Some gourmands recall every detail of a favorite meal. Listening to their descriptions can be a tad uncomfortable. Fair warning: This may be worse. I want to wallow for a moment in the memory of the perfect bath.

I remain eternally optimistic in my attempts at entertaining. Although chances of the meal tasting delicious are slim, the odds of the night being memorable are very high indeed. But after seeing the fantastic dining room creations this weekend at Serving Up Style I feel the need to up the ante in the decor department.

I develop furniture crushes. I’m rather promiscuous. For a while, I trolled furniture stores for sofas. A passion for six-foot-long seating is not the sort of thing one can surrender to very often so most of that period I spent simply ogling. The sales staff of a certain store came to recognize me and knew better than to ask if I needed help. Clearly, I needed help. Just not the kind they could offer.

Once every few years ombré makes its presence known and hits the fashion and design communities by storm, and Fall 2011 is that time. With ombré being shown all over the fashion runways, it is easy to see how home décor has picked up on this trend.  

The Portland Architecture & Design Festival offers a rare glimpse inside six architect-designed residences through the Design Matters Home Tour. Some are historic. Some are cutting-edge.

Trying to make life beautiful is not a bad way to spend a life, and maybe that’s why I’m so fascinated by Pietro Belluschi who did that so successfully. And did much of it right here in Oregon.  You can see his houses, office buildings and churches around the state.

The  Energy Trust of Oregon is sponsoring The Oldest Fridge Contest to encourage people to recycle those ancient energy suckers, and they’ve made it fun by dangling a $1,000 grand prize toward a new appliance.