Dutchtubs

By Amanda Rickenbach

How do you feel about bathing outdoors? The Dutchtub is an award-winning hot tub that’s inner workings are incredibly simple: wood fired and with natural circulation. Simple luxury.

With this smart fiber glass polyester construction and the sturdy, long-lasting materials you can use the Dutchtub where ever you want, any time you want. Choose from a variety of colors: Dutchtub Orange, Ocean Green, Light Blue, Pigeon Blue, Reed Green, and Dark Grey.  I'd put my tub on a bluff in the Columbia Gorge or in a secret wooded area on the Oregon coast.  Our long winters would feel extra warm with one of these cozy accessories hanging around.

View their inspiring video above - now you can't say no. 


photos: Weltevree

Living Roofs

By Amanda Rickenbach

Chances are that you have either seen a green roof or have been inside a building that has one. They are growing in popularity both in residential and commercial design for a number of reasons, but I thought I would list just a few of the best ones.

-Living roofs help to lower urban air temperatures and combat the heat island effect.

-Living roofs help keep the interior of your home at a stable temperature. Plants and soil are really great insulators, which means you’ll save money on your heating and cooling costs.

-Living roofs filter rainwater. When the water falls on a typical roof, it’s often funneled off into storm water drains, collecting pollution along the way. When rain falls on a living roof, however, it’s filtered naturally just as it is in the wild. This means you can reuse this clean water in your home or garden.

-Living roofs attract native wildlife to your yard. And depending on what you plant, it can also be a food source for you, or your furry friends.

-Living roofs filter noise, keeping your home quiet.

Besides all the great stuff they do for the planet - they look fantastic.


photos: first - feldman architecture, second-fourth - ecoroofs everywhere

Bio Top Natural Pools

By Amanda Rickenbach

I am the definition of a water person, so these pools/ponds rock my world. Although water is awesome, who likes mucky ponds where bugs breed and slimy algae attacks you every opportunity it gets? Or pools so full of creepy chemicals your skin smells and your hair turns green? These pools by Bio-Top are infestation and chemical free!

There is a plant portion, or regeneration zone, that is separated from the swimming area by the wall seen a few inches below the water’s surface. The regeneration zone can be along the perimeter of a natural pool, or a pond unto itself but connected to the swimming area. 

The pools have skimmers and pumps that circulate the water through the regeneration zone and back into the swimming area. The aquatic plants filter out contaminants and use nutrients from the water as food which helps prevent algae. Then rocks, such as granite river rock or haydite, to which friendly bacteria attach, act as biological filters.

So you can feel clean, safe, and au naturel in these wonderful pools. 

Out and About: A Short Guide to Hood River

By Amanda Rickenbach

What do you know about Hood River? Probably that there are a lot of fruit trees, that it’s a windsurfing haven, and that it produces some pretty great booze – and you would be right. It’s a sweet little town tucked between two mountains on the Columbia River and it just happens to be my home. Hood River folk tend to love the outdoors (not unlike Portlanders) and it’s the perfect place to be for skiing, hiking, windsurfing, kite boarding, kayaking, camping, and cycling; really anything that involves installing a Thule rack on your Subaru. If you think there are a lot of Subaru’s in Portland, drive east an hour. And in case you want to go check out the Subaru population, I thought I would give you a couple of other things to investigate while you are there. I could go on forever about what to do and where to eat, but I narrowed it down to a few of my favorite places so I didn't end up with a novel.

Walk the old highway. 

On the 5 mile stretch from Hood River east to Mosier you will find the old highway that has been converted into a pedestrian/cycling path. It’s great for a jog, walk with the dog, bike ride, or leisurely stroll. There is even an old tunnel and of course fabulous views. 

Walk the stairs.

I grew up just a few hundred feet from the Hood River stairs and until a friend recently informed me, I had no idea that they were the second longest flight of stairs in the country. During my teens we would attempt to ski down them, race slide down the hand rails, and even make some of my friends carry me up on their backs. So if you want a good workout and some nice views of the town and Columbia river, check them out. They are smack dab in front of you when you drive into town from the second I84 exit. Can't miss them.

Brewery Tours

Hood River is home to Full Sail and Double Mountain – and they are only two blocks away from each other! I am partial to Double Mountains KÖLSCH, but seeing as that they are so close; why not have a beer and maybe a tour at both.

Wine Tasting

The micro-climates in the Hood River Valley make it ideal for growing a variety of grapes and because of this there are are more than a handful of great wineries in Hood River. My favorite is Cathedral Ridge. They have fantastic wine and a peaceful outdoor space that is perfect for a picnic with friends. Taste Katrina’s Chocolate while you are there too, a local chocolatier. 

Twigg

If you like jewelry and home accessories then check Twigg out. They have some really unique and pretty jewelry and the people that work there are super nice. 

Silverado

This shop has something for everyone. I have a plethora of rings I’ve gotten at Silverado over the years and still love every one of them.

Doug Sport

If you need sports wear, this is a great place to stop by. It's also a great place to pop into if you are looking for some cute clothes, sunglasses, shoes, or maybe a bathing suit. 

It honestly doesn't take long to stop in every little store downtown - it's not a very big place.
 

Stonehedge Gardens

Stonehedge is a fine dining restaurant but they definitely have inexpensive options. I worked there as a teenager and whenever I was home from college and have always loved the place. During the warm months they have lots of weddings, concert, and parties. The restaurant itself is an old house, one of the first built in the Hood River area. There is even a secret wall that opens to get to a private apartment upstairs.

6^th Street Bistro

If you are wandering about downtown this is one of the many good restaurants to eat at. They have a variety of options and a nice little patio that is open in the summer.

Hood River is also a whole lot sunnier than Portland, so if you are growing tired of the clouds in our beautiful gray city, and hour drive might just bring you sunshine.

Photos: Mountain, Stairs, Old Highway, Beers, Winery Lavender, Shops (amanda), Restaurant.

Illuminate Color: Hawaiian Stream

It's cold here in Portland so the thought of hopping rocks across a warm Hawaiian stream sounds really lovely. I can almost smell the warm rain forest air, can't you? These colors are perfect for creating a relaxing and calm retreat from the grey skys over our city right now.

1. Leather Saddle - Mythic Paint
2. Paradise Green - Benjamin Moore
3. Palest Pistachio - Benjamin Moore
4. Devine Jacquard - Devine Color

photographers blog

Through a Lens and Milano

Travel photography is like a baby cheetah.  At first the collection is so cute and cuddly you can never imagine it would do you harm, and then the animal grows (and grows) so quickly it become dangerously close to disaster.   I often find that I take so many photographs so quickly that I never really have a chance to go back and weed out my favorites and discard the blurred, cutoff, or unflattering images from my trips.  When I travel, I often capture moments I'll never experience again, moments so fleeting that it's tough to hit "delete" even on what would be categorized as a poor photograph. 

A while back, an opportunity came along to enter an architectural photography competition.  Knowing that the majority of my travel photos end up focusing on architectural subjects, I decided to go back in my archives to search for a few potential candidates.  It allowed me to actually spend a little time processing each photo to it's greatest potential.  To my surprise, I learned today that one of my images was selected as an honorable mention, alongside a group of talented professional architectural photographers.  "What a feat!"  I thought, and now the world will know I used a dinky Cannon Elph to capture this image.  Take that expensive camera on my wishlist for the past three years!  It's not the paint, it's the artist, etc., etc....

Athens Olympic Village photo by Jenny Guggenheim

While the above photo was recognized by the jury, the photo below still wins my heart.  I'm sure that has nothing to do with the Cinque Terre's special white wine or pesto.  I may retire here.

Manarola, Cinque Terre photo by Jenny Guggenheim

 With that said, this is the perfect opportunity to officially announce to my readers that Fig Studio is traveling to the Salone Del Mobile 2012 (AKA, the Milan Furniture fair) this April to experience what can be labeled as Ground Zero for contemporary design.  Each year, the fair showcases the best (and sometimes worst) in the world of interiors.  My job is to look, listen, and document with scrutiny.  I'll bring back an enormous wealth of information to share with my clients and integrate into my work the rest of the year.  I had the pleasure of attending both Dwell on Design and IDS West in 2011-- what a great way to recharge my design batteries and amass inspiration for my clients.

Beyond Milan, my husband and I have plans to extend the trip to both Marrakech and Barcelona, two places I've been lusting after for years.  I can't wait to wind through the Medina and witness Gaudi first hand.  I'm pinning my travel to-do list like crazy over on Pinterest.  See you there?

Out and About: Rolling Huts

Continuing our tradition of surprise travel, Jeff and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary a few weekends back in the beautiful Methow (met-how) Valley, Washington.  After running myself ragged trying to work full-time, move from our condo to a little cottage in Portland's Sabin neighborhood, and take on a few DIY projects, I managed to catch a nasty bug right before we left town.  If you remember last years epic anniversary trip to a rural fire lookout, you might recall that I was struck with food poisoning just before departure.  Here's to a healthy July 2012.

 Jeff and I made a pact to alternate planning a surprise celebratory trip each July.  Last year's fire lookout + Crater Lake Lodge combo was tough to beat, but I think I managed to pull off a grand surprise.  We're both architecture geeks (and Jeff is just one test away from being awarded official Architect status!) so I decided to make our trip both design and adventure friendly.  Sunset Magazine had an integral hand in my scheme, enticing me with their December 2010 feature on peaceful winter getaways.  I knew the Rolling Huts would make for the perfect surprise trip, even during the summer months. 

A night in the Rolling Huts is like upscale camping, complete with a Danish-designed woodburning fireplace and an epic view, both night and day.  I don't think I've seen so many stars in my life.  We lucked out with incredible weather, friendly hut neighbors, and many wildlife sightings.  We spent a lot of time wandering,  hanging at Twisp's natural market, eating Cinnamon Twips, and even managed an 18 mile (what seemed ALL uphill) mountain bike ride.

We really couldn't have asked for a better weekend (with the exception of the super cough I developed) and would recommend the trip to anyone interested in getting away for a few days.  If you go, be sure to grab a meal at the Wesola Polana Diner adjacent to the huts.  Their tapas can't be beat.  It's true, we had tapas while camping and didn't feel the least bit guilty.

Thinking of Spring

 Photo by Fig

Thurman Street is starting to brighten up with it's yearly show of pink blooms, it's sunny one minute and hailing the next, and farmers markets are beginning to pop up around town.  This all means Spring really is on it's way and I'm waiting patiently for summer to soon follow.  While scouring through my food album in iphoto (yes, I do take pictures of my food on a regular basis) I came across the fresh blueberry puffed pancake I made at the end of summer '10 with handpicked Sauvie Island fruit.  Berry picking is one of my favorite Summer activities and I can't wait to head down the St. Helens Highway in a few short months to get another year's supply.  Who's coming with me?

Weekend: Outside

 Netarts Bay Crabbing.  Photos by Fig.

Taking advantage of good weather on the Oregon Coast is a critical tactic used to battle the winter gray day blues.  Catching a bounty of Dungeonous & Rock Crabs on the coast is practically like winning the lottery.  Last weekend felt very rich indeed...   What are your weekend plans? 

Glimpse & Gander: Multnomah Falls In Winter

 Photo by Fig.

My first entry in my new journal recorded a short trip to the Gorge on New Year's Day.  My husband and I were not feeling so hot for the last few days and really needed something to help rejuvenate our bodies and spirits.  Our go-to spot for revitalization is the Bonneville Spa in Stevenson, WA.  For $35 you get your own private claw-foot tub, complete with a carafe of mineral water from the source and some grapes to ease the not-so-wonderful-but-oh-so-good-for-you mineral taste.  30 mins in the super hot mineral soak, then 30 mins in a super tight wrap in the relaxation room leaves you with little on your mind and a brand new outlook for the day.

Our usual Gorge outings pass Multnomah Falls with little thought, but on this day we knew we were in for a special treat only seen during an extended cold spell.  Layers of crisp white ice outlined the water's path and and the lagoon-colored pool at the base- a magical sight to behold and not to be missed. 

 

 Photo by Fig.

'Tis the Season

 Photo By Fig

We're taking a Holiday break to spend time baking, cooking, sewing, and hanging out with friends and family. Basically we're going domestic for the next couple of weeks.  Old friends are beginning to filter into town, so lunch dates, brunch outings, and coffee check-ins are sure to help us meet our sugar quota for the year.  Enjoy the season and the sparkles.  Find joy in the everyday.

Merry Christmas!
Fig Studio

Hunt & Gather: The Brooklyn Flea

I somehow managed to completely skip over Saturday in my trip diary, a day that was actually quite eventful and fun.  We journeyed over to Fort Greene, Brooklyn to check out the Brooklyn Flea, a highly recommended stop by many of our friends, including Casey over at KID Collective, who happened to be arriving in the city the day we left!  Be sure to check out NYC through her lens over at her blog.

I love the pattern play the trees created on these old Brownstones.  We both felt that if we were to move to Brooklyn, this felt like a very comfortable neighborhood that reminded us of home.

Portland is seriously lacking in the Flea Market arena, so it was with great anticipation that we dug through each vendor's collection.  You can learn a lot at a place like this- a cooling table is not for sunbathing, for example.  I'm only on season two of Six Feet Under, so you'll have to cut me a break. We agreed before we entered that we could only purchase items that could fit in our suitcase, unless we encountered the deal of the century.  The Fritz Hansen table we so desperately wanted to take home was overpriced, and we really couldn't justify shipping an industrial table home.  So, we ended up with a few lightweight souvenirs from our trip:

Fig Studio Fact:  I collect tea towels.  I have a towel from every trip I've been on in the past 5 years.  My husband has managed cut holes in nearly all of them, but they are still special to me and every time I hang my towels it's a reminder of my love for travel.  This 2011 Buy Local Calendar towel is by the talented Claudia Pearson- you can make your purchase in her Etsy store.

We collected enough vintage press letters to spell Guggenheim, now we need to figure out how we want to display them in our home.  Perhaps mounted on a beautiful wallpaper sample or in on of our terrariums?

My birthday fell on a Monday and the one stop that I could not miss wasn't going to be open for us to celebrate, so we were sure to hit it up Saturday.  The Red Hook Lobster Pound.  I'm pretty much obsessed with seafood, and lobsters aren't exactly an Oregon specialty.  I wanted to try Maine fresh lobster, whole, with all the juices.  We weren't disappointed!  Full flavor with all of the trimmings.

Secret find:  The new Brooklyn Ikea has a free ferry on weekends.  Red Hook to Pier 17 in 20 minutes flat.  What a deal, and what a view!

Row Your Boat Ashore

A Central Park first for us.  The cheapest entertainment on the island, and a welcome rest for our feet on this beautiful day.

The perfect spot to view Fall's colors

Glimpse & Gander: Empire State of Mind

The best cure for jet lag is to hit the ground running and never look back.  Our first NYC destination has been on our must-see list for a while, as Phase 1 was still under construction during our last visit in '08.  The Highline phase 1 is a 9-block long elevated public park offering sweeping views of Chelsea and the Hudson. The design reveals a true nod to the structure's past role as a freight rail line, and has preserved what could have been a true loss to the city.  This is one of the best examples of adaptive re-use I've seen, and I hope it serves as a model for other cities facing industrial change.

Nature softens industrial remnants and modern interventions

The success of this project is magnified by the sheer number of people using the space.  It's a beautiful, safe place that allows users a respite from the concrete jungle below. Many used the reclining lounges to finish up work on their laptops, while others were simply taking the opportunity to bask in November's mild warmth.

After spending almost an hour in the park, we headed down to the Chelsea Market to pickup some Oregon wine from the Wine Vault (a favorite I discovered while studying at Parson's) and grab a quick bite at the market's crepe stand.  We made our way back to our home base for the week and relished in the fact that we still had six days left to explore and eat our way through the city.

Glimpse & Gander: Garibaldi Charters

We began the day gently motoring through the Garibaldi harbor, admiring the weather-worn crafts surrounded in fog.  The water was deceptively calm and the light wind surprisingly warm-- I momentarily felt like I was on a set of a teenage slasher flick.  As we entered the jetty we all realized we were in for a wild ride: small craft advisory has a whole new meaning after this trip.  We watched the Coast Guard escort being tossed around like a play-toy and the waves slamming into the shoreline rocks.  Captain Mick confidently guided us out past the bar and assured us we were all going to live to tell the tale.  The sun quickly rose to reveal a perfect Oregon Coast day, and an ideal trip to celebrate my architect-husband's 30th birthday. 

I've never had the chance to view the vast Oregon coastline from the Ocean's perspective.  We are so lucky that we don't have high-rise hotels and condos blocking the majestic view.  We saw the Cape Mears lighthouse, Oceanside, and Manzanita during our 6-hour tour.  Check out KID Collective's perspective here and Scott & Heather's here.

The crew at Garibaldi Charters gave us a great adventure and memories for a lifetime.  Some of us are a little worse for wear in this photo, but we're all glad we can add this to our list of life's accomplishments.  We cooked up some of our catch that night- Ocean to plate in 6 hours is an incredible luxury I hope we never see come to an end.

Texture: Oregon Coast

Photos by Fig

My trusty Toms took me all over the Oregon Coast this summer: up dunes, across tide pools, and between crusty barnacles.  The Northwest coast is all about texture, both visual and physical, with a heaping dose of truthful beauty.  Thanks to the '67 beach bill, we're lucky to have public beaches welcoming all walks of life, including beautifully bright orange starfish and designers like me.  My next trip to the coast includes a chartered fishing trip, where I plan to soak up the rain, try my hand at ocean fishing, and catch my limit in tasty Dungeness Crabs.  Until then, I have a mass of project details to develop, a furniture package ready to fill a townhome, and several finished projects to document.  Cheers to the weekend!

xoxo,
Fig Studio

Lawn Games

The festival of roses is upon us, and if it would ever stop raining, we could all go on a stylish picnic at Portland's rose gardens in Washington park. 

1.  Pendleton Woolen Mills Vintage Ganado blanket

2.  Revival Radio: select Anthro stores

3.  Bamboo crumb board at Sur la Table

4.  A juicy local Harry & David pear

5.  Fancy Teak croquet set

6.  Stainless Tiffin Set

Urban Balcony

While walking through NW PDX this weekend, I noticed a plethora of empty balconies just asking for salvation from their dreary winter storage duties.  Add a shot of life to your piece of urban outdoor living: think easy maintenance, bright wall plantings, and adventure gear as art.

1.  Janus et Cie Twist Barstool

2.  Woollypocket's Wally-One

3.  Fridge Carafe 1L at Horne

4.  Grain Surfboard

5.  Hawai 2 Top Bar Height Table

6.  White Lustre Pot at Conran

At the Shore

Cotton candy, ice cream, and your summer soundtrack:  It's all at the shore.  A little East Coast boardwalk inspiration for your Monday morning:

1.  Sunnies by BBC/Ice Cream

2.  Pedlars Cafe Lamp in Cherry Red

3.  Alessi Big Love ice cream bowl and spoon

4.  Navy striped pillows

5.  Classic transistor

6.  Vintage ice cream cafe chairs with tablet table

7.  Coney Island sailors

8.  Young Folk

9.  Vintage Boardwalk

10.  Hobby horse race

Nature Bath

 

I'm really digging this open air bath, aren't you?

via Elle Interior