Eugene Modern Monkey

Palm Springs Modern Home Rentals: Your Next Vacation?

2012-01-29T19:46:00.000-08:00

Our Palm Springs vacation rental home. Apparently a former residence of none other than Liberace himself!

Mustard colored front door and grated front window.

Welcome home!

Once past the entry way you have the kitchen to the right and living room to the right.

The living room with a bit of toddler proofing (bench blocking fireplace).

Our comfy living room perfect for cocktails and family games.

The outdoor dining room shares windows with the main dining, kitchen, and living area.

Everything was included except for your family, good times, and a special Mr. Monkey making margarita's.

January is almost over but since New Years is my favorite holiday I try to stretch out the fun and relaxation as long as possible. One way I can do that is by revisiting pictures from our last vacation. For this past holiday we rented a home with our chosen family. I love staying in a beautiful hotel but there's nothing like the comfort and flexibility of renting a vacation home. You can create your own dream modern getaway by renting from vacation rental websites like this. It's a nice alternative to a hotel especially when traveling with a group and with kids. I love being able to settle into a home for an extended period of time. I also love that when we travel with friends and family we all get the chance to lay about in our pjs and have lazy mornings and naps by the pool. And those who choose to stay up late snuggled up by the outdoor fire pit with a glass of wine telling stories of our lives can do that too. Over the next few blog posts I'll be revisiting some of our modern design and mid-century modern site-seeing excursions. We visited notable MCM Palm Springs sites and a few Palm Spring hotels that have been marked notable by the design world. We also made it to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to see their, "California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way" exhibit. While we couldn't take pictures of it all we managed to get some pix of the highlights.

Happy new years! Cheers to living modern and living well.

Cascadia Wildlands: Come to Dinner

2011-12-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

Exactly one week from today will be the Annual Wonderland Auction, a benefit for Cascadia Wildlands. Cascadia is a small non-profit based here in Eugene. Cascadia works for the protection of ancient forests and imperiled wildlife. You might not know that Mr. Monkey is on the board and he's actually the president of the board. You might also might not know that Mr. Monkey is an excellent excellent chef!!! All of this is important for you to know because this year amongst the usual fabulous array of silent and live auction items there will be a live auction item that will include dinner for 4 prepared by forest protector, MHA-builder, plant whisperer, back packer, hubba hubby, and all around wonderful president of the board of Cascadia - Mr. Monkey aka Jeremy Hall. The dinner will of course be served and enjoyed at our modest home in the new super kitchen and entertaining space. Mr. Monkey will be serving organic lamb raised from his family's Southern Oregon farm and we've already received a wine donation for the evening from our favorite Applegate Valley winery Wooldridge Creek Winery and Vineyard! So frickin' excited! Even you if you don't bid on dinner with us you'll have a blast drinking Ninkasi beer, eating Ring Of Fire food, and supporting a high-impact small non-profit.

Register Guard Profile: Loving the space we live in

2011-12-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

This is the before of the next picture.

This is the after from same perspective!

We've had a beautiful fall here in Eugene. Sunny and crisp cold days make for a wonderful running, walking, and wine tasting season. It's also been a wonderful season to stay in the house by the warm wood stove and snuggle. This is the first fall/winter we've lived in the new kitchen/living room space and we are indeed loving the space we live in. We love it so much we want to share it. We were able to recently share the kitchen in our local newspaper the Register Guard. Here's a link to the Register Guard Kitchen story. Be sure to click on the tab above the article to see the photos. I've added some photos here that I took awhile ago so you can get the whole perspective.
David from engage: ARCHITECTURE and Jonathan (Bunchberry Woodworking Blog here) came over to answer Kelly's, the staff writer, questions. It was fun to have David and JP here again and seeing the space lived in. Mr. Monkey and I of course cleaned the kitchen for hours before the big photo shoot but Mr. Monkey couldn't be here the day of the photoshoot. The photographer wanted to come back to get pictures of Mr. Monkey and I together in the kitchen and after 2 missed appointments (not due to us) we finally made it happen. We do like the pictures and my only regret is not having my love quoted in the article as well. Mr. Monkey always has good insight to offer. In the end it was a positive experience and now we're wondering if we should try to share the work beyond our little region. Does anyone know a Sunset Mag staffer?

Autumnal Happenings in Eugene

2011-10-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

Mr. Monkey perfecting a Saturday morning omelet with tomatoes and basil (still) freshly picked from the garden in October!

I'm getting my running routine back in action. Easy to do with skies like this at the track on Polk St. last week.

Mr. Monkey sorting through the colorful pepper haul at the Lane County Farmer's Market.

He did the planting and watering and I did the picking. We thought the rain was coming but we're still picking tomatoes off the vine!

Sorry for the feeble blogging as of late. I took a little break from the blog to enjoy the kitchen, our community, and enjoy this gorgeous fall that we're having. Here are some recent pictures of this seriously amazing October weather and the Eugene sights from around town. All the way down at the bottom is a silly picture of the boxes that just arrived on our front step. Looks like Mr. Monkey and I have a job to do this evening! I had to wait quite awhile to buy this next set of 2 wire bar stools from Modernica. I thought it was actually going to be a longer wait but a couple of weekends ago Modernica kindly had a 20% off sale. The sale saved us over $100 big ones! We're pretty happy that our fall entertaining now has seating for 4 at the magnificent island that Misters Schmitz and Plummer made.

Spectacular view of the sun and clouds doing a dance from up top the Margarita Holding Area (MHA).

Two boxes - two stools - two happy monkeys!

Jones Ceramics Kitchen Warming Gift

2011-09-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my mother, Momma Monkey, we have this lovely addition to the kitchen. It's called an Ikebana Vase and it was handmade from Jones Ceramics down in Laguna Beach, CA. My mom knows the artist, Robert Jones through her association with the Sawdust Festival in Laguna and I have to say I'm certainly thrilled she does. The color is gorgeous and the lines are clean. So naturally it fits right into the kitchen and ties into our color scheme. The Calla Lilies came from the front yard and are now in the fall weather almost a distant memory. I look forward to having flowers in our Ikebana throughout the winter. We won't even know it's winter with all the brightness the new kitchen and sky lights provide.

Blueberry Margaritas Being Held in the Area with a Chaser of CB2 Inspirations

2011-08-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Margarita.

Sad to say the summer's climax (labor day weekend) is upon us. It's also the very end of blueberry season. If you're not sure what to do with the final few blueberries you can always make a blueberry margarita and take it up to the top of your local Margarita Holding Area (MHA). If you don't have one of those maybe you have a Blind Pig in your neighborhood. Perhaps it's housed in a friend's garage or the patio of a loquacious neighbor. Either way it seems that blueberry margaritas are meant to be shared. If you want the recipe you'll have to contact Miss Single USA who first shared a pitcher with the Board of the MHA. Way down at the bottom of this post you'll find some more recent pictures (June) of the MHA. It's been awhile since the MHA has made a post around here with all the glitz and glamour of the kitchen to share. I wanted to let you all know that the MHA has definitely not been overshadowed. We make regular trips up top. Sometimes just to stretch after a run, sometimes to read, sometimes to watch the sunset. Earlier this summer we were inspired by advertising (sad to say) from CB2 (but they do such a nice job) and in fact Mr. Monkey made Watermelon Margaritas to quench our thirst in Tucson. The point is if you haven't made margaritas yet this summer, find your closest, freshest fruit, friends, a decent place to sit, maybe in the shade or the sun if you prefer, take a deep breathe and enjoy.

Blueberries at the start of the season from Mr. Monkey's garden.

One blender of margaritas looks something like this with the sunset in the background.

Welcome to the MHA!

Golden Raspberries at the foot of the MHA, under the pear tree.

Come again!

Willamette Valley Flower Gardening

2011-08-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

Mr. Monkey's Favorite Flower - Delphinium

My Favorite Peonie

While one of the benefits of life in the Willamette Valley is having your own garden (as proclaimed to us this past weekend by family from the Bay Area and former residents of the Friendly St. neighborhood - thanks for the reminder of what I'd forgotten) my great joy is all of our wonderful flowers. We've had a master plan provided to us in a work trade between Mr. Monkey (see Back to the Roots) and Landscape Designer and Eugene Weekly contributor Rachel Foster. Scroll down to the very end of this post for a sense of the full transformation of the front yard over the last several years and click here for an earlier post circa 2008.

Columbine

View from the front door looking towards the street.

Transplanted Hydrangea from the backyard. It didn't bloom at all last year.

The end of the monkey flowers blooming next to the basalt fountain.

Dahlia. My white dahlia just opened its first flower. The reds have been going for about a month now.

Basalt Water Fountain and Columbines

Dicentra or the Bleeding Heart Flower

Lupins

Azalea

Fuzzy close up of Dicentras.

Late Winter 2008

Late Spring 2009

Early Summer 2011

Oak Street Vintage Plant Pots

2011-08-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hi All! Well the weekend is upon us and some of you might be looking forward to time in your garden. Ours is going gonzo with zucchinis and the tomatoes are kickin' in. Mr. Monkey tends to the outdoor plants while my job is to tend to the indoor plants. With the remodel I needed to find some house plant pot that would better suit our decor. Wouldn't you know it? Oak Street Vintage saves the day once again. Both of these vintage pots were $15 bucks each - a complete deal as far as I'm concerned! Now I just actually need to get some dirt in them so the plants are not sinking below and looking so very sad. I know that vintage stores are not your usual destinations for plant and gardening supplies but you might check yours out if you're not in the Eugene area. If you are in the Eugene area probably Oak Street Vintage has what your looking for. Happy Friday!

Knoll Handkerchief Stacking Chair

2011-08-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

I hope you're all enjoying some great summer days. We're enjoying the benefits of summer in the Willamette Valley, mostly good wine and veggies galore from our garden, other people's gardens, and farmer's markets. This spring we also benefitted from Craigslist! We picked up these Knoll stacking handkerchief chairs in the tiny Oregon town of Azalea! They were red and faded because they had been used as outdoor chairs. But with a little spray paint these puppies cleaned right up and I couldn't be happier with them. They're super comfortable and easy to clean. The Danish table we got from Hawthorne Vintage up in Portland. The other 2 chairs were from St. Vincent's and with some spray paint and new fabric for the seats they cleaned up nicely as well (before pictures below). You can see the Flor tiles that we got from Modern about 3 years ago (past blog posts about Modern and Flor). Before the remodel the Flor tiles were the runner in the hallway but now they help to define our dining area. In the background you can also see how great the floor and door trim turned out thanks to David Schmitz, AIA (Engage Architecture) and Jonathan Plummer (Bunchberry Woodworking)! Having an actual dining room table has me actually looking forward to winter dinners and card games - but I don't want to wish away this sunshine and warmth. I'm gonna go eat some sun-warmed blackberries that are creeping through from our neighbor's yard now. . .

Frank LLoyd Wright: St. Louis

2011-08-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

The Taste of Wright is happening this weekend at the Gordon House here in Oregon. We won't be able to make it this year. You can see pictures here and here (interior kitchen shots) from our visit last year. But I did make it to a new FLW house this past Spring in St. Louis. I was on my way to the airport from a work meeting and wouldn't you know there just happened to be an FLW house about 30 minutes from the airport. So close I had to call and see if I could be there for the Sunday afternoon tour before my flight out of town. The tours of the Ebsworth Park Home are by reservation only and they only accept 10 people at a time. Lucky for me they had one spot left on the tour! Here are some pictures I took inside the Kraus House. Technically indoor pictures are not allowed but as long as you used a flash and didn't take the picture in front of the docent it seemed to be just fine. So my interior pictures are blurry and technically do not exist. Got it? (wink wink) The docents were a lovely retired couple. The gentleman had been an architect himself and had met FLW several times which added a very personal touch to the tour. I won't go into detail here because I don't want to get the facts wrong, but the basics are that the house was built on the concept of a parallelogram. The house then is shaped like two parallelograms slid together and many of the angles in the house are quite severe and include nontraditional shapes of drawers and beds. It took about a decade to build because no one in St. Louis had built a house like this before and most builders were nervous about taking on such a project. It sounded as though every single change in the house over the years was approved by Mr. Wright and his apprentices and so it remains a fine example of the Usonian type of home that Mr. Wright created. If you're in the St. Louis area, it's only 10 dollars and is so great to be in such a remarkable and well loved little building. If you're in Oregon this weekend you can go to the Gordon House for the celebration or come to Eugene for the Whitaker Block Party, both of which will be scrumptious summer events!

Curtains: IKEA Saved the Day!

2011-07-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

The Final Scene (for now . . .)

I searched and I searched, I drove and I drove and in the end IKEA won and I won.

Crazy gauzy stuff, that is your iron on hemm from IKEA

I made a fold at the desired length, placed the iron on stick-um and folded the fabric over it.

The iron, the fold, and the scissors

The naked window.

The Dignitet from IKEA, cool but best used in a wall stud.

The Dignitet installed, but because it's not in a wall stud it's already pulling away from the wall. Ick.

I was not sure about the blue, I thought it may too much, but it's working for me.

The whole front wall, Crestview door included.

Rugs: Modern and Inexpensive?

2011-07-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

I've been on a mission for the proper living room rug. I gotta says it's been a challenge. First of all the room is an odd shape. Second, rugs are expensive! And since all our money is blown on the construction there's not much change in the purse to buy the decoratives. So in these pics I've got 2 rugs. The first I really enjoyed when I saw it at IKEA. Enough to go back buy it, place it in our room, realize it was too small and then take it back! The second rug is a little bigger which is good and I love the color but the size is still not ideal. I got it from TJ Maxx for a great price and it is really working in the space right now. I need to get a detail shot of it because it's a rug with ridges and grooves in a cool geometric pattern. The color is also great because it pulls in the Jay Ryan print from the other side of the room seen HERE and here. We still have yet to hang art and I've finally got curtains up (that will be another post). But all in all things are getting put back in their proper places - including my fave Heywood Wakefield Lounger, Ottoman, and the Blue Modernica Eames rocking chair - deep sigh of contentment.

Window and Door Trim: Modern Organic

2011-06-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

Life is busy these days so I'll keep it brief. Here's our front door without any trim. After some discussion David Schmitz, AIA directed us to go in a less conventional direction. You can check out the trim on the windows below. We kept it continuous with the hallway doors as well. David plus Jonathan at Bunchberry woodworking built us a new hallway closet door to also keep to look consistent. It was a little extra cost at the end but well worth. This is a design piece that we really didn't think of until the very end. It took a few extra weeks to get it all installed but it's looking great and the trim really makes the whole place feel finished. The trim seems minor but without it the whole remodel would have looked either incomplete or simply an after thought. It was indeed an afterthought but thanks to David's smart thinking it looks like it was always a part of the plan.

Modernica Bar Stools: Eames Wire Chair

2011-06-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well here they are. . . after many days of going back and forth about whether to buy something inexpensive to just meet the need or to spend the money on that which would fit the space exactly we went for the later. Now having had these lovely Modernica Eames wire bar stools for the last month or so I have to say I'm very happy with that choice. We couldn't really shell out the cash to buy 4-5 of these stools but the two are working for us for right now. Mr. Monkey was adamant about finding bar stools with a full back. He did not want a demi-back bar stool. This substantial stool supports our lounging over dinner and drinks for hours and so let it be known Mr. Monkey was right on this one.

I was so excited I took a picture of the boxes they came in!

As a part of this purchase we debated the wether to wait and find vintage stools. This proved to be challenging because Eames vintage bar stools do not come around very often. We looked at some really gorgeous Danish Teak with black leather bar stools at Oak St. Vintage (they're still there in case you're wondering) but they turned out to be counter height (24 inches or so) and not bar height (30 inches or so) which is what we were looking for. Another more patient furniture lover might have waited and searched for just the right bar stools but once I saw these beauties I knew they would be just right. By the time Fall rolls around we hope to be able to buy two more. I'm still having one debate though. Should I stick with the Eames wire chair or should we add 2 Eames shell chairs in oatmeal with the same legs?

Schoolhouse Electric: Pendant Lights Arrive!

2011-04-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Well they're here and I have to say the lights from Schoolhouse Electric Co. are lovely and I love the packaging and labeling as well. Here are some close up shots as well as the lights installed. I'm so proud to have the lovely artwork of Yellena James in the house in this way. I love have local focal points like the locally harvested/salvaged walnut island top and now the pendant lights brought to us by a Portland, OR based company and artist! Things are in bloom so the tulips were locally harvested from our front yard! ; ) As you can see things are coming together splendidly. We couldn't be happier. Just final touches remaining to share with you - recycling center under the sink, walnut trim to cover under cabinet lighting, dimmers and electrical outlet plates in stainless steel are still coming, early next week door and window trim is being installed, and today I sit around hovering by the front window waiting for the UPS man to bring 2 bar stools!

For Earth Day Buy Furniture?!

2011-04-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well it's Earth day and here in Eugene it's a big deal. There are free events at 5th St. Market for example and sales (i.e. at Oak Street Vintage) galore. Last night Mr. Schmitz & Mr. Plummer came over to talk about final touches in the kitchen and mostly about trim. We talked for 30 minutes about all things trim including where this wood is going to come from. Buying wood is definitely a conundrum. We talked about buying a ready to go maple trim and Mr. Plummer suggested it would be FSC or Forest Stewardship Council certified. We also talked about using Appleply for the trim and I asked Mr. Plummer if that wood would be FSC certified and he said no. For another client they bought FSC applyply and in the end discovered that the core was from China which then leads to a whole bunch of questions about carbon production and shipping from across the world - not very earth friendly acts! They made the point that even though the applyply that we have in our house is not FSC it is locally (Oregon) harvested and manufactured (Lane County). So you see it's not so easy being green!

We're trying to make the best & most eco-conscious decisions during this remodel by taking more than just a simple label into mind. Thus my dilemma about buying furniture for Earth day. I want to but do I need to? NO! Here's some rationalization for you though if you care to indulge me. We'll be getting rid of some furniture on Craigs or via a garage sale or donating it to Goodwill or Bring Recycling which will keep it out of the landfill. This is good. But then is it a good idea to consume more stuff on a day that celebrates not consuming more shit? Not good. I think in the end don't buy anything at CB2 today just because they're going to plant a tree for you (you can plant a tree yourself). Falling for that sales pitch is not very eco-savvy. If I have to buy furniture it seems like supporting a local vintage store is a great way to consume stuff in an earth-friendly way. Plus Oak Street has marked everything in the store off 22% for April 22nd! You're saving furniture from the landfill which I think is an Earth-friendly action. Probably instead of buying stuff at Earth Day sales it's probably best to just get out into nature and remind yourself why we have this day to begin with. Another good Earth Day activity is donating to a small environmental non-profit like Cascadia Wildlands - a small group that is on the front lines of old growth and endangered animal protection in the Cascades from Oregon to Alaska! Also right now you can double your donation because of a generous offer from a great business Mountain Rose Herbs.com. Happy Earth Day, Modern monkeys!

Schoolhouse Electric Lighting on its way!

2011-04-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

I just learned that our pendant lights from Schoolhouse Electric shipped today and they should be here by the end of the week! Very exciting. I'm still looking for a flush mount ceiling light for the hallway. Let me know if you have any great ideas or pictures. Here's a picture of our pendant lights. The one on the left. It's from the Artist Series - a local Portland artist in fact! We chose the blue and red version and I can't barely remember now but I think I chose a white ceiling fixture and white cord. I hope that turns out well. Technically they're considered custom. One drawback of the Schoolhouse Electric website is that is doesn't give you a visual mockup of what you're ordering so you just kinda have to close your eyes, picture it, and click "purchase." I wrote more detail about the lights back here. I did take the plunge and purchase 2 bar stools. They were a bit outside our price range so it's just 2 for now and hopefully another 2 or so in a few months. I'll get pictures posted later this week with all the deets. Also friends, I completely didn't think about it but we're gonna be in the market other furniture too! There is some sort of snowball effect happening here I think. We didn't stop to think about fitting our old couches and chairs and table into our new space. Hmm, while the kitchen may be done soon the overall new look may still be a ways off. In the meantime however we are really enjoying the basics like having a kitchen sink!

Kitchen Faucet: Kohler Simplice & Tile

2011-04-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to those of you who offered your opinions on FB Networked Blogs and here in the comments section and in person about kitchen faucets. It was nice to hear what people's reactions might be. In the end we chose the Kohler Simplice and so far we're really happy with it. It's a bit splashy but we're learning to manage. What I love about it is that the head pulls down and out very easily and there are three buttons on the back that allow you to have a single stream, shower spray, and a final button allows you to momentarily stop the flow altogether. The hose has a great range which is real nice and essential because we opted for only one sink but it is one big sink! Oh and that button next to the faucet is the garbage disposal button. Love it! It keeps the backsplash clean of outlets and switches. Below are some close ups of the tile so that you can get a better sense of the design. I'm so glad I found the tile and I'm so glad that Mr. Schmitz was able to access his architect discount! It seriously saved me from the dilemma of glass mosaic tile that was terribly expensive and impossible to find something that I liked for a even slightly reasonable price. This tile is your basic Italian ceramic. What's nice about it is it's 3-d textured-ness and its large size. Larger size means less grout means less kitchen goop stuck in kitchen places means less cleaning of goop! Yay again! Next up I gotta share some close up pix of the island top. It is gor-or-geous! Seriously a show-stopper!

Green Kitchen Feature Item: Built in Compost Bin

2011-04-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

This is the first weekend that Mr. Monkey and I have been able to cook and live in our new kitchen (pictures coming soon). We've just spent the whole weekend moving kitchen items in from the garage to the house, sorting for keepers and tossers (to Goodwill of course), and washing, and then finding each item a home. One of my favorite features of our new kitchen is the built in compost bin. As you can see it's just a catering pan. But it's placement in the top drawer makes it so that we can bump the drawer with our hip and the drawer opens, we just lift off the lid and wipe all food scraps from the cutting board or the stainless steel counter top directly into the compost bin. Lid goes back on and you bump the drawer closed with your hip again. As an added little niceity Jonathan Plummer whittled a wee walnut handle for our compost bin to match the gorgeous island top. A nice touch indeed. Now we're composting and no one can tell because our compost bin isn't sitting out on the counter. We're covert composters! If you're wanting to see more recent pics of the kitchen check the twitter feed. I'll try to get some bigger non-phone pictures up here this week. Thanks for reading everyone! I appreciate the feedback over twitter and in person. We're nearing the end of this kitchen remodel and now we're left with a few choices remaining like bar stool selection and wall and window trims. Stay tuned!

Dispatches from a Construction Zone: Part 3

2011-03-31T22:41:00.000-07:00

Bunchberry Woodworking Cabinet in the shop, push to open door and silent close drawers.

Now we're getting somewhere. I'm a bit tired so I won't be writing a ton but I wanted to share the latest views of the kitchen with you all. Things are moving fast and furious now and I'm no longer "Fear and Loathing" in Remodel-ville. The floors turned out better than we hoped through some major rough spots with Boles Construction, who we would never hire again (future review on Yelp?) and now we welcome the dynamic duo: Mr. Plummer and Mr. Schmitz for the dramatic custom cabinet install. Here are some shots of the early stages. Oh and appliances got delivered today!!!!

Monday evening, floors not quite done.

Wednesday evening, Bunchberry Woodworking install Day 1.

Thursday, Bunchberry Woodworking install Day 2.

Thursday evening, south facing view.

Thursday night, north facing view

Sunny Times in Santa Barbara Beach House

2011-03-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

We spent New Year's with many of our favorite monkey's from college times and from current Eugene times in Santa Barbara, CA. Art Monkey down Tucson-way found us this sweet sea-side crib. I'm not sure how to describe this Montecito Beach House. It could be described as California Beach Retro. It had a touch of modern and maybe a little too much shell art. I think the home owners forgot that a little shell art goes a long way! We had a blast playing in all the various rooms of this luxury (for us) rental. These pictures were taken after a week of playing with two toddling twins and gaggle of Camp WU Bearcats plus a few dinner and hot tub guests. Cheers to California dreamin'.

Formal Living Room

Lanai

Formal Dining room looking towards bar and kitchen.

Evidence: A little shell art goes a long way.

View of hot tub and ocean for 2nd story sun deck.

View from the corner of our room of Ocean.

Mountain View from sun deck.

Dispatches from a Construction Zone: Part 2

2011-03-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday and Mr. Monkey and I were supposed to be up at a mountain cabin soaking in some hot springs but instead we're home babysitting the flooring process. The above picture is the floor with no treatment. The below pictures show part of the process ending with how the floors looked this morning. Not exactly what we're going for. The major problem is that Mr. Monkey and architect extraordinaire, David Schmitz, AIA of Engage Architecture, met with the contractor and explicitly stated the floors should be smooth in texture, uniform in finish, and level. So far we've only kinda reached the level part. To the credit of the work crew they did return this morning on a Saturday to make it work. I got to sit in on the color mixing process so I could approve the color - a much darker blue grey than what is in the pictures below. We're going for smooth texture, shiny finish, dark blue under layer with dark charcoal gray top layer. Mr. Monkey is at the house now while the crew places another layer on top of this one. They sanded this morning and they'll add a new layer today - hoping for the smoother, darker finish. Fingers crossed that this it the final layer and that Monday they'll be able to stain with the charcoal water-based stain and then add the shiny sealer - two layers of it. At the beginning of last week I was saying, "At the end of this week the floors will be done - yee haw!" Now that time has come and gone and now I'm saying, "By the end of THIS week the floors will be done and maybe even Bunchberry Woodworking will be able to start installation at the end of this week. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

After the floors were sanded they placed a self-leveler and another material to evenly cover the concrete pad.

This is what we woke up to this morning. Uneven finish, uneven color, level was okay, wrong color.

Here's a close up of some of the texture issues. Imagine walking on this with bare feet. Ickers!

The dining room.

North-facing view.

Kitchen Plans: Engage Architecture

2011-03-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

Engage Architecture, David Schmitz, AIA

Things are moving along slowly but surely over here in the construction zone. We've had a delay of several weeks due to the floors. Let's just say that we planned for this to be a 6 week adventure but had planned for an extra couple of weeks - so we were thinking 2 months. We're at the 2 month benchmark and we have a solid two weeks remaining. Mr. Monkey and I have gotten quite cozy in the our 2 room living situation. I actually don't mind it. The big problem is the dirt and the dust. That really gets to me and my lungs and my time. I don't really love cleaning to begin with and having to clean every day before you can relax in your 12 by 12 room is a bummer. But then . . . I look at the above picture and I sigh a deep sigh of "it's totally worth it." And it is. David Schmitz, AIA of Engage Architecture has done a great job being a hands on architect offering lots of support throughout the construction process. The plans have changed slightly - adding pendant lights above the bar - substituting walnut cabinet fronts in place of the turquoise - single door dish washer as opposed to the double drawer thing. We've also decided to hold off on the built in shelving in the corner until we're completely done with the kitchen and our bank accounts have recovered. In the meantime I'll just look at this image and think of all the great hanging out and entertaining that will take place.

Custom Modern Platform Bed: Bunchberry Woodworking

2011-03-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

Friends, I don't know what it is but I am one sleepy girl. Was it the super worm moon? The time change for daylight savings time? Or Rib Fest at King Estate? I'm not sure why I've been so tired but I do know that I have been very much appreciating my modern custom platform bed made by Mr. Jonathan Plummer at Bunchberry Woodworking. Jonathan entertained my musings and allowed me to make some drawings and then we talked specs. I showed him the pictures below too which were my inspiration pieces. Jonathan picked up the wood, Western Walnut, locally. He has his Bunchberry Woodworking shop here in the Friendly Street Neighborhood around the corner from our house. So the bed is following along with our effort to keep it local. Also the bed was more affordable than buying a crazy expensive wood frame from New York and having it shipped! You might think that custom furniture is out of your price range but if you know a local artisan it's worth asking for a bid. The top picture is pretty close to the final outcome. I was able to pick up a vintage Saarinen-style side table from Oak Street Vintage that looks like this and completes the look. With the storage (4 drawers) under the bed Mr. Monkey and I are doing a much better of job of keeping the room clean too. Things are a bit cramped right now with the kitchen remodel but heading into our bedroom and seeing the beautiful bed I rest comfortably each knowing I had design the bed and our wonderful neighbor, friend, and artist made it with his own hands and with local Walnut. When furniture shopping it doesn't get much better than that.

Now we've even got Mr. Bunchberry Woodworking creating our custom kitchen cabinets! Check out the twitter (@eugmodernmonkey) feed for some previews.

Suite New York, Doze Bed

Hudson Storage Bed, Room & Board

Dispatches from a Construction Zone

2011-02-23T10:01:00.000-08:00

North Facing View

South Facing View

Mr. Monkey took these pictures after the sheet rock was placed up this Monday. It's starting to look more like a home and slightly less like a construction zone. Yay! Dry walling is on the docket for today. The concrete floors are poured next week. We're still considering what color to stain the concrete floors. Do we go lighter or darker? Do we go for gray, brown, or beige? We'll keep you all posted.
Thanks for the comments about the kitchen faucet on Facebook and here. I think you all made excellent points and it's clear the swan neck faucet won! I think it will indeed be beautiful against the tile. Thanks for your input!

Kitchen Faucet Choices

2011-02-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

What do you guys think? These are the 2 finalist for Kitchen Sink faucet. Both have the same pause feature and the same spray pull out directly from the primary neck as opposed to a separate spray pull out. Don't be thrown off by one having a plate and the other one not having one. This is a simple item to change. Also both faucets have 360 degree rotation possibility. Both are from Kohler and similarly priced. And both are available in a finish that would match our appliances. Last but not least the one on the left is called the Elate and the one on the left is call the Simplice. Basically the decision comes down to which shape and look do you think will fit the best in our kitchen. Feel free to offer your words of wisdom or just flat out opinions in the comments section. Just think . . . in less than a month we'll have our stunning after pictures up and we'll be able to invite those of you in town over for a glass of wine! Can't wait! Thanks for checking in!

Parallam Wood Beam: Load Bearing Modern Feature

2011-02-13T18:56:00.000-08:00

before - south facing view

before-north facing view

before - north facing view

In progress - with beam and skylight, north facing view (Mr. Monkey too)

In progress - south facing view

As a part of the kitchen redesign we removed the breakfast bar. Before we removed the bar however we had it checked and it was in fact load bearing soooo that means we were gonna have to get something in there to support the weight of the building. We decided on a parallam wood beam that we would leave it exposed. Here's what we have so far. I really love the texture and color play its got goin on. I think once we have the rest of the wood features with the cabinets (a mix of walnut, apply ply, and maple) it's gonna look sweet. In these pics you can also see the skylights shedding some light on the situation.

Backsplash Tile

2011-02-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

Progress is steady here and decisions are being made every day. Friday we finally decided on the tile for the backsplash. We chose these 10x20 tiles that are all white but have a nice geometric relief. The tiles are a white porcelain. We looked at a lot of tile at 4 different stores not including internet shopping. I had really wanted a mosaic tile but most of it is glass and costs over $20 a sq foot. In the end we just weren't finding the colors we were looking for in our price range. I'm really happy with the large shape and modern pattern. The pattern we will stack and so we'll have nice vertical lines adding the feeling of height to the wall. We're really pleased with the look and the price! I think it's going to be modern, clean, and classy!

Kitchen Renovation: Modern Wood Stoves

2011-01-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

Well we had to do a bit of research to finally discover a wood stove that would fit our modern aesthetic and would be in a price range that we could afford. But we finally did! Here's a link to Pacific Energy where we found "the Fusion". A sleek modern wood burning stove. We opted to the black one and not the stainless steel one pictures here (mostly because of cost). Also thanks to our wonderful friends, Mr. and Mrs. Duck Monkey, we discovered this Springfield business that will order it for us and install at a reasonable price - Good Deal Metal. The wood stove is going to go at the far end of the front room, so while it's not exactly a part of the kitchen redo it's a part of the overall front room redo which is taking place at the same time. Can't wait to do yoga in the front room heated by our cozy and modern stove!

Mission Kitchen Redo: Demolition DIY

2011-01-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

The demolition has begun! Mr. Monkey may be having too much fun. It's true I caught him removing door frames that maybe he didn't need to remove because he was on a roll. I gotta say that even though we're just in the beginning of this process and things in the front room are a bit trashed I already feel the promise of the changes. When I walked in the home this evening the door was open and with the closet gone it truly felt like a breathe of fresh air. Here are some pictures of before and current status. We'll be sure to keep the updates coming fast and furious as we start to make lots of decisions and progress will be happening quickly over the next 6 weeks or so.

Colorful Kitchens: Lamps

2010-12-16T10:53:00.000-08:00

Living with a house being remodeled during the winter seems like a huge headache, especially for a homebody like me. But if I can keep myself focused on the lights at the end of the tunnel it will help. I've had my eyes on these lampshades for a very long time. They are the product of a collaboration between Yellena James and Schoolhouse Electric (click on this link to the left to see all color options) up in Portland. Recently Schoolhouse Electric just engaged in another artist collaboration with another one of my fave Portland artists, Amy Ruppel. In fact international blogger Grace Bonney at Design Sponge just wrote up the event. Damn, we're lucky to be in the PNW where art and function collaboration abound. Truly what a wonderful idea to have artists help create great light fixtures. I'll let you know if either one of these end up in the new kitchen. Tell me in the comments section which lamp shades you like best.

From Design Sponge

Colorful Kitchens: Mosaic Tiles

2010-12-13T10:40:00.000-08:00

Evit Tiles

Sunset Magazine, Thomas J. Story

As you know we've got kitchens and color on the brain. Should we go the more traditional route and add our kitchen color via the black splash? OR should we do something a bit more daring and add color in the cabinetry? Here are some pictures that demonstrate both ideas. What do you think? Add your two cents in the comments. I'm leaning one way and Mr. Monkey is leaning the other. David the architect is coming over tomorrow to share tile samples . . . I'll keep you posted on the outcome.

Sunset Magazine, John Granen

Baltimore Rowhouse Blog, Click link for more pics

Giving thanks for Friends & Art

2010-11-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

Well I already have winter vacation on the brain even though we've barely arrived at Thanksgiving. I'm just thinking ahead because this year I'm especially excited to spend some time in Santa Barbara (more on that later). Every year over the winter holidays Mr. Monkey and I take a vacation with some of our college friends. The groups shifts a bit depending on the year, who can make it, and where the meet-up is. Years past we've found ourselves hiking, soaking, eating, drinking, and generally enjoying each other's company in Sedona (AZ), Yachats(OR), Palm Springs (CA), and Baja (MX). In our little group we have many smart, creative, and overall deliciously delightful people.

One person who we find to be incredibly artistically talented has often commemorated said vacations with a sampling of her artwork. About three years ago the crew rented a house on Orcas Island in Washington State. It was a very mellow year. I was recovering from thyroid cancer surgery and having my amazing friends around me while we all jointly recovered from the general stresses of life was a priceless gift. To top off the gift of her friendship Tucson-based Monkey Bobcat sent along the painting above. Sadly it took me awhile to find a frame for it. I desperately wanted to get it professionally framed but that wasn't happening and the wonderfully funny painting was sitting in a closet. I had to ultimately admit that professional framing was not in the plans and it was better to simply get it up on the wall. For the time being I found an inexpensive alternative for $20 at a big chain home store. Hip hip hooray! Monkey Bobcat's art is now up and I have a daily reminder of how dear friendship is and essential to our every day and overall quality of life. Just as the painting shows the waterways of the sound to be the "cardiovascular system" of the network of San Juan Islands I like to think of my friends and family as my life support system. I'm glad that this little painting made it's way out of the closet and onto the living room walls. Yay for art and yay for friends who make art!

Kitchen remodeling on the brain

2010-11-18T19:31:00.000-08:00

We've got kitchens on the brain. We've finally met with an architect and plans are in the works. By the end of the year 2010 we should have plans which means we can begin construction in January! We've got tons of ideas but we're really leaving it up to David Schmitz, of Engage Architecture and to our limited budget of course. Below I've added some of our inspiration kitchens. The 3 features I love from the pictures are the colorful tile back splashes, the center islands with bar seating, and open floor plans. I think between Mr. Monkey, our architect, and I we will have no shortage of ideas. The challenge will be finding the best function/design/price balance. Most of these pictures can be found at this Sunset Magazine Kitchens link.

Sunset Mag, Richard Leo Johnson

Sunset Mag., Thomas J. sTory

Modern Times in an Old City: Boston & Cambridge

2010-10-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hyatt Cambridge early morning view from hotel room.

Sitting area at Hyatt Cambridge overlooking the Charles River.

Well I've been a crazy workaholic as of late which has brought me to the east coast twice in the past month or so. The first time back in September I spent most of my time in Charlestown and Cambridge. The best thing about Charlestown was the meal I had at the Navy Yard Bistro and Wine Bar.

Dinner at Navy Yard Bistro and Wine Bar.

The meal was delish, taking something classic and adding a fresh twist, local scallops and fresh arugula plus mashed potatoes with a bit of basil mixed in. The meal was really perfect despite the fact I was dining alone. Two times while I was in Charlestown I jumped out of surprise when I heard the sound of the canon from the USS Constitution being shot off at 7pm each night. The second time I was out for a run trying to squeeze some health in between work only to be "shot" at from an antique boat and its crew.

USS Constitution, Charlestown, MA.

Big comfy bed, with iPod alarm clock.

The Hyatt provides toothpaste. A modern take on the old shower cap offering.

After spending 2 nights in Charlestown I moved over to Cambridge and found a great rate that was less than my government allotment at the Hyatt Cambridge. The rest of the pictures here are of my room there. I gotta say I thought Cambridge was a great option for staying in but outside of Boston. The room was really big and super comfortable. The rate was very reasonable and the view from the hotel restaurant and many of the rooms is a lovely one of the Charles River. I really enjoyed being surrounded by notables buildings and architecture and history but going back to my modern dwelling at night.

Bedside table and lamp with plug-ins built in.

Vanity outside of bathroom, next to closet, made for a nice changing room.

UO Campus goes Modern: Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes

2010-09-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

Wolfram Burner's Flickr Stream - Coffee Shop

Wolfram Burner's Flickr Stream

from my phone - can't wait to sit by the fire sipping my coffee this winter

In the July volume of Metropolis Magazine there was an article titled, "The House the Phil Knight Built." The article is clearly not written by anyone who has actually spent much time in Oregon claiming that the only reason P-town can support it's fancy pricey eateries is because of Nike HQ! It also stated that Eugene is close to the Oregon Vortex and from a Eugene resident I don't know anyone that has actually ever visited the tourist attraction which is over an hour drive away. If this is reporting than I'd like to actually like to seem some facts rather than perceptions. Truly the article is best when it sticks to detailing the logistics of the building itself but even then it misses the mark. So here's my 2 cents. I, as you might expect, love the building. I've only been in the lobby and coffee shop and most recently the bathroom! Don't worry no TMI shots here - just sticking to the design elements. I'll include the bathroom shots in my next post about modern bathrooms. You can check out a John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Students Athletes Flickr stream here showing photos taken by photographer Wolfram Burner. It may have cost $1,100 per square foot but it is a beautiful building right at the entrance of campus and I'm glad that student athletes do have very nice surroundings where they can study and attend their required tutoring. My only wish is that all of our UO educational programs and buildings could be equally as beautiful, cutting edge, and green. Maybe the presence of this building on campus will help highlight the disparity between the darlings of Phil Knight and the academic programs that generally are plagued by architectural problems like thin walls and inadequate lighting. The College of Education has just celebrated a year in their new building and it is also a modern space but unlike the Jaqua Center it was funded by hundreds of people including community members, alumni, and current faculty and staff.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Gordon House in Oregon: the Kitchen

2010-09-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the kitchen, my favorite room in the Gordon House in Silverton, Oregon. The house was built in 1963 with the purpose of a pre-fab prototype in mind. The house is not huge unlike many other FLW Custom Homes. The kitchen was my favorite because of it's forethought for modern living. Just check out the refrigerator - it has wood paneling! The fridge was custom made for the kitchen, as was the stove top. Apparently Mrs. Gordon was not huge fan of the stove top, on the tour I learned that there were lots of problems with the stove top. If you look at the picture you can see the stainless steel backspalsh - except that it's not actually a backsplash it's a lid that can close and add more counter space when not using the stove. This is a wonderful idea that hasn't carried over to our generation of kitchens. The best part of the kitchen though is the sky light and the tall ceilings. While it's very nice aesthetically, especially considering there are no windows in the kitchen but the tall ceiling also served to aide in air circulation and one of the walls housed the chimney for the incinerator (hidden in the cinder block wall next to the built in oven). The kitchen in not huge and it is not connected to the main living space (through the open door above) but it is right next to the front door of the house and directly in front of the service door that Mr. Gordon used for his business and for coming in and out after working the land around the house. Mr. Gordon's office is also directly off the kitchen. So while most people today would be put off by having a somewhat closed off kitchen the reality of the Gordon House was that it was in the center of the action. The Gordon House is a lovely house in a nice setting (it's be relocated from it's original location) and I would encourage folks to go visit it. I'm already planning for the future when I can rent the place out for a special occasion.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Gordon House in Oregon

2010-09-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

On a gloomy muggy day here I'm trying to ignore the piles of paper pounding on my mental door I'm traveling back in time to a more carefree month - August! It wasn't that long ago when Mr. Monkey and I with other modern monkey friends headed to the only Frank Lloyd Wright house open to the public in the PNW (pacific northwest). The event is a "Taste of FLW" which kinda grosses me out because I think of some cadaver tasting but I get it - local food and wine brought to you on the grounds of the FLW Gordon House. Around here we do often hear "Taste of Eugene" or "Taste of Portland" both are great fund-raisers and culinary carousels for the mouth. But I just think it's weird to have the name of a man after the words "taste of". Despite the zombie title the event was not stiff. It was a fund raiser for the up keep of the house and the food was great. Above you can see the view from the front of the house, that's the front door and the inside of the house, that's the view from the bathroom. Below are some pics of the bathroom. I love the built in wooden track for the shower curtain. At first I didn't even notice the shower head. All the molding on the windows is supposed to refer to a guitar neck and frets. Next up the kitchen . . .

Andaz San Diego: King Suite, Party Suite

2010-09-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

Our tour of the Andaz San Diego continues with a few pics of our modernly furnished King Suite. After I caught eye of the bar I was wishing we had a bunch of friends in town to have over in our little living room furnished with a brown leather Barcelona couch.

The work space below was one of my faves from any hotel. The chair was beautiful and comfortable. The room itself had no real view so I guess having two large flat screen TVs was nice. There was one above the desk and the other on the other side opposite the bed. The curtains are drawn in part because the view was not a view simply an opening to other rooms and a peak of the roof top lounge.
When I saw the bar below I was wondering who we could call to come and enjoy it with us. Never before have I had such a complete bar in a hotel room - there even was a pair of slippers and an eye mask just in case you needed a relaxing refresher. The best touch was the drink shaker and jar of olives. It was a true southern California touch to have the non-alcoholic beverages complimentary except for the Red Bull.
Finally the bathroom, the sink was separate from the toilet and shower room. Which I always think is a nice touch when you have more than one person staying in a room. All in all we had a great stay and it was fun to live this modern glam SoCal life for 24 hours.

Andaz San Diego, Hyatt: Fun in the Sun

2010-08-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

Andaz San Diego rooftop bar.

Andaz San Diego rooftop lounge.

private-ish poolside lounge area.

rooftop lounge with living wall partition.

I traveled to San Diego for work recently and Mr. Monkey flew in for the weekend to visit family. Along the way I learned that I was eligible for a Hyatt perk and so looked to San Diego to cash them in. I had to look no further once I discovered Andaz, San Diego. Once we got there we were upgraded. I'll place those pics in a separate post. The funny thing about this rooftop bar.lounge.pool area is that once a month it turns into the Skin Zone. I mean they didn't call it that but I did. Mr. Monkey and I sat back, me in my 10 dollar bikini top and 15 dollar skirt and Mr. Monkey in his shorts that were totally in style in 1991 (from a lost and found pile) and we had a couple drinks and soaked it all in - the sun, the skin, the bathing suits that were being worn that were never meant to get wet except for a touch of sweat here and there. It was the appeal of the rooftop pool that convinced me to stay here. Ah imagine the piece and quiet - did I mention the DJ? I think I forgot that. It was so loud it almost bumped the memory from my mind. There was a DJ and it was 4pm in the afternoon on Sunday and the place was bumpin' and grindin' with fake boobs, tans, hair, maybe even muscles - all glittering in the summer Sunday afternoon sun. Ahh, seeing late 20 somethings prance in string bikinis and 5 inch stilettos in front of the 40 somethings trying to look like 20 somethings made me glad for the cultural (using that term liberally here) experience and glad to come home to Oregon where our DJs play from boom boxes next to a sweet shady swimming holes or in the backyard while everyone wanders through the vegetable garden. Needless to say the pictures here were taken the morning after when the party had shut down. We wandered over to the Mission for breakfast where I saw some dude with Coolio hair and I said to Mr. Monkey in my southern california girl talk, "Dude who does that guy think he is, only Coolio can F*ckin get away with that hair. Sh*t man, that brother has some serious balls." Only to hear the table next to us say, "Oh my good is that Coolio, dude it's Coolio, let's go get our picture taken!" Just another morning in paradise!

Heywood Wakefield Lounge & Ottoman: The newest/oldest monkey

2010-08-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

Friends, I'm just sneaking a few posts in under the August wire. It's been a busy summer life. Trying to fit in as much fun and work as possible. I think I'm doing well but I'm a bit tired. Oh well, that's what winter is for. So here's a recent Craiglist find from Salem, Oregon. I like to call it the newest oldest addition to the MCM monkey house. She's a beauty. Here's a few pictures of me bringing her over the threshold of our front door. The Crestview door and ottoman were winking at each other I swear. Seriously though she's comfortable and now where I sit daily typing away on this here lap top. Let's see what else can I tell you about her . . . I think she's late 50's early 60's, black vinyl, the head rest is often missing when you come across these or there is no ottoman. Here's a link to one I found as a price comparison - I paid less via Craiglist. At first the chair was priced at $875 and well I know I just couldn't pay that. So I sent a complimentary email to the post author saying how much I adored teh chair and would provide it with a good home if he was not able to find a proper home for his asking price. I offered him a price that was still a bit outside my price range but that I knew I was willing to pay ($500). the proud papa said thank you for your offer. I'll keep your number on hold and get back to you if no better offer materializes. Well lucky for me he lives in Salem and I'm in Eugene and well this type of furniture is not always flying off the shelf. After a month or so he sent me an email, yee haw! On my way to run errands in Portland I stopped with Miss Single Monkey USA and well there was no turning back. We've already received so many compliments on her and she's so comfy I couldn't be happier with my Craiglist treasure. See it's not all porn and massages on there! Seriously though this chair offered me the sophistication of an Eames Lounge chair but allows me to be unique amongst the MCM crowd - not everyone has to have an Eames Lounge chair. It's nice to mix it up. Another perk of this chair is that I'm buying the original and not a reproduction. Ahh here's to finding functional furniture that adds to our aesthetic surroundings. It allows me to enjoy even more my time somewhere in between fun and work.

Oregon's Frank Lloyd Wright House, Ninkasi Brew, + Local Food!!!

2010-07-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

via Wikimedia

Friends, I don't know how I could have forgotten but . . . this Sunday is the annual summer fundraiser for the Gordon House, Oregon's only Frank Lloyd Wright house. You can check out the details of the event - A Taste of Frank Lloyd Wright - here. I only learned about the fun-draiser heading into it's 8th year about a year ago right after last year's event had occurred. And this time I nearly forgot it until my friend, Mini Monkey, remembered that the event is this weekend. Basically this event is a wonderful opportunity to drink Oregon wine complimented by Oregon food and wander in the world of the FLW Gordon House. I promise of course to take pictures and to post. The good thing about A Taste of FLW is that it is from 3 - 6, allowing me just enough time to drive home to Eugene and make it to Ninkasi's and Slow Food Eugene's Carts and A Cold One Cook Off from 5 - 8pm, the bad thing is that I am going to have to run super long and fast in order to work off all these munching drinking Willamette Valley calories! I can't wait. See you there?

Eugene Friday Night Plans? Meet Your Maker

2010-07-26T15:40:00.001-07:00

from Meet Your Maker. Follow them on Twitter he re.

from Poppy and Moe at Etsy

I'm super excited to attend my first Meet Your Maker gathering this Friday at the Pizza Research Institute from 5:30 - 9:30pm. One of my fave local Eugene Etsy makers will be there, Poppy and Moe! I've gotten tons of compliments on my flying owl tank, the t-shirt version is pictured above from Poppy and Moe's Etsy site. Wish I could wear it everyday. Ahh, alas. But fortunately they as well as many other talented local folks will be sharing their wares at PRI where we can drink (Ninkasi beer), be merrily munching pizza, and shop from those that make beauty through an interaction between their hands, minds, and a range of materials found around them. This is Eugene, OR DIY functional art at it's best. See you there!

For those of you who don't live in Eugene, do you have a similar affair in your town? What's it called? Send the link so we can check out what other DIY and crafty art types are up to. Cheers.

Simply Modern Summer Garden Parties

2010-07-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

Mr. Monkey & I love to entertain. Especially in the summer months because our house is wee for large groups & it's best if we can maximize our living space by creating outdoor living spaces. Here are few pictures from table settings that I've recently set for potluck style gatherings plus some quick tips for simply modern table set-ups.

1. Choose a color scheme & gather plates, cups, utensils, serving platters that fit a similar color scheme over time. I've done this by sticking with mostly shades of greens, blues, & clear glass. It's not perfect but we're getting to the point where we can grab any combination of our entertaining arsenal and have it looked pretty pulled together.

2. Instead of spending a bunch of money on fancy modern table cloths (Apartment Therapy Round-up) just go to your local fabric store and buy a solid color of quilting fabric. A couple of yards will cost you 8 -10 dollars for a small table and up to 20 dollars for a larger table. If you have a pair of pinking shears you can cut the edges so they look finished.

3. Another great source for alternative tablecloths are vintage stores. You could even find some nice vintage scraps at your local thrift store. About a year ago I found this great fabric remanent at Oak Street Vintage (check out their new website!!) & I loved it as a table cloth. The price was super affordable and it fit my little coffee service/potluck dessert table perfectly.

4. Fresh flowers are essential to any summer party. You don't have to have a fancy vase. Just stick them in a jar or you can see I used a vintage 1960's Italian pitcher below (from Oak Street of course).

5. Get creative with containers you already have. I used the picnic basket above to hold all the clean cloth napkins plus a few paper ones as back up in case we ran out.

6. The picture at the top of this post is from an island bridal shower for my dear friend, Momma Poet Monkey. Because we had to transport all decorative items up to Canada and over the water via ferry we were somewhat limited. We couldn't bring fancy table cloths and table runners so we stuck with the basics; white linens provided a clean neutral base, flowers picked fresh that morning from an island garden, and we got creative with the table runners - wrapping paper. We just had some pretty wrapping paper lying around and that worked

perfectly to add a nice pattern but not take away from the flowers. Plus the paper was recyclable after the party!

7. You'll notice that most of the tables above are actually indoors. This is another secret to our summer garden party success. Keeping the food indoors helps to keep flies and other insects away from the food. I like to set up the drink stations outside where flies aren't really interested in our cocktails & lemonade. Also by keeping the food buffet line indoors you help to keep the flow of the party moving. People will keep coming inside for food but then come back outside for eating.

I hope you find yourself having a summer potluck soon! Sometimes though it just takes a circle of chairs and some ice cream. Cheers.

Surviving Salem, Oregon

2010-07-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

Friends, it's the time for road trips and summer travel. For those of you traveling in the Pacific Northwest you might find yourself somewhere in between Eugene and Portland and you might wonder and say to yourself, "Self, I'm hungry and I'm driving through a place named Salem and all I can see is a Denny's and a McDonald's, what should I do, where can I stop to satiate my burning desire for good and hopefully healthy food?" If that is indeed you talking to yourself, 1) stop addressing your self as "self" (you know who you are, you) and 2) keep reading, this little blog post is for you. If you can't hold over until you land in your foodie retreat of Eugene or Portland there are some points of food salvation to be found in Salem, plus there's a lovely art museum housed in a 1960's building. See the pics of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University. It was a blah building before and they've attempted to add some color with the stained glass windows. I'm not sure how I feel about the Native American Indian and MCM style working together. I haven't been inside since it's opening in 1998 but it looks as though they have some interesting exhibits passing through. You can read about the history of the building here.

La Capitale. It's a block away from the actual Capitol Building and it's crowning golden man. You can see from the pic of my lunch below La Capitale had a nice mix of good and bad - good: lightly dressed salad, bad (for you): french fries, good: presentation, bad: lots of creamy goodness in the chicken salad open-faced sandwich, good: beautiful display of infused liquors, bad: the temptation of mid-day cocktails with their lovely display of infused liquor. Big idea: if you're in Salem go to lunch or dinner here. Would this restaurant be as popular if it weren't in Salem and were instead in Eugene or Portland? Maybe not, the food was good not amazing, not too expensive, any other place with a larger food scene might find itself slipping into the background - in Salem this place is a stand-out. If you find yourself in Salem for breakfast you would do yourself a disservice to not drive yourself over to Off Center Cafe. It's quirky but the breakfast fare is beyond fair. I recommend Annie's Eggs or the Bibble and Squib. I've heard it's under new ownership, a relative of the previous long-term owner. I haven't been since this change. I can only hope the place has gone largely untouched. I hope this little post helps you out when you find yourself somewhere in between hipster- and hippie-ville. Happy trails!

Mid-Century Front Door: Crestview

2010-07-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

In progress with 2 coats of stain.

Naked door.

Ugly before hollow metal door (read: double ick).

June was a wickedly busy month. I'm thrilled to be onto July when I'll have some more time for blogging. I've got a lot of updates coming your way. First up you might remember way back in Feb. 2009 I bought a front door, one of the last from Crestview Doors in Austin, Texas. Crestview started out as a husband and wife team who were interested in purchasing a front door for their mid-century modern home and could not find any high-quality retailers. They ventured out, took pictures in neighborhoods built in the 1950's and 1960's and came out with a dozen or so styles that ranged from exact replicas and others that offered a more modern twist. In winter 2009 they decided to restructure their business model. They wanted to get out of the business of shipping whole front doors and in the business of selling something a bit more compact. You can check out their website now to purchase a window kit to mid-century modernize your already existing front door. This is much less expensive then purchasing and entire front door mail order. It took me while to settle on s stain and to find someone to hang the door but finally it all came together about 2 weeks ago with the help of Jonathan Plummer from Bunchberry Woodworking and Mr. Monkey of course. The front door is up and the hardware is a whole other story. It will get it's own post once the final product can be shared. In the meantime here are some pics of the before and the during (not quite the after). I still have to put one more layer of stain and the top coat and then we'll call it beautiful. Cheers!

Modern Frozen Yogurt Eugene-Style: Sweet Summer Start

2010-06-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

If there was any food category that needed a modern facelift - it was Frozen Yogurt, you know, FroYo, that delectable sometimes healthy, sometimes not desert. It's highest peak in fame came in the late 80's. Being a SoCal girl by birth I can claim to be made of FroYo just as much as corn or my paternal and maternal genetic material for that matter. Needless to say I hold a special place in my heart from FroYo, despite the fact that there are many examples of bad, bad FroYo out there. Because friends don't let friends have bad FroYo and good friends guide you directly to good FroYo, we ended up at Vanilla Jill's on a Sunday night (that's the link to their facebook page). Here's a link to reviews on Yelp of Vanilla Jill's. More onthe Fro Yo in a minute but you have to admire the design of the wee yogurt shop too. Great colors, pained concrete floors, nice graphics all together this makes for a great yogurt eating experience.

I know New Orleans has beignets, Boston has Boston Cremes, and now Eugene has frozen yogurt made from locally made organic KEIFER!!!! Yup, that's right you aren't dreaming, I know it sounds weird but it is so tasty and well I don't want to talk it up too much but it's made with Nancy's Yogurt. In Oregon Nancy's Yogurt is pretty darn famous with a long hippie past. What's great about Vanilla Jill's is that they are taking 2 already good things, frozen yogurt and keifer and making them both so much better with the addition of syrups like basil and green tea. Did I mention I had blueberry yogurt with lavender syrup and fresh raspberries on top? D-lish!!!

With Vanilla Jill's, Ninkasi and Oakshire Breweries, local wineries with in-town tasting rooms, plus the many farmer's markets, CSA's, and our growing restaurant scene (Belly being my current fave) Eugene is a wonderfully modern place to live. You can live, ride your bike, walk, or take to bus to all of these places in a matter of minutes. And if you're downtown at Skinner's Butte you might catch a glimpse of the Bald Eagle couple raising their eaglets. Good food, booze, nature, and people - sounds like the makings of an excellent summer to me. I'm so glad Vanilla Jill's is now a part of the equation. I know they've only been open about 3 months but I'm ready for the satellite shop so that I can truly ride my bike and be there in 15 minutes flat. Stay tuned . . .

Eugene, OR: Staycation Idea #1

2010-05-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Vero Espresso House, in Eugene, Oregon.

It's a long weekend across the our country and Mr. Monkey and I are looking forward to spending some quality time at home. As I drive around town I've been thinking about if I were not driving and I was walking or biking instead how would I want to spend a luxuriously relaxed morning in Eugene.

So here's my walking tour of how I would spend about 3 hours in town on Willamette St., one of the central arteries of Eugene life.

Stop 1: Holy Donuts (1437 Willamette Street). I would start my morning at the locally started & fostered Holy Donuts. On a nice day you can sit out in the courtyard sipping coffee and savoring each bite of your organic, dairy, and egg free donut. My faves are the itty bites that you can get for a dollar a piece and they are great for a taste of the entire donut without the after-sugar whole doughnut guilt. Word has it that they now have their own version of the Maple Bacon Donut that competitors Voodoo Doughnuts are famous for. With Voodoo just opening up about 6 blocks away there is sure to be some healthy (or not-so-healthy) competition. After talking to whoever is in the shop at the time about Eugene goings-on I would walk north on Willamette for some shopping.

Stop 2: Delux Fashion Shop (1331 Willamette Street). From the Yelp reviewers you can tell that this is a great place to spend an hour or so. Search for treasures in an excellent variety of locally made clothes and jewelry as well as gently used vintage items. Often the jewelry I've bought here have turned into great discussion starters at social gatherings. I have a favorite little felt pin of a one pearl-eyed octopus monster thing that despite that description I always receive compliments for when wearing. The shop owners too are great initiators of the local DIY culture by annually hosting and organizing a "Parade of Custom Made"; this year's theme was the "Carnival of Couture." After looking for goodies for an hour I would wander one block south to the new decor store.

NEST Interior

J. Pogan Bird Sculpture found at Nest on Willamette St. in Eugene, Oregon.

Stop 3: NEST: art, antiques, and decor (1245 Willamette Street). They've only been open for about a month. So I don't yet have a lot to report other than to say stop by and visit this little shop owned by a creative mother/daughter team. They have some unique items created by the daughter of the team as well as a number of other local artists. My picture below doesn't actually represent the best of what thy have. You can see it's a small space so can check everything out in a small period of time. My fave items were these incredible metal bird sculptures by Joe Pogan. Some of their items were too country chic for me but many of the items had a more modern feel that I could really appreciate it. I look forward to continuing to visit as they fill up the store with a larger variety of local artists. I would leave Nest and walk over a block to Oak street and south a couple of blocks to the best vintage store in Eugene. . .

Stop 4: Oak Street Vintage (1409 Oak Street). I know you guys have heard me rave about OSV for years now but my enthusiasm has not wavered and my favorite day spent in Eugene would certainly involve a stop over. Last time in I picked up a gorgeously colorful 1960's Italian pitcher - used last night for beet, mint, lime juice, and vodka cocktails plus a vintage bar set that I've have yet to take out it pretty box. Here's a picture of a cabinet I was considering and I think has since been sold. So I think all told this would add up to a couple of hours of shopping an walking (heavy on the shopping side) so I think I would need a sit down for a refreshment. Off to my final stop of this relaxed day.

Stop 5: Vero Espresso House (205 E. 14th Street). Just a block away from Oak Street Vintage this is the perfect place to sit outside with an italian soda, a panini, and a friend for lunch. The interior is cozy and the outdoor patio is usually packed in the summers. With free wifi and a friendly staff even a business meeting can pass as pleasurable here. Ah, even though I didn't actually make these rounds this morning I'm feeling remarkably blissful. I hope this weekend brings you similar sensations! (Vero Yelp reviews here.)

Mod Livin' in Denver: Part 1 Lee Alex Decor

2010-05-19T19:42:00.001-07:00

Friends, it's hump day and while I found little modern living inspiration in between my meetings today my mind occasionally wandered back a few weeks in time to Denver C - O. For work I went but a few hours I stole back to visit a couple of stores that I wanted to share with you so that next time you're in DenCo (they love their abbreviated neighborhoods there) you can check out their vintage scene. First Up, Lee Alex Decor! You can find this vintage modern shop in SoBo (aka Baker Neighborhood from what I can tell - S. Broadway St.). I did a lot of toe tapping in the store to the funky beats that Lee has on while you shop. The store was immediately welcoming and it seemed like everyone who walked in was a regular and in fact I felt like one even though it was my first time there! Lee was super nice and pointed out these amazingly gorgeous candlesticks with a big O on the bottom for Rude Osolnik (1915-2001) that he had just picked up. They were indeed elegant and surprisingly sturdy. While I did not pick up the Tulipwood candle holders I brought back a singleton of Danish derivation. There is a picture here at Etsy ShopVintageStyle that sold back in 2009 of the same family. Maybe the coolest thing about talking to Lee was his seeing his tattoo! Check it out below. This cat is dedicated to his Vintage Modern aesthetic and it was wonderful to meet him and check out the store that he and his wife have worked to pull together. Lee was also nice and suggested a couple of other Denver vintage spots to stop at - those will be in the Part Deux posting. For now please admire a few shots of Lee Alex Decor (this link to shop's twitter feed) and check out that tat!!! Totally atomic!

Margarita Holding Area Progress: The MHAP Report

2010-05-15T10:11:00.000-07:00

MHA progress is happening fast and furious over here and I am about 2 weeks behind Mr. Monkey. Last night we went up to the future Margarita Holding Area and held some beers - Ninkasi's Spring Reign to be exact. It was the perfect way to start a spring weekend. These pictures show Mr. Monkey and friend, Mid-west Monkey getting those posts up. They reported to me that they were very heavy. So afterwards we all scaled the ladder & those 2 monkeys had beers. I just admired the view and their hard work. We felled a tree from the backyard (it was a dying Doug Fir) to make the posts. By "we" I mean we hired someone to do it safely and without the use of beer but with the help of plenty other tools. Mr. Monkey slapped some spar varnish on the posts and voila! It's RuMo fo' sho' (RuMo = Rustic Modern)! I think before the weekend is up I'll have to get you some pictures of the incomplete staircase because it is just that cool.

In the meantime however it's frickin' gorgeous outside so I'm going to go for a run and head to the farmer's market. For those of you in the local area I saw one of the Bald Eagles yesterday on my run along the waterfront by Skinner's Butte! We've got a pair of urban dwelling Bald Eagles in Eugene - even these raptors are smart enough to know that creating higher density living spaces are the way to go! Be well, live modern!

Cheap Fun: Milk Glass

2010-05-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

An always fun weekend activity for me is spending an hour or two thrifting around town. The little treasure hunter in me comes out - you know the one that wants to find something beautiful for a great price but I also want the object to reveal itself to me without too much work and effort - it's the weekend after all. Milk glass has over the last couple of years been one of life's little pleasures for me. (See office post here - note milk glass ash trays as paper clip holders.) Recently I found this amazing milk glass (Brody) pitcher. I will say I used it with great gusto for about 3 months until Mr. Monkey - trying to do his best to be a gracious host for a board meeting of Cascadia Wildlands - placed the pitcher filled with water in the freezer to cool the water quicker. He got busy with the meeting and quickly forgot the lovely porcelain being in the freezer only to find it in the morning irreversibly cracked. He apologized and I know he feels bad. Nonetheless I do miss it. The great thing about milk glass is that the little pitcher did not cost too much - maybe $15 bucks max. So I don't feel too bad about it and I feel confident that someday I'll be able to find one again. More recently I found the pretty little bud vase above for a buck at Goodwill. Gotta love it. For you last minute cash strapped Mother's Day shoppers - head to your local thrift store and see if they have any little milk glass bud vase. They're collectible, beautiful, and filled with flowers they will make any mom swoon upon sight. As always reusing an item rather than having it end up in the land fill is a wonderful gift for Mother Earth too - so on that cheezysappyending - Cheers to all moms (especially mine) who are always so good at showing their children how to appreciate life's little pleasures!

Margarita Holding Area & Modern Fence

2010-05-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome, friends! I've been kinda floundering over here for the past month without a camera. On our last trip (to Chicago) I left our camera on the airplane in the pocket in front of my seat. I felt so sad about this because 1) we had just bought it in December, 2) we had pictures on it of the MHA and of our trip to Chicago, 3) I had pictures from my brief visit to the Jonathon Adler store. If you're in Chicago and looking for a colorful place to hang out for an hour or so go to the Jonathon Adler store. It was beautiful to see his vision so bright. The good news is that I have once again purchased a camera - a slightly bigger better res camera. I'm super excited to get some photos up. I'm in Denver now and taking a few pictures of cool Vintage shops and boutiques around town as I encounter them. That will be next weekend's post. For now here are some pics of the MHA and Mr. Monkey's start to the modern fence. Further narration below . . .

This is the first step up to the MHA. The wood pillars are from a big Doug Fir that was dying in our backyard. We hired someone to cut it down and Mr. Monkey took it to a local guy to have it milled or quartered or something. Now it's cut into these long pieces that Mr. Monkey will be using for the MHA's support for the railing. In the concrete step here a neighborhood cat was walking by and decided to leave his mark (thanks a lot, Squeaky!) so while at first we were disappointed we are now pleased at the character it adds. The concrete pillars are the base of where the wood pillars are going to be attaching to support the railing. The MHA is definitely going to start a new design genre - Rustic Modern?

Here is the start of the fence that backs up to the alley. You may recall that we took our inspiration from here the house on college hill with the cool modern landscaping and fence. I was hoping for a more chocolate color than a coffee color but that's how it turned out and Mr. Monkey did not find it funny when I asked what it would entail to make that change. So it is what it is. It's not bad just not what I was going for. In fact now it is an even closer match to the fence on college hill because the colors are very similar. It's growing on me and I'm just so pleased everyday when I look out into the backyard and see how great it looks and how it works - it keeps prying eyes out of the backyard. I love it! The last note is that I got to visit the MHA for the first time with Mr. Monkey and our friend Mid-west Monkey and the view is great and will be perfect for sunset viewing! Cheers!

Eugene Modern Spaces: Moss Hair Studio

2010-04-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

Photos courtesy of Moss owners.

If you haven't heard there's a great new hair studio in town! Moss Hair Studio has only been in business since February but the co-owners and their team have been styling Eugene heads for quite some time. I just recently started going to get my hair cut by Jesse and as a result I have been getting mucho compliments. I've also heard great things about Renèe and Sonia too! Everyone was very welcoming when I went in last time. But really why are they on this little blog o' mine? Because I love their space! I believe Jesse and Renèe did most of the design. They chose their own color palate (green, grey, and natural wood with a dash of orange) to match their modern organic studio's sense of style. They were smart and chose an amazing central overhead light fixture (from IKEA). They had each of the stations custom made (Kustom Kraft Cabinets) for their space. The storage on these wood stations is so smart - it really cuts down on the clutter that we're all too familiar with seeing in many salons. The sofa in the center is a real surprise find from World Market. I forgot to ask where the rug came from but another smart use of color and shape (Update: for the opening they switched to a FLOR rug - we blogged about FLOR here). The floors sounded like a major production since they had to rip out nasty old carpet and seal the concrete floors. Jesse mentioned that they tried sanding or polishing the cement floors before sealing them and it was not looking so hot. So they decided to just clean the floors up and seal the deal. In order to celebrate a new business opening in Eugene and to give the Moss Team a pat on the back for creating an amazing modern and functional space where there really wasn't one before stop by on April 30th in between 6:30pm and 9pm for toasts and treats. And because the Moss team is so cool they are donating 20% of products proceeds to a local non-profit supporting children with Cancer who have lost their locks - the Angel Hair Foundation. You can follow them on Facebook or on Twitter although it seems they're on Facebook more often. Cheers to great hair in a great space with a modern mission of making smart choices that are all about aesthetics and doing right by the environment!

Themed Parties: LOST

2010-04-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

Dharma labeled beer & island themed center piece.

Fabric from JoAnn's Fabric store to reference Dharma logo.

Dharma Fish Biscuits via Chef Robin

More Dharma beer being consumed by rabbits #8 and 15.

Greetings Friends!

For those of you who pay attention to T.V. Land you are well aware that this is the last season of LOST and in fact there are only 4 episodes left. We often hoof it over to other people's houses for the weekly viewing and outstanding potluck fare (food often featured in this My Way Around the Kitchen blog of Mrs. C) because our T.V. room is wee and there's just not enough room for all of "we". So Mr. Monkey and I have traditionally hosted the "wrap" party for the last 3 seasons. Fortunately I have pictures to document last year's season finale. The themed party is a fun diversion for a decorating freak like me. I'm always looking for ways to up-the-styling-anty. Last year, if I do say so myself (hear breathing on nails and brushing on shirt), we went all out with costumes and everything! Above are a few highlights. Below are the low lights - namely us (scary child Charlotte overgrown from eating too many Dharma chocolate bars before dinner and the meant to be scary dude who tried to put an LSD soaked sugar cube in Sayid) - plus a last minute Mr. Cluck's Friend Chicken Bucket. Now why am I posting about this party from last year? Because the party for this year is coming up - only about a month and half away and it's got to be a blow out. We've kept it small the last few years but for the final wrap party we will be inviting all friends who are fans of LOST. Of course we'll have Dharma labeled food and beverages but we're gonna have to go bigger and better. We're sticking with costumes for sure. What suggestions do you all have for decorations? What type of center pieces? Flowers? Signs? Posters? Palm trees? Food? Speciality drinks? Smoke monster? And finally the big question - how can we incorporate the theme of time travel? So many questions for one special party and so little time. Unless there was a parallel world . . .

Photos courtesy of Dr. Brian Warf.

Terrarium Fun

2010-04-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

I remember when I was a child in the late 70's terrariums were pretty cool. As a little girl I also remember thinking that there must be little fairies and magical creatures that lived in this insular green and gorgeous environments sitting in people's living rooms warm and cozy and surrounded by beauty. They've been popping up again all over the design world - it's safe to say there's a trend. About a month ago we had our niece and nephews in town for a weekend celebration. I thought a fun crafty project would be to have each of them create their own terrarium in a large glass cookie jar. I bought them each a few small things to go inside their jars and a few petite plants to pick from. It's safe to say it was a success - the five and 7 year old were entertained for about half an hour putting the jars together and then another hour running around the yard looking for rocks and other miscellany to decorate. Theirs turned out so well I wanted to make a few of my own. I'm far from being an expert but I can see how you can become obsessed with these little guys. Here are a few pictures of my final products. One made it to the new office space . . .

Decorating New Office Space

2010-04-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

At my place of business we've gone through quite a few office moves. This past fall I was upgraded to have my own office. The space was great with big open windows but really no room for decoration because the wall and floor space were limited. This time around I have a corner pentagon-shaped office with a window through someone else's office to the outside window. Generally speaking I really really love to have a window to look out at the outdoors while I'm sifting through the solving the problems of the modern day education system (wink wink) but now that I've moved in I'm really enjoying my corner of the office. One of the big challenges was to find a mirror that would reflect the window behind me and create a new window for me to gaze through during these intense bouts of problem-solving - not to be confused with day dreaming. So I went looking all around town for some items to spruce up my wee oddly-shaped working space. Here's a recap of items found, bought, and placed. Thanks to Oak St. Vintage, Puttin' on the Ritz, Luxe, the UO bookstore, Goodwill, and yes, TJ Max. See if you can guess which items came from each store. The key is at the bottom. Cheers!

Lamp - Oak St. Vintage; Milk glass cookie jar, and ash trays used as paper clip holders - Puttin' on the Ritz; turquoise Fire King mug, old water color and frame, and milk glass candy bowl - Goodwill; Mirror - TJ Max; File folders and thank you stationary - Luxe, green desk top drawers - UO bookstore. Wedding picture of Mr. and Dr. Monkey courtesy of Northfork Photography and friend James Johnston.

Modern Kid's Gifts in Eugene

2010-03-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

So we were on the prowl for toys for our nephew recently and found ourselves over at the 5th St. Public Market mostly because going to Toys-R-Made-Out-of-Plastic felt a bit too overwhelming and potentially hazardous for the kids in our lives who we love. Specifically we were hanging out in the Elephant's Trunk. We ended up with some fun items for our 7 year old nephew but as we were checking out I was pleasantly surprised to see some great items from Paul Frank and Sukie. I've seen Sukie stationary around over at Luxe (see the link in the sidebar) but didn't expect to see the calendar at the toy store. It's a cute little calendar that sits on your table or desk. You rotate the wheels at the back to change the date, day of week, and month. What a fun tool to teach your child about numbers, months, seasons, days of the week and all that good stuff! The truth is though that for a moment I thought about getting the calendar for myself for my office and I already know all about days and months - it's just such a pretty little item - like having art sitting right at your desk every day. My point though is that there are cool modern items for kids too - it doesn't have to all be in primary colors and it can be found right here in Eugene! You don't even have to drive to P-town or buy it on the internet. So thanks to Elephant's Trunk for carrying a a memory game that today's Auntie Mame would want to play with her modern day Patrick! Cheers.

I heart Mod Portland, Oregon

2010-03-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were up in Portland for a glamorous wedding at the Hotel deLuxe. The hotel used to be the Mallory Hotel and we have many fond memories of the bar (Driftwood Room History). Mr. Monkey and I were pleased to see that not much has changed in our favorite room. The walled mirrors, wooded ceilings and overall dark atmosphere continue to exude sexy whispered conversations of years past. The drinks were delish and the food was lip-smackin'. The rooms are small reflective of their 1912 construction date and smartly appointed. We loved our silver bar trolly complete with 3 kits - sewing kit, first aid kit, and the oh so important intimacy kit. Aveda products can be found in each bathroom as are menus for various types of pillows and spiritual readings. All staff were welcoming and made each guest feel special. Mr. Monkey and I were able to purchase vintage duds at Puttin' On the Ritz(350 East 11th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401-3246; 541.686.9240). The ladies a POTR did a great job of helping us find the necessary high quality clothing. I've included a picture of me at the end of the evening - so my fresh luster was gone and my darling shoes with a retro feel from Miss Meers are cut off but you get the general idea. If you are headed to Portland and interested in a retro glam experience with a modern twist you'll be pleased as punch at Hotel deLuxe.

Gearing Up for Spring Cleaning: AT's The Cure

2010-03-14T12:10:00.001-07:00

In the past I've mentioned Apartment Therapy's Book and how it has helped to give me steps for keeping our house clean and organized. Obviously this is a work in progress and we constantly need help and reminders. AT has been sponsoring these "Cures" throughout the last few years and I've signed up for "The Cure" twice now. They send you a weekly email reminder for what you're working on this week - you can focus on just one room in your house or you can focus on a larger whole-house scale. Last time I focused on our bedroom - which still needs alot of work - but the room went from the ghastly pictures below to the tidy space above. You can go here if you want to sign up for "The Cure" this time around. I'm embarrassed to show you the pictures below but I'm happy to report that after The AT Cure it is much easier to sleep in the room.

When we first moved into the house Mr. Monkey went out and bought himself a chest of drawers - the one on the right to be exact. I had the on the left from college. Although the aesthetics for the drawers on the left may not be exactly ours I was happy that at least the drawers slid well. As for the dresser Mr. Monkey got, the drawers themselves did not work so well and they were too small for his clothes so the drawers were often left open and his clothes on top of the dresser. So through the 8 weeks of The AT Cure I set out to help both of us purge major piles of clothes and also find a functional set of drawers. The picture below is after we got rid of clothes and moved in the new-to-us 1960's bedroom set (Craigslist purchase). The 2 pictures up top are how it all looks now. I think I'd like to continue to focus on our bedroom but for now, for this 8 week cure I'm going to place all my attention on personal home office matters. So I'm announcing it here - (yes it's at the very bottom of this entry - hopefully most of you didn't make it down this far . . .) at the end of these 8 weeks I will have purged loads and loads of paper (recycled of course) and I will have a system for organizing our bills - paid and unpaid, and I will have a process for receiving bills, and for storing them when needed. Wish me and Mr. Monkey luck!

Backyard Shed: MHA Part 3

2010-03-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Mr. Monkey is here to file a report on the latest news from the backyard shed project - also known as the future margarita holding area (MHA). I caught up with him for a brief interview. This is what I uncovered. "In this picture unlike previous ones [filed here at this link - modern backyard shed] the roof is all framed out, the windows are double pained wood framed. I built wood frames for them so I could install hinges. The siding is up - it's the same wood that was used to form the board-form concrete. It's rough cut cedar. Okay I'm going back outside." That Mr. Monkey is tough to pin down! He is very focused on getting this backyard shed up and running so that we can enjoy the MHA by summer time. The other post on our modern backyard shed can be found by clicking on the link in this sentence. Scroll all the way down to see the batten in progress. For those of you less savvy about these small construction and architectural items the batten is used to cover the seams in between the boards. So you often hear the two words used together - "I'm going to install board-and-batten siding on the MHA".

In the picture below Mr. Monkey was working on installing the batten. The batten is usually the narrow strips of wood to cover the seams in the wider pieces of wood that make up the siding. I think it's looking pretty snazzy. Next up the roof gets installed . . .

Modern Shopping in Eugene

2010-02-21T16:22:00.000-08:00

Photos provided from owner on Google.

Eugene Modern Newsflash!

Modern is the name of the store. Located over on 5th and Pearl across the street from the 5th Street Public Market this little shop has always left me wanting more. Over the years it has been limited by space. I love that they sell Gus*Modern but with limited floor space they can usually only display a couch or two. So it's not really the Go To place for modern furnishings. They often have great accent pillows, but again the space does not allow them to have a variety. They at times carry Angela Adams rugs (and purses/wallets) - gorgeous - but the space is often a barrier. In January, Denise Sprengelmeyer, the owner, sent out a request for feedback from her clients and patrons. According to the newsletter she sent out this week the survey was helpful and sales have been great. Which leads to this newsflash - Modern will be expanding! What wonderful news during these crappy economic times. I'm super happy for Denise and her staff and I'm super happy for me and those of you who enjoy spending time and purchasing many of their modern items. You can read about our Flor searching and Flor buying experience by clicking on the links. I found the two pictures above from google maps and you can see the angela adams rugs hanging from the second level railing, you can also see 2 really cute christmas stockings on the table - I purchased those both, one for mom (Mother Monkey) and one for brother (Lucky Monkey). In the bottom picture you can also see examples of great lighting, Modern always has the most original lighting options in town plus a Marimekko pillow in the background. We ll I'm very excited for them and for Eugene. I think their re-newed vision will be profitable for the store and beneficial for patrons. Thanks, Modern!

"Our goal is to be the interior design resource customers can count on in Eugene rather than having to drive to Portland to find what they want." Modern Newsletter.

I can't wait! I'll be sure to report back in March once they've opened the new space. Yippee!

Modern Platform Storage Beds!

2010-02-12T15:21:00.001-08:00

Doze from Suite New York.

Modern Storage Bed from Modern Interiors.

Hudson from Room & Board.

So when Mr. Monkey and I returned from Chile and Palm Springs we were so happy to snuggle up in our own bed. It's so cozy and soft and soft and lead to achey backs and crooked necks. We were shocked! What happened? Too much kayaking? Too much working out? Too much age? Although we consider ourselves a smart bunch it took us a couple of weeks to realize (cue villian music - dun dun duh) it was our very own beloved bed that was causing us so much pain!!! We promptly moved the old mattress out and moved the mattress from our guest bedroom in. We're cuurently sleeping on that foam pillow of a thing which is super cozy and the cricks and aches have gotten much better. We've recently decided though that we're ready for a new space age springless mattress. We're still shopping for that piece but somewhere along the way a salesperson said to us that platform beds are the best fit for foam beds and well it didn't take much more than that for me to yes yes yes! I started looking and found some gorgeous. I started with Apartment Therapy. They had a posting awhile back on inexpensive modern platform beds. I took a look at the IKEA bed but it was too cheap. I found the 3 examples above. The first one called Doze and is the most expensive from Suite New York. You can pass hours drooling over many of their products. The last one is from Room & Board and is called Hudson with storage. While the price is much more reasonable it's still a touch outside true financial comfort for use. Another problem is that most of these platform beds only come in the queen size. Mr. Monkey and I love being in a smaller bed and our bedroom itself is small. To have a queen would really suck up too much space. And you know we're all about livin' large (in lifestyle) while livin' small (impact and footprint). So our solution . . . drum roll please . . . call in all-around nice guy and extremely talented wood artist - Jonathon Plummer owner of Bunchberry Woodworking. We met with Jonathon this past week and discussed ideas - believe it or not a combination or drawers and cantilevered-ness! We'll keep you posted as we review a first draft of the bed next week.

Backyard Shed: MHA Part 2

2010-02-07T11:39:00.001-08:00

Hi Friends! Welcome to February. I've heard from some of you recently that I need to blog more often. I know things were getting pretty skimpy at the end of the year. So last month I managed 3 posts in the month and I'm hoping for the same if not more this month. If you want to be sure not miss any updates just click on the "subscribe to this blog" in the bar to the right. I know you will want to keep updated because we're (FINALLY) moving forward with some projects over here in the modern monkey section of Friendly St. 'hood - finally. Major going-ons include - new bed, staining and hanging of front door - yup we still haven't done that (this includes buying modern hardware), and the super big deal - the backyard shed aka Margarita Holding Area (MHA).

Mr. Monkey and Friends (I think I was in a band once called Mr. Monkey and his friends) (thanks Friends!) have made some serious progress. Check it out!

Up top Mr. Monkey was working on a beautiful December day believe it not! And had nailed up a good deal of the siding. One re-use and recycle tip is that Mr. Monkey used the same planks of wood to create the board forms for the concrete bits that he did for the siding. Below is a detail shot of an eye of a wood board that was left imprinted in the concrete wall. Faux bois concrete style?

This is a view from the back of the shed - this is kinda the alley view. You can see the rafters and the frame for the back windows.

Here is Mr. Monkey is being a monkey and climbing down the south side of the shed. This window is a little funny because it's a bit low. I like it because it rests in between the two texture elements of wood and concrete. It will also be the only eye-level window in the place. The other windows are up high and are meant to let the light in. Mr. Monkey was so thoughtful when planning this aspect of the shed. The shed will be a working shed and so there will be stuff piled high. We don't want to see that stuff from the backyard and we don't want people in the alley to be able to see our stuff in the shed - so he went for a clerestory window feel to let light in but to keep clutter out of sight.

This view below is from the front door perspective. The building is a long narrow shape. You can kinda get a sense of the clerestory style windows and the eye level window. The narrow eye-level window faces out to the pear tree and a future wet-land garden (that area of the back yard is always pretty wet). Overall we're pretty excited and actually since I've taken these photos more progress has been - all the siding is up and windows are in place so those pictures will be posted next week. Next up is the roof and then the staircase up to our Margarita Holding Area. For now it looks like we're on schedule to have a summer debut of the sunset viewing space. Can't wait! Thanks for reading about the MHA and all the other silly stuff on here.

More Modern Palm Springs: Galleria

2010-01-27T12:56:00.000-08:00

My bank account does not allow for big splurges on design but a girl can dream, can't I? I did quite a bit of dreaming and drooling over New Years vacation in Palm Springs. Our best find on our outing was the Palm Springs Galleria. The tienditas are on the main drag North Palm Canyon Road. A nice feature of the Galleria is the layout. It's like an antique mart but for MCM hounds. With about 10 different little shops, each housing a different dealer, all sharing a similar aesthetic. T'was a gorgeous sunny 74 degree January day and the dealers had a small sandwich and cookie buffet out - a nice touch for a holiday weekend. The Galleria is a great shopping environment - a few items seemed overpriced because your in MCM Mecca but for the most part the prices seemed spot on for what you're getting. There were so many fun objects I could have spent hours. So instead of mush and gush about each item I'm just going to let you feast your eyes on a few pictures - each one a miniature menagerie of all the great goodies the Galleria had to offer. My fave pieces are below, including the gigantic wrench. After seeing a large cork screw and can opener in a friend's house I just can't get enough of oversized everyday items.

I really really thought about buying this "e" - for Eugene - for the first letter of my name - for it's funky shape. But it's $675 price tag was outside of my league. We just got back from spending money on a southern hemispheric vacation after all. It was not a time for splurging on super cool decor items. I still dream of it though . . .

Love love love this metal lamp! I love everything about it except for its price tag!

Mid-Century Modern Palm Springs

2010-01-24T21:29:00.001-08:00

On our way home from the southern hemisphere we stopped over in Palm Springs to ride the new year wave with our chosen family. We're a queer bunch we decided - scientific yet artsy (depending on who you ask), rigid sometimes in our demand for creativity (ironic, I know), free expression, plus a bit nudity just to keep it real. Each new years we demand supreme conversation, sublime cocktails, supine seating preferably by a source of warmth - usually in the form of water or fire, let's see what else . . . scrumptious mouth feels, raucous games, singing, and as much laughing as needed - the kind that will make you puke if possible - there was lots of that - laughing and puking - but not at the same time (a slight stomach flu crashed the retreat). Every year our new years is an absolute recharging of the soul (but usually without the stomach flu - blech). This year we decided on Palm Springs to satiate all of our needs - including my need for all things mid-century modern. We rented this sweet honeypot of a place and we camped out for 4 nights along side the pool and spa. Damn that felt good. Well the house was a cool little mid-century modern house - so while we forgot to venture out for the architectural tour of P.S. our neighborhood had some nice examples including our own digs. Our Palm Springs Vacation Rental was the perfect example of mid-century modern architecture updated without losing it's wonderful MCMness. We made full use of the MCM ideals of living outside and making use of the outdoor space as an extension of the interior. One day we did make it into town for some design inspiration that will be another post before the end of the month. For now, please accept these pictures of our vacation home as a bit of inspiration. Note the monochrome mosaic tile in the bathroom, a subtle feature but one of my favorites. It rained all day today here in Eugene and it's helpful to remember warmer MCM moments. Cheers!

Modern Days in Northern Patagonia

2010-01-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Mr. Monkey and I went on a winter adventure down to the southern hemisphere. We caught some sun rays and a bit of a tan that continues to linger and remind us that despite being in the gray of a Eugene winter we have seen the sun recently. Our destination in December was Chile. We stayed in Santiago and in Northern PAtagonia. We kayaked for 5 days in NoPat with the owner/operator JuanFe of Yak Expediciones (it was incredible!!!). But before and after our outdoor excursions we hung out in the volcano and lakeside town of Puerto Varas. Very cute, quaint, and aware of the money to be made from tourist interested in the outdoors as well as good food and beverages. The even have their own brewery!!! This was surprising in a country where Heineken is generally the highest quality beer to be found in the supermarket. This town has very noticeable German influences but also some glaring U.S. influences most notable the North Face store across from the town plaza as well as artisanal beer that even used "Wilemette Valley Hops" as noted from the beer menu. We loved seeing a misspelled reference to home. Yay for hops!! While in Puerto Varas we stayed in a great hotel call Hotel Patagònico. The outside of the hotel is not so great from the front street side. The inside however is a perfect Patagonia and modern design frappe. I found a great rate on Orbitz and when we decided to add a night the front desk honored my Orbitz rate even though our price should have been at least double. The customer service was amazing if not a bit over the top. One day I asked for coffee to go but I had to go to the business center first. Not only did they bring me coffee to go in the business center but they also brought another cup in case Mr. Monkey wanted some and they also brought a simple ham and cheese sandwich just in case I was hungry - all at no extra charge. It was very sweet. You can see from the pictures they choose a simple neutral beige palate. Really it was all about texture - layers and layers of it. From burlap bench covers, to leather, to suede, to wool woven and raw it was all lovely to touch. They had a huge area next the lobby that was a like a large living room complete with coffee table books and a priceless view of the lake and volcanoes on a clear day. The splash of color was provided by whatever the weather was doing out the floor to ceiling windows. It's a Sunday afternoon in Eugene I should be working but instead I'm still day dreaming of a cup of NesCafe and a good book on one of the Chez Lounge seats in the Hotel Patagònico. If you're headed south - way south - you must stay there. I've got more pictures of our hotel room to show later. Ciao for now!

Modern Holiday Giveaways

2009-12-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

Everyone is having a holiday giveaway - from Ellen to your corner independently owned lingerie store (don't ask how I know). But my favorite holiday giveaway is from the family of websites - Apartment Therapy - Re-Nest - The Kitchn - ohdeedoh - and last but not least unplgged. There is still a week of giveaways and I think you should sign up or at least get ideas for gifts for your favorite compact living - environmentalist - foodie - design minded parent - techie geek. Go here for the deets. You do have to give them your email but I've never receieved any email or promos I didn't ask for. Once your logged in for one that password and user names will work for all 5 of them. Pictures above are from a couple of nice one from the past couple of days. The boxes are from the Container store! The plates are from Bob's Your Uncle. And my fave the pillow is from Kevin O'Brien Studio. How is it that a single pillow can be more expensive then a set of plates and nice storage? Honestly the prices of stylish pillows are ridiculous especially when they're ridiculously easy to sew. Or you could try to win one by logging in to the Apartment Therapy peeps! It was there that I learned you can throw your plastic shower curtain in the clothes washing machine and it would get clean! Sweet! It kept ours out of the landfill for another long while! Happy Friday. Cheers to a wonderful weekend.

Architecture on Netflix!

2009-12-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

So it's still flu season and now cold season has come on and I'm home with a sinus infection. Blah. It seems my brain has turned to mush and it may be drip drip dripping from my nose. To pass the time I've been exploring the nooks and crannies on Netflix' Watch Instantly. I watched Unusual Buildings & Other Roadside Stuff which I liked a lot mostly for it's odd ball, kitsch, and sometimes mid-century modern appeal. Above is a picture of the famous Wigwam Motels that are highlighted in the short documentary. First off it's weird - the first one was built in 1937 and was some white guy's romantic idea of the Sioux of South Dakota - so he appropriated their traditional dwellings and turned it into to a roadside attraction! It is a weird and wonderful America of ours. I also watched an A&E production called "The Homes of Frank Lloyd Wright. You have to fast forward about 7 minutes to get to the bit about his work - the beginning is childhood back home stories. It's Season 2 Episode 12 of America's Castles - here's the IMDB description of the show. I also noted the topic of green design that I'll check out too. The point of this blog - there is a lot more to Netflix than movie watching! You can learn too. Also just an FYI - you can check out 80's classics like the A-team, Gimme a Break, and Murder She Wrote all gazillion bazillion seasons! Happy Holidays!

Backyard Shed: Margarita Holding Area

2009-11-21T13:43:00.000-08:00

One interesting and annoying thing about Eugenians is that we are notorious for home construction projects that are often done with a small budget, without a permit, and with the help of friends and neighbors. When looking to buy a home in Eugene it is very common for the Real Estate agent to say something along the lines of "It appears the previous owners added on this room but it's not counted in the square footage . . .". There are many a Eugene home with "unique" design features that were initiated by the whim of a high weekend warrior to "open the room up" or "let some more light in." They seem to be good ideas at the time but when it comes down to it the game is on, there's a Ninkasi beer in the fridge that waiting to be opened, and it's much too time consuming. Corners are cut and you end up with some odd shaped bedroom or a "sun room" with outdoor dingy carpet that's really more of a sun closet. So it is in this great tradition that Mr. Monkey has attempted to set a new bar, a higher bar, in fact a dry bar in the clouds. I like to call it the Margarita Holding Area. Truly Mr. Monkey is doing a great and amazing job building the backyard tool shed of all backyard tool sheds and in the process I talked him into a roof patio where we could drink margaritas and watch the summer sun sets. Also all the Dwell magazines and talk of modern design rubbed off on him and he decided to make the shed out a combination of reclaimed wood, windows, and board form concrete. Mr. Monkey is making some serious progress and so I'll be posting pictures to show off his work. He's also had some friends come on over to raise the framed walls and pour the concrete. Yay for friends. Tune back in soon for more pictures!

Holidaze: Preparing for House Guests

2009-11-16T21:34:00.000-08:00

For the first time my family will be visiting for Thanksgiving. But this is only a half truth because for the actual Turkey day we will head down to Mr. Monkey's family's place and they have the joy/burden of preparing the Thanksgiving dinner. We will bring pies from our favorite pie-ery in town - Sweet Life and a caserole. I should get my pie order in now in case it's too late. Yikes. My main focus is making sure our bungalow is clean and organized. So over the last few weeks I've taken several stuffed-like-a-turkey-bags of clothes and glassware over to Goodwill. This week I have two bags of clothes to take to the clothes exchange and the rest is mostly laundry and prepping the guest rooms (1 is usually the T.V. room) for Mother and Brother Monkey.

I recently read a post at Apartment Therapy about preparing the bathroom for guests. All of their pointers are a part of my usual routine with the exception of the air scent diffuser or soy candle. I tend to stay away from this because of the strong smell. I end up as Sneezy and I think about guests that may have allergies too. I have yet to find mild but pleasant scent that can just hang out in the bathroom. If you have a favorite let me know. With the four of us adults using one restroom I think a air scent diffuser of some sort is in order.

Here's a pick of the last time we had a guest. Sorry for the blur. That's a fresh flower in a jar, a clock, a light that can be turned off from the bed, a candle plus matches, and the usually small bottled liquids, and oh yes the towels.

As for towels I used to like the idea of leaving a nicely folded tower of towels in a bathroom cabinet. That is until one guest used a towel that (to me) had obviously already been used and was hanging on a drying rack! Major ick! I felt really bad just thinking about her probable gross thoughts about using a pre-used bath towel! I didn't do a good enough job as a hostess - argh. So I've since switched practices. Now I leave nicely folded towels on top of the guest's bed or in plain view in their room so that it is very clear which towels are theirs. Plus there is now a hook on the back of their bedroom door where they can hang their towel to dry. There are so many little details to make sure that guests feel welcome and are comfortable and can get a good nights sleep.

One final note from my Mrs. Monkey Hostess Book - when decorating I was sure to place a mirror in the guest room. Since guests don't have their own bathroom at our wee place they have to stumble out of their room on their way to the lieu every morning. I always prefer to look and make sure nothing is hanging out of anywhere that should not have things hanging out . . . wink wink . . . if you know what I mean. Or even if you don't you probably get the idea. A mirror in the guest bedroom lets the guests see themselves (if they care to) before they head out of their safe and cozy temporary dwelling. That's all my pointers for now. I should probably go and do some of this sh*t instead of just talk about it. Good luck next week. Take a deep breath and another swig of that seasonal ale. Cheers!

Modern Fences IV

2009-11-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

The quest for the perfect modern fence continues on . . . Mr. Monkey and I have been on a search to be good neighbors and to have happy neighbors. In our case this involves hiding their houses (for privacy) and keeping our late-night laughs and bunches of bon fires contained to our yard and not echoing off their walls. We often walk around the neighborhood in search of ideas for fences. These first pictures are of the winner of the fence that we liked best in the neighborhood, that is a little different and meets our needs. It's modern but not too modern like a wall of corrugated metal. I like the horizontal lines and the big carriage bolts. I also like their color scheme and their overall landscape. We'll be skipping the raised bed boxes and our fence may not be 3 thick pieces. We're thinking four slightly narrower pieces that would also have a slightly smaller gap in between each horizontal strip. Of course we'll keep you posted on the existing fence coming down and the new fence going up! Next up -scroll down for a wacky totally unique Eugene fence!

Recently this fence went up in our neighborhood. At first we walked by and wondered what was going on over there. Was it a parade float? Was it a booth for a festival? Was is a gazebo? Finally it took its final form as a fence! I'm not the hugest fan of the aesthetics of this fence (aka I don't like the way it looks). But I admire the way they just went for it big! It's new and different and it seems like it uses twigs and not processed wood so it's environmental impact is small. It is creative and offers the house a nice privacy screen without feeling unfriendly. Yay for fences. Even though we've ended our search for our fence I'll keep my eyes for y'all. You can click here for my other 3 posts on modern fences.

Fall in the Friendly St. Neighborhood

2009-11-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

Life in the PNW is pretty good these days. Our Oregon Ducks are kicking booty in football and our weather is gorgeous! It's my favorite time of year and I have to say that this year has been specatcular. I'm not sure if it's global warming or what but the rain seems to mostly come at night, leaving us with crisp and sunny days. I'm feeling very fortunate to be here in Eugene during this time of year. Here are some pics that demonstrate the fall colors. A tree in front of our neighbor's house and dahlias still blooming in our front yard!

This is a little neighborhood park on 27th and Monroe. It's a sweet little park in our Friendly St. Neighborhood. Within the last year or so they added the community bulletin board and updated the playground equipment. we've headed over a few times with our niece and nephew and they've really enjoyed it. Below we have fall crocuses that popped up in our park strip in the front of the house. We forgot we planted these last fall until one day I came home form work and there they were.

Mr. Monkey's fountain all dried up. Jefferson St. Above.

Our street one morning with quite the cloud coverage.

Making Wine Tasting Modern

2009-10-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

This summer we went on a tour of a few vineyards in southern Oregon in the Applegate Valley. They say to not judge wine by it's bottle but I did in fact judge a Vineyard by its building. Case in point Fiasco Vineyards also known as Jacksonville Vineyards (2 smaller pix above are from their website). We visited this vineyard in particular because I really liked their use of corrugated metal. This building is very modern looking. Many of the tasting rooms in our lovely state try to mimic an Italian or European retreat. While this is lovely it's not really authentic to the region, community, or our times. Fiasco was nice because while they did grow some "Old world" grapes while their building design sense is very modern. I didn't take pictures of the inside but it was very informal with concrete floors with a mix of rough river rock in the center of the floor where they had wine barrel tables for more wine sipping. The wine was not my favorite but I admired their use of passive solar, big glass doors on the south side, and materials. Wine tasting doesn't have to be stuffy - it should be comfortable. Another vineyard that is drop dead gorgeous and has amazing wine and views is Wooldridge Creek Winery. I can't say enough good things about their wine and the people that run the winery and make the wine. I haven't tried a wine I didn't like! Their building is also a great use of space. They have an amazing large outdoor patio with huge ceilings but furniture and tables to make it feel as though you're sitting in an outdoor living room. This picture is from their website. Man I love this place. I know vineyards are popping up all over the country. I've even visited a vineyard in Missouri! They are a great place to check out different design features that you might want to bring into your own home on a smaller scale. I know for sure our Thanksgiving weekend will take us back to Wooldridge Creek Winery. I seriously cannot stay away. I'll take some more pics of my fave features from their tasting area. Goodness all this vineyard talk is making me thirsty! Cheers!

End of Summer Updates: Part II

2009-09-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

Well it truly is the end of summer here. We had a gorgeous weekend - warm, sunny, clear skies - days that you want to go on forever. Two of our friends were married at the Wayfarer Resort, a rustic little vacation spot on the gorgeous McKenize river. And now the gorgeous gloom has set in. There was thunder heard on my run today along the river and the rain came down in the wee hours of the morning. The wind picked up and blew off the newly orange hued leaves off the trees. It's my favorite time of year here in the PNW. We get just enough sun light, the foliage fills me awe, the air is crisp and clean, and football season leads to many potlucks and good PNW beer. So here I'll share a final few pictures from the summer. While I'm sad to see it go I'm ready to nestle in for the fall and winter.

The first picture is the new bedspread for the guest room and pillow. You might recognize them from the DWELL line at Target. We had quite a few house guests this summer and I just wanted to snazz it up a bit. This room still leaves quite a bit to be desired (it's very small). I'm thinking of pulling out that robin's egg blue from the pillow and painting the wall with the window. Now below I'm sharing 2 new Tiny Showcase prints we picked up. There is now definitely a water them in the living room. This was not intentional. I just bought what I liked and there it is. I wanted to hang the new pictures like they were hanging in the trees on the wall but Mr. Monkey did not approve so they are just floating below the branches now. Somehow I think it works allow I could be on the lookout for a third or a more few prints to hang out with the water collection. Hmm. The picture is of course the whole kit and kaboodle. I'm getting the itch to switch around the furniture. That might have to wait for the full blown winter. For now it's working and I'm still working way too much to do the shuffle. To round off the summer I'll add some pictures from our weekend vacations this summer up to Washington and Vancouver, B.C. and then finally the fence discussion will be back! Thanks for reading all! I hope the sun lingers in your part of the world a bit longer. Cheers!

End of Summer Updates: Part 1

2009-09-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Friends! Life has been busy with a capital "B". I think that for the rest of the fall I will be lucky to be posting once a month. For those friends and family members who check our blog on a regular basis you might find it best to click that little subscribe button to the right so you know exactly when I've gotten around to posting.

Now for some updates I did purchase the FLOR rug and it has worked out quite nice as a runner in the hallway. I probably purchased a few too many squares because I was encouraged at the store (Modern) to buy an extra tile or two for mistakes or stains down the line. We'll see how it goes. The squares do vacuum easily which is nice with our cat loafing around on them leaving bits of himself - only the hair variety of bits.

Our dahlias are still going strong. I love the white ones the best but the maroon dahlias are more spiky and their color is so rich. The dahlia bushes have grown over my head and could even be confused for a small tree. Truly they recently fooled a young deer - possibly a buck that has been seen munching from backyard gardens. This young buck rubbed himself all over the dahlia bush and our fig tree in the back and demolished both! Deer and raccoons these days are becoming quite pesky. There was a gang of 5 raccoons traveling through our backyard recently who left a large pile of scat (aka shit) in the backyard! I guess that's the price we pay for living in a town of only about 150,000 when the country life is really just a short drive away.

Bring Recycling Home Tour: Part 2

2009-08-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the 3rd home from the home tour that I visited and it also happens to be the most interesting architecturally-speaking. The back story is that it was built in part by students from the University of Oregon's School of Architecture. For the initial builders, the students, it was an experiment in passive solar. I guess since then the current owners have continued to developed the homes natural inclination. The water from the roof enters into a dry stream-bed that helps to keep plants watered in the ground and on the roof (see round mirror by second story window lets you see status of living roof). Much of the garden art is recycled. These pictures simply don't do the place justice. All in all the Bring Recycling House Tour seemed to be a big success. Is was a scorching, sweat-running-down-your-back kind-of-day and all the houses had a steady stream of visitors. It's great to see a homes tour that's not all about ladies in big hats and gloves, and lunch in the garden. Yay for Bring Recycling! Read more about my visits there here and here.

Bring Recycling Home Tour: Part 1

2009-07-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

The Bring Recycling Home Tour was last weekend and it was the best home tour I've ever been on. I've mentioned Bring Recycling here before. They are a great non-profit where you can get slightly used items for your home construction and garden needs. We made our patio set out of items from Bring for a total of $50 bucks. WE love it still - almost 2 years later and use it every day. Anyway this home tour highlighted homes and home owners who have gone to great lengths to reuse items creatively and with the idea of reducing their impact on the planet. All these pictures come from one home that curbside looks totally normal! But from the inside it is amazing - I mean just check out this b-u-tiful wood stove hearth. So much of the walls were earthen made. The counter tops and sinks were poured in place concrete. Even the house was painted with recycled paint! Who knew! This day happened to be about 100 degrees outside but in this home with no recycling the house was cool even though there were nice sun lights throughout. Enjoy the pictures! There's one more house coming up that had more to show off architecturally and artistically.

Russel Wright Exhibit SFO

2009-07-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

I guess Apartment Therapy already beat me to it but just in case you didn't know . . . there is a great Russel Wright exhibit in the SFO United terminal(SFO website with exhibit pictures). Here are some pictures that I took while passing through several weeks ago. I gotta say thanks to the SFO art in the airport curator. They are doing a great job. In the past I blogged about another mid-century toy installment they did - all were on the subject of space, space travel, nuclear science - it was all very atomic. Click here for that post. Back to the Wright exhibit - I'm not sure I need a guide to easier living but I think I'd love to come across this book some day. I leave you with one of my favorite quotes the exhibit has on display. "The new hostess is one is one who can stay within the limits of her home budget, hours, and energy and still give her guests a good time." Cheers.

Little Pleasures: 1960's Flatware Ecko Eterna

2009-07-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

Oh Happy Day! Mr. Monkey and I had been noticing that none of our spoons and forks and knives matched. We would have guests over and do our best to find the "nicest" spoons without rough edges and oddly bent handles. After years of living together in college and then through grad school with a variety of roommates it's safe to say we had a mismatched set. Now sometimes mismatched sets can be quite nice. In our case the effect was not a positive quirky one - it was just kinda dumpy.

After subscribing to Sunset for a short while I had glimpses of what I wanted. In a few food pictures flatware with wooden handles and silver tops were off to the side and never ever was there a photo caption to say where this flatware came from. These two pictures are from Sunset and offer examples of what I would see and covet. I went around to several stores in town everything from Target to Modern but I had yet to venture over the my favorite Oak Street Vintage. We were having a potluck on Saturday and I just thought I can't keep having people eat with our crappy silverware. I didn't have a bunch of time so I thought I'll just give it a try and head over to Oak St. I did my first loop of the store heading straight back to the kitchen room and found a sweet little serving set - 4 pieces that I picked up right away for $14 bucks I thought these were perfect. They were labeled as "Bamboo Lane" Wooden Handled Hostess Set. But sadly there was no silverware in sight. I did my second loop (there's so much to see - it's like a good book, you always see something new) and was about to check out when I told one of the owners what I was looking for. Cora said, "oh the drawer must have been closed" and she walked me back to the kitchen room again opened a little drawer and sure enough there it was. Imagine the white light shining from the drawer and the angels singing in harmony "AHHHHHH". What was even better was the price! $35.oo dollars for 10 place settings and 2 extra spoons. Perfection! After a bit of internet sleuthing I've learned that the flatware is indeed from the 1960's made by the Ecko company. The pieces are light in your hand and apparently made of teak. The point is that I love eating with these pieces. They bring joy to my every meal. A so sometimes it's life's little things - good design bringing function and beauty together. Mr. Monkey doesn't like not putting them in the dishwasher but I love them so much that I've been stepping up to the plate, or the sink as it were and washing more dishes so Mr. Monkey doesn't feel burdened by my need for pretty things about. Small price to pay.

Modern Fences III

2009-06-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

From Modern Phoenix link below

Mr. Monkey and I have been once again thinking about fences and of course not just any fence but a modern fence. What's that saying about good fences and good neighbors? Mr. Monkey spoke to our neighbor who can't contribute funds but has offered to help out with the construction. This is not so good. But on the other hand she says she really doesn't care what it looks like. This is great news for us. Our neighbor's main concern is the protection of her elderly cat in her yard from other cats (including ours apparently - which is funny because our monkey cat is always getting beat up by a fluffy fur ball named Squeaky!). This means that she wants the fence to reach all the way to the ground, no spaces down below for kitties to sneak through. And although cats can often scale and jump over fences we will make this fence as tall as we can without a permit. My. Monkey thinks this is 6ft. Here are some pictures I've come across in my search and here's a Dwell link to a nice slideshow of modern fences. Here's a link to a real estate site in northern california that specializes in Eichlers and they've posted some ideas for Eichler owners. Here's a link to an Apartment Therapy post on Modern Fences in Austin, Texas. As for the pictures above. I found one in Photo Bucket and the other on the Modern Phoenix site. Finally last but not least I've blogged about fences in the past. You can go to Part 1 and Part 2 when you click on each link. If you have any good pictures of modern fences please send the link via comments. Cheers!

Good, Simple, Functional = Modern

2009-06-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

I was scanning my pictures for things I've been wanting to post but have gotten looked over for no good reason. I found this little picture which exemplifies all that should be considered positive about modern design. It might be hard to tell why this picture is special you have to look in the cup. Go ahead, look at the cup, see what's inside? A straw, right. But not just any straw - it's what the straw is made out of . . . you guessed it, that's right! GLASS! I love these straws at the sweetest little cafe in Eugene. It's called Park St. Cafe and they are the only restaurant that I know of that has glass straws for tasty cold drinks like Hibiscus Cooler - and iced herb tea of sorts. I love these straws because they exemplify all that is good in modern design. They are simple, but they are recyclable and re-useable. Like they say in the wine bizz - they have a good mouth feel and they're nice to look at too. Like I said good design. Now sure I wouldn't hand one over to a child who likes to bite their straws but for most of the population we can use them and reuse them again and again. I hope this is a design tip that spreads fast! Enjoy. Does anyone else know of any glass straws or glass straw makers? I haven't had a chance to research them yet. But I'm thinking we need a set here at the Monkey Pad. Cheers!