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Posts from the ‘Events’ Category

Mar 27

Join us for the Kitchen Revival Tour April 13th

Portland Monthly shared some pre-tour insights about the Architectural Heritage Center’s upcoming Kitchen Revival Tour, along with a sneak peek photo of one of the kitchens on the tour:

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(We love the little arched detail below the sink in this tour kitchen!
Photo provided by the Architectural Heritage Center.)

Arciform also has a kitchen being showcased on the tour, which takes place on April 13th, from 10 am to 4 pm. More information and tickets here.

You can check out behind the scenes pictures and get the “client’s eye view” of our project here.

IMG_4382(Here’s the Arciform tour kitchen. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.)

Meanwhile,  Portland Monthly has some great insights into why it is important to both revive and restore the vintage kitchens at the heart of your home:

You’d think what a person needs from a kitchen would stay the same – it’s a place to store and prepare (and maybe consume) food. But really, kitchens are much more than that. Their design expresses how we feel about those daily, utilitarian needs, and what role it plays in our lives. Cooking in 2013 ain’t what it was in 1913.

And it’s not just because of the refrigerator (and the microwave and the toaster oven and the dishwasher). The kitchen of a hundred year old house was likely smaller than we’d want today; it wasn’t intended to be the gathering place and hub of our home the way it probably is in food-centric Portlandia circa 2013.

And while we might like the elaborate woodwork and high ceilings of an 1890s Queen Anne Victorian house, or the rustic, sheltering feeling of 1915 Arts and Crafts bungalow, we might not be too crazy about how separate the kitchens were from the dining room. But that was the way to keep those nasty cooking smells away from the rest of the house, and the servants out of sight. Read the rest of the article here.

We look forward to seeing you at the Kitchen Revival Tour on April 13th!

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Mar 11

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What Should Go on This Wall?

At this weekend’s Tour of Remodeled Homes, we asked attendees for a little help deciding what to put on the right hand wall in this picture (where the cow skulls currently are).

 

 

We received some truly creative suggestions! Here’s a few:

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A couple of people suggested that we consider a painting by Russian abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky.

Others liked the idea of a tapestry or wall hanging that incorporated the textures and colors of the living room:

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Or a vintage kimono:

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Some great mid-century suggestions included a George Nelson “Ball Clock“

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or perhaps a sunburst mirror?

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“How about a map of Fiji?” suggested one attendee:

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or a picture of a guinea pig?

Winter Fair guinea pig web

or some sandstone cave art?

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Others envisioned conceptual art, from a fused glass piece by Roger Thomas to a large scale lava lamp or water feature.

Long-SunsetHere’s a Roger Thomas piece that could work…

Or this water fountain wall sculpture...

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And some wanted to honor the view and our home state by suggesting this:

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or this:

MORE WINDOWS!!!

A witty observer suggested a photograph of a mountain that looked a bit like Mt. Hood but wasn’t:

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maybe Mt. Blanc?

Which suggestion do you think works best? Lend us your votes in the comments below and maybe you will sway our choice. Our favorite suggestion will win a custom-made cutting board from Arciform along with a collection of salumi from our friends at Olympic Provisions. So think deeply and let us know which selection you prefer!

Mar 5

Behind the Scenes at our Mid-Century Marvel Shoot

Getting a home ready to be photographed after the renovation is complete is an art form all its own. We recently had the pleasure of working with stylist Shannon Quimby and photographer Shannon Butler (of Photo Art Portraits), who helped one of our favorite mid-century modern projects put its best foot forward in preparation for the upcoming Tour of Remodeled Homes March 9th and 10th.

Here’s a photo diary of the shoot. You can check out the completed images on Houzz here.

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Shannon Quimby, our stager/sylist, loads in all the little treasures she has found that will add pops of color and vintage flair for today’s shoot. Shannon has been in hot demand to create interior environments at several of Portland’s newest restaurants, including the recent expansion of Lardo in downtown Portland.

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Arciform owner and senior designer Anne De Wolf plays with one of the pieces Shannon sourced. This giant wire poppy sculpture was brought in to accent the WC.

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Tools of the trade come in unusual shapes when you are a photo stylist. In this case, Shannon brought in her toolbag… and a pair of cow skulls she sourced from an Oregon farm. The skulls looked great in the living room… but they were already promised to another client so our clients didn’t get to keep them after the shoot.

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A beautiful reproduction ceramic lamp and a collection of orange and green resin and glass vases and bowls added color to the shoot. Our clients loved what Shannon provided so much that they purchased most of it! It was like a shopping trip where the store comes to you, arranges your home, and all you have to do is write the check. (Shannon says this happens to her all the time.)

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This authentic mid-century clock from one of Shannon’s vintage sources was the big hit of the day.

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Shannon Butler of Photo Art Portraits has worked with us for years. It was fun to watch the two Shannons collaborate!

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Here, the two Shannons are looking for a way to keep the vanity door pinned tightly shut for the bathroom shoot.

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Sometimes a stager’s job includes ducking just out-of-frame to adjust the smallest details of the photo elements between takes…

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Here are some of the results of their excellent work (above and below).
You can check out the full gallery of images on Houzz here.

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Join us for the Tour of Remodeled Homes, March 9th and 10th to check out the views of this beautiful home for yourself. Tickets are available here. We look forward to seeing  you then!

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Feb 28

CanStructing for Oregon’s Most Vulnerable

We love an opportunity to give back to the community while showing off our design-build chops. Which is why we are so excited about partnering with Ankrom Moisan Architecture to participate in this year’s Canstruction event.

The event, which takes place April 22nd through the 28th at Pioneer Place Mall in Portland, pits area construction and design firms against each other to see who can make the most creative, mind-bending structure entirely out of  canned food. The contest is a benefit for one of Oregon’s top non-profits, the Oregon Food Bank.

Each team has only seven hours from start to finish to create their magnum opus, making the contest both a design and project management challenge. Awards are given out (last year we won the People’s Choice Award!) and all of the cans used in the design are ultimately donated to the Oregon Food Bank.

Check out our award winning collaboration with Ankrom Moisan from last year- a replica of the St. John’s Bridge:

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We can’t give away the secret for this year’s design, but we can give you a hint: we’ll be sourcing some locally canned Oregon seafood ( salmon, oysters, maybe sardines?) and some cool water bottles for the project.

Would you like to donate to the Oregon Food Bank in support of our Canstruction project? The gift is tax deductible and will help Arciform and Ankrom/Moisan win the “Most Meals” award. Click here to donate in Arciform’s honor and join us in helping Oregon’s most vulnerable families!

We look forward to seeing you at Canstruction in April!

Explore the Arciform Photo Galleries | All About Arciform

Jan 23

You’re Invited to the AHC Library

Are you interested in house history? Maybe you want to learn more about how Portland neighborhoods were shaped by architectural styles and city planning. Perhaps you think your home may have been built from a plan book? Or maybe you are researching a notable Oregon architect? The Architectural Heritage Center invites you to  learn about the resources available in the AHC research library.

Architectural Heritage Center
Library Open House
February 2, 2013
10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Phone: 503-231-7264
Email: val@visitahc.org

The public is invited to attend the Architectural Heritage Center’s library open house. This is a rare opportunity to have free access to the AHC library and get a peak into the closed archives.

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Learn about great research resources available for your family, neighborhood, business or organization. Staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer your questions and share library resources.

For more information about the event, click here.

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Jan 18

Mid-Century Modern custom counter

Mid-Century Mahogany

Sometimes you uncover amazing materials in a home restoration… materials that demand to not only be lovingly restored, but honored with new design elements that tie the new and the old into a cohesive whole. That’s what happened when we discovered gorgeous mahogany trims throughout this mid-century modern beauty (that had suffered through some terrible ’70s updates).

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We restored the mahogany details and in the end they inspired a solution to a tricky design problem: How to maximize the visible light and extraordinary views of the great room and kitchen while still providing a focal point that created natural transition between one living space and the next. Our solution? create a brand-new cantilevered mahogany counter that is simultaneously richly luxurious, solid and built to last, but with a profile that feels lighter than air.

You are cordially invited to tour this mid-century beauty this March- it will be featured on the Tour of Remodeled Homes, March 9th and 10th, 2013. We look forward to having you join us!

Explore the Arciform Photo Galleries | All About Arciform

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