a clear view down into her living room through the upper windows. He just shook his head and said, … (10 comments)
interior design: Public Safety or Squashing the Competition? The Movement to Require Interior Design Licensing
- 03/12/09 07:08 AM
This morning I read a post in Home and Garden Interior Design about the bill in Maryland to require Interior Designers to be licensed. Currently in Oregon, where I have my business, we are not required to be licensed, but similar plans are afoot here. This is one subject that really gets me upset. I, too, value education. But I also highly value practical experience. Although the requirements for the couple dozen states which require licenses to call yourself an Interior Designer, or practice interior design, vary from state to state ... essentially they all require a certain amount of school … (13 comments)
interior design: Soaring Ceilings ... What on Earth to Do With Them?! - Home Staging & Interior Design Tips for Lofts / Open Plan Homes -Part #2
- 03/04/09 10:53 AM
Oh we love space! Air above our heads! A roof that requires clearance from the FAA! Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit ... just a bit. But it does feel good to see those soaring heights ... right up until you have to decorate or stage the place. Then what on earth do you put in a place that has 15' ... 17' ... even 23' high ceilings? Well, I have a few tips and suggestions and one or two might surprise you. The first thing I do when faced with a property that has soaring ceilings is to look for … (38 comments)
interior design: Even "ZERO" VOC Can Be Too Much ... Natural Paints & Finishes for the Extra Sensitive
- 02/17/09 07:14 AM
A few days ago I wrote a posting about low and zero VOC paints. ( See posting on Zero VOC, What's That Stand For ... Very Odd Colors? ...) However, even "zero" VOC paints can have up to 5 grams of the various toxins per liter. One of the people commenting on my post mentioned that even those can be too much for her asthma. So I wanted to add information about Natural Paints. Again on Eartheasy.com there is great information on paints that are made from completely natural ingredients and may be a better option for those who have … (4 comments)
interior design: Original Art Sets Apart This Home Stager and Interior Designer in Portland, Oregon
- 02/17/09 06:20 AM
Well, yesterday I received not one, but TWO inquiries about the art seen in my posted photos with the specific request to post a blog about my art. Cynthia Bartsch & Debra Rowley - Thank you both for your inquiries and for your kind compliments about my work. When you see a painting in my photos, it is my own original art. I think that original works of art elevate and enrich the look of a property, so using my original works of art have really made a difference in my level of quality in home staging. It's also a really … (13 comments)
Being in the Interior Design and Home Staging world, I know a lot about paint. I suppose that I began to take it for granted that everyone knows what low VOC and Zero VOC paints are. Silly me! Today I'm going out on a paint color consultation. When speaking with my client on the phone I asked her if she had a preference for low or zero VOC paints. She had no idea what that meant. --- No, she didn't ask me if it stood for "very odd colors" ... that was just for … (14 comments)
interior design: Sustainable and Stylish - Green Design That is Truly Glamorous!
- 02/11/09 06:58 PM
Here's a sofa that is as sustainable and eco friendly as can possibly be while simultaneously looking so very stylish! Everything about this sofa from Pure by Amy McKay is Earth Friendly. The seat padding is natural latex, which is tapped from rubber trees, and emits no toxic gases. It is covered in organic wool upholstery, has natural jute webbing instead of petroleum based nylon. The legs are from locally harvested alder, glued together with water-based non-toxic glue and finished with natural linseed oil. Nice to know that you can indulge in a beautiful sofa with a clear conscience!
Pangaea … (7 comments)
interior design: Sustainable Design Leaves the Rustic Look Behind ... Ultra Cool and Eco Friendly
- 02/10/09 12:19 PM
One of my favorite sustainable products used in modern interior design is Kirei Board. It is manufactured from reclaimed sorghum straw and no-added-formaldehyde adhesive. It has a beautiful coloration and pattern to it that makes it a real stand-out. You can buy panels of Kirei board just the same as you buy sheets of plywood. Here are photos of two modern pieces of furniture that I love! They are made using kirei board combined with FSC certified plywood and white gloss lacquer. These are both by Iannone Design.
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interior design: Announcing - Modern Dwellings & Design, - A New Active Rain Interest Group
- 02/02/09 10:22 AM
Announcing Modern Dwellings & Design, PDX. This group is for all real estate related professions interested in modern urban architecture, interior design, art, contemporary and sustainable trends. Are you sent into rapture by clean, sleek lines? Can't get through the month without your copy of Dwell Magazine? Do you love Lofts, open plan architecture, and sustainable design? Is 1st Thursday Gallery Night in pen on your calendar? Is your niche market related to this? Then this is the group for you! Join us and start by posting a little intro to yourself, your biz, & what your particular passion is. Please … (2 comments)
interior design: Introduction to Pangaea Interior Design & New Modern Dwellings & Design, PDX Group
- 02/02/09 09:00 AM
Hi! I am an interior designer in Portland, Oregon specializing in contemporary style. I am passionate about contemporary residential architecture including lofts, condos, infill projects and single family homes. This is my niche market. I also provide home staging services and my inventory of furnishings, accessories and art are carefully selected to enhance the look of modern architecture. If you are addicted to Dwell Magazine and Metropolitan Home, we'll have a lot in common. I have been an artist for many years and have also been able to provide commission artwork for my clients as well as art selection services. in … (4 comments)
interior design: Is Your Wall Color More Important Than Your Best Friend? ... True Story in the Life of an Interior Designer
- 01/31/09 04:33 PM
I was on my initial visit to a client's residence meeting with his Personal Assistant. She was interviewing me and setting up the parameters of what the client wanted. There was plenty of latitude in the various projects the client wanted to accomplish and he was open to any recommendations I might make. But when it came to his dining room, there were two large original paintings done by his best friend, a professional artist. Here was the edict ... "you can do pretty much anything you want in here, BUT YOU CAN'T MOVE THOSE PAINTINGS". Not negotiable! He was very … (1 comments)
interior design: Why Energy Efficient Light Bulbs Fail to Thrive
- 01/27/09 09:48 AM
As a person interested in a sustainable world, I am looking to do my part in as many ways as possible. As an Interior Designer here in Portland, Oregon where we are deeply concerned with being eco-friendly, I have the opportunity and the responsibility of influencing others more than the average person because I help my clients to choose materials, finishes and products that can be (or not be) "green", efficient, or sustainable. I also provide home staging services so I have an entire warehouse of furniture, accessories and lamps, which again, can be green or not. The one area in … (4 comments)
Portland Oregon Interior Designer, Redesign and Home Staging professional, Pangaea, shares tips on preparing a home for sale, interior design ideas for lofts & contemporary architecture, and home improvement projects.
Portland Interior Designer Shares: Where to Shop in Portland, Oregon's Pearl District - Lux Lighting
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