I once was a fearless decorator. In high school, I painted a friend’s bedroom walls with an elaborate mural of strange creatures and visual inside jokes that only two teenage girls slightly obsessed with David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust days could find even remotely appealing.

Even though on several occasions during the weeks it took me to transform her walls into a bad art project, my friend’s mother gently suggested the project “looked finished” in an attempt to stop further spread of the modness, I never doubted the décor was anything short of flipping brilliant and that I’d soon be turning down commissions to paint similar murals because, man, I was not a sell-out.

Now choosing a single paint color makes me a little nervous.

And a project like remodeling a grungy basement bathroom with exposed pipes and tin shower into something the kids can use without risking their lives makes me positively suffer.

Should the floor be a practical, low-maintenance, true-to-vintage Marmoleum; a cool gray slate;  or a gorgeous handmade ceramic tile installed at a price rivaling the gross national product of a small Himalayan kingdom? And what about the fixtures? Have you seen the astonishing selection of toilets at George Morlan? Toilets! And sinks? And the faucets for those fixtures? And the finishes for those faucets? (Console sink pictured from George Morlan.)

These are the sorts of decisions that call for another pot of tea and a day or 6,222 to pontificate.

Small children can and will become legal adults in less time and with only slightly more angst.

On the other hand, I find other people's remodeling projects a delight. I love hearing stories about how they did and what they did it, and why.  I admire their vision and thrill to see the results of their labor.  So, please, tell me. Oregon Home wants to show off your home remodeling project.

Do you start with events such as  The Portland Build, Remodel & Landscape show or the upcoming Portland Home & Garden Show  or Better Living Show?  Did you attend one of the showroom information seminars offered by Neil Kelly? Did you focus on companies that emphasize sustainability and reuse such as Hammer & Hand or Arciform? Or look for experts on authenticity such as Full Circa? Or see a project by Mac-Bo or Kraft Custom Construction and decide they were the ones?

So drop us an This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Send us before and after pictures. Tell us your stories so we can post them online to share and inspire other Oregon Home readers.

But please, no bad murals.

Vivian McInerny; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; 503-445-8820