The allure of tiny homes

2011JuneJuly_Homeward_Vardo02What’s fire-engine red, has wheels and is utterly fantasy inducing? No, not a sleek Euro sports car but the Don Vardo, a 7-by-10-foot mobile structure with French doors, a tiny cedar deck, radiant-heat cork floors and hemlock walls.

Bicycle shed chic

2011JuneJuly_Homeward_BicycleChicLike many people living in Craftsman homes, bicycle commuters Marti Frank and Lev Tsypin discovered what they gained in architectural charm they lost in convenient bike storage. “We have no driveway or garage,” says Tsypin of their Southeast Portland home. “We just had a makeshift, awkward bike area in the back.”

Get the look: Hotel Modera

Good design looks effortless. It rarely is. Ask anyone who has tried to create a cool mid-century look only to end up with a hot mess of mishmash. Getting the right color, texture, lighting and proportions within four walls is a balancing act. The Hotel Modera lobby in downtown Portland strikes that balance with a look that is pulled together without being too matchy-matchy.

Oregon’s floating homes

2011JuneJuly_Waterworld_02Floating homes can be fancy or funky, but residents all share a passion for being on the water.

My place- Carrie Brownstein

2011JuneJuly_MyPlace_01Musician, writer, actress, and co-creator of Portlandia Carrie Brownstein takes us inside her home.