Ira Glass Dirties My House

CleanI love my house. I do not love housework. Sweeping floors, wiping down countertops and erasing fridge door smears makes me cranky. I’ve tried to practice mindfulness with the moping. Tried to get Zen with window washing. I really want to embrace an Oprah-like gratefulness for being lucky enough to own a house that needs vacuuming but I have never quite managed to convince myself.

Pet-friendly gardens

The newest class from The Oregon Garden’s “Garden University” series will teach you how to create a pet-friendly garden.

Shower Power

  My dog needs subtitles.  We want to know what is going on inside that doggy noggin. Like the time he ran behind the stereo speakers to see where the voices were coming from.  And the night he barked fiercely at the horses galloping across the television screen.  Or when he did one of those … Read more

Bed of Roses: How not to buy a bed

I’ve ditched chairs with no regrets. I once separated from a wool rug just because I wanted to see something else. And when a vintage dinette set — so charming during our first five years together — began to bore me, I threw it in the back of the station wagon, drove out to a … Read more

Live in the Sputnik Era for one night

Late architect Frank Shell’s family home near Multnomah Village features atrium rooms, entire glass walls, and lots of natural light.. Building Blocks is hosting a special one-night event at the renovated house featuring period interior design and art of the mid-century. The event is called “An Evening at the Shell Family Home – Invitation to Live the Sputnik Era.”

To Market to Market

REschoolhouseThe five friends behind Remodelista.com launched the Remodelista Local Market series which hits Portland this Saturday. They call their dot com a “sourcebook for the considered home,” and the local market is a bit like a 3-D version of the same with “curated” goods for the home.

Alisa Welch

Portland writer and editor Alisa Welch has a degree in art history from New York University and is completing an MFA in writing from Portland State University. She’s written for The Oregonian, Portland Monthly and Austin Monthly. Despite periodic Tex-Mex food cravings, she loves her hometown of Portland where she resides with her husband and … Read more