Saving Costs with Clever Ideas

While designing their kitchen layout, Erika and Matt Siegel had many creative ideas and materials stowed away in the lower level, waiting for their perfect home. Matt pulled me aside one day to see what I thought of these beautiful wooden screens he'd gotten for a great deal at Cost Plus World Market. He shared his idea with me to incorporate them into his stair railing system, which I thought was genius! Why didn't I think of that?

It is one of the many lovely pieces in their home that communicates the Siegels' connection to culture, life and travel.

First Day on the Bloggin Bandwagon

For all the entrepreneurs in this lovely, growing city, there are just as many Inner East Side Industrial Buildings undergoing huge renovations to be brought up to code and modern-day standards, providing office space for thriving businesses. One such business, Harlo Media Inc., a growing competitor in the Web Design & Development sector, newly resides in the Ford Building on SE 11th and Division.

One challenge in these newly remodeled, yet still very raw spaces, can be sound transmission and the quest for acoustic privacy. In addition, many of the office suites are large, open rooms with no spatial divisions allocating work area vs. conference space vs. break-time, take-a-load-off areas. Introspecs, a Portland interior design firm was called in to collaborate with Eric Haglund of Columbia Riverwood, to create a visual barrier between the large conference area and adjacent working spaces. Shown above, Eric Haglund fabricated a steel curved rod spanning the width of the office, and Introspecs commissioned customized, full-height curtains to provide a sense of privacy.