Only a tightwad would make do without a firescreen, right? Sadly, we’ve seen plenty of sparks flying toward unprotected spendy Oriental rugs. And don’t even get us started about the looks-like-a-double-oven trend of hanging a TV above the mantel. Oregon Home asked two interior designers, a fireplace resurfacer and two firescreen makers for tips to ensure that you end up with a fireplace that sizzles.
Whether you work out of a home office because your company encourages telecommuting or because you’re newly self-employed, you need to think about form and function when it comes to an at-home workspace. Oregon Home asked a sound engineer, two interior designers and a home designer for advice on what works once you leave working in a cube.
A tiled shower room. A rainforest showerhead. A soaking tub you can truly hunker down in. His-and-her sinks. A heated travertine floor. If you’re steaming for a new master bathroom, these are undoubtedly some of the features you’re going to try to squeeze into the space. Oregon Home asked a tilesetter, two designers and an architect for ways to do the room right.
Your home is the biggest purchase you’ll make in your lifetime—and the experience could be the biggest rush or the biggest headache. Oregon Home asked professionals from Realtors to remodeling pros to mortgage lenders how to make buying your next home a dream.
Unexpected guests are bad enough, but when they gnaw, wriggle, slither and chomp their way into your house, that’s when you’ve got to get tough. Oregon Home asked pest control experts how to wrangle the termites, mice, carpenter ants, moles, skunks, squirrels, bats, rats and various other vermin who are trying to stake a claim on your property.
Got your heart set on building the dinosaur-shaped headboard of your dreams for your bookworm of a boy’s bed? Feel like a hip mama because you’re letting your 4-year-old pick which of 34 colors she wants her spendy maple bedroom furniture to be stained in? Oregon Home asked design mavens for pointers for decorating a kid’s room with style.
Daydreaming about exchanging your 3,000-square-foot Irvington Craftsman for a condo in a new South Waterfront tower? Been picking up fliers for houses with less than 1,000 square feet? Oregon Home talked with a designer, two real estate brokers, an estate sale organizer and a downsizer for tips to ease the move from living large to living small.
Are you the biggest loser when it comes to sticking to your daily goal of working out at the gym? Maybe it’s time to ponder whether a home gym could lead toward a healthier you. Oregon Home talked with an architect, two fitness trainers and two sports equipment experts for tips on putting together a home workout space that really works.
If the islands of your dreams harbor cooktops and prep sinks rather than ships, you may be primed for words of wisdom about kitchen center islands. Oregon Home talked with three kitchen designers and an architect about how to navigate through the choices you need to make—height? width? shape? in-island appliances?—to end up with a kitchen icon that cooks.
You don’t have to live in a strawbale house and drink rainwater to live sustainably. There are lots of ways to do it, from the food you eat to the businesses you support to the kind of lightbulbs by which you read. We’ve spoken to some eco-experts and put together a list of simple things you can do to make the world a greener place.
