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

A Warm Welcome

Hi Everyone, Jenny here.  We are so blessed to be busy with a lot of fun and challenging projects in the studio right now and we have many more exciting prospects on the horizon.  Up until now, I've done my best to juggle each and every facet of the business on my own, including everything you see popping up in Fig's online world.  I realized a few weeks ago that I needed a talented person to enter my world and lend a hand, and right when I opened myself up to the idea, Amanda dropped me a line.  Amanda's worldly background, sense of style, and stellar writing skills quickly sold me on the idea of handing over some of my online media duties (the blog, Facebook, and Pinterest) to her capable hands.  This will all allow me to spend more time on client work and expanding the studio and will allow you to have more content to enjoy on your social media addiction of choice!  Fig's clients may see Amanda around a jobsite or two, assisting in meetings, and walking showrooms with me.  Without further adieu, please welcome Amanda.

Hi, I’m Amanda! I was raised just an hour up the Columbia River Gorge in Hood River. After graduating high school I moved to Switzerland for a year before getting a bachelors degree in women’s studies at Oregon State University. During my time at Oregon State I studied abroad in Germany and took some time to work as an aupair in England. My life in Europe strongly influences my design aesthetic and although I have always been passionate about design and architecture I didn’t realize I could make it my career until my last year of college. (Strange, I know.) So, I moved myself to Portland, got a second degree in interior design from The Art Institute and magically found my way to Fig Studio while walking my sister’s dog. Not able to stay out of school for long, I am currently going through a yoga teacher training and planning a bicycle tour around Holland in late summer. I am excited to be apart of the Fig team and look forward to sharing my passion for design!

NW Marshall Loft

Josh Partee Photography beautifully captured our Pearl Loft project-  check out the album here

Social Media for Interior Designers- Join Me!

Join me, alongside Brad Clifford of Bravado Home and Jennifer Powell of Kravet for tips and tricks for maximizing your social media presence.  Event open to designers only.  Lunch to follow.

Riad Dixneuf La Ksour

If trip planning is an addiction, consider me off the wagon.  I'm one of those people that loves to have something big to look forward to.  Dinner parties in the backyard, a road trip to the beach, planning a Yurt adventure with friends (this weekend!) all fall under my definition of big.  I am so happy to add one more exciting excursion to my list:  Marrakesh.  Yes, my lifelong dream is going to be realized this coming April, after the Milan Furniture Fair.  I imagine myself winding through the Souk with nothing but a camera in my hand and silver tea sets on my mind.

Marrakesh is probably the most exotic location I've ever had to plan for, so choosing a comfortable and safe place to stay is top priority.  Thanks to trusty Trip Advisor (don't steer me wrong now!) and style authority Remodelista, I discovered Riad Dixneuf and booked a room right away.  I sought out this traditional accommodation as an alternative to traditional Western-style hotels and guest suites in the hopes that I would fully immerse myself into the Moroccan culture and better experience all that Marrakesh has to offer. 

Riad Dixneuf is located in the heart of the Medina, the old quarter, and within a short walk to Djamaa El-f'na Square.  I've learned through extensive research that as a first time visitor, it is critical to reserve a place of peace and refuge.  The Medina can be overwhelming to say the least, and a quiet retreat is essential to center yourself after a long day of winding through the city and dodging motorbikes.  Rome it is not.  Riad Dixneuf's design is exactly that:  peaceful, calm, and simple.  It seems very organic, and calmly authentic.  I viewed other accommodations that definitely reflected Moroccan sensibilities, but were overwhelmingly decorated with a clear emphasis on color.  There is something so great about a white wall, and Riad Dixneuf knows exactly how to use it. 


The central courtyard is surrounded by a mix of shared spaces and guest rooms.  I'm particularly attracted to their cozy library and lounge space, which seems perfectly suited to sipping mint tea.  Again, not shrouded in every Moroccan texture available in the Souk, but a perfect mix of organic and well- combined materials that definitely reflect my goal of finding a peaceful retreat. 

I'll be happy to report my findings upon my return-  until then, I'll be reading the Marrakesh archives over at Beers and Beans and practicing the art of the bargaining at my local thrift shop- they'll lower my price for the promise of a stick of gum, right? 

All images are via Riad Dixneuf's booking site.  Layout is by Fig Studio.

On the Boards: BLOCK 90

Fig Studio has been blessed with a full-load of great projects to kick off 2012.  I decided it would be fun to do an "on the boards" series highlighting the beginning phases of each project and let you know what we're up to here in our corner of the world.  We anticipate growth and many changes this year so look out for news here and on our portfolio site.

I'm kicking off the series with our Block 90 condo project.  Fig's clients and their two adorable Dachshunds are fairly recent transplants from Kansas and found their way to the bustling Pearl District about a year ago.  Their unit was formerly on show for the 2009 Street of Dreams showcase (the first and only year the show went urban) and is situated at the Penthouse level of the Block 90 development.  The building's architects, Vallaster Corl, emphasized the connection between indoor and outdoor space, access to large terraces, and preserving the urban view.  Once an industrial warehouse, Block 90 now wears a mixed-use hat with residential space, the Aveda Institute, restaurant space, retail and office space all under one roof.

For my part, I am helping my clients make connections to the surrounding architecture, create functional layouts, specify long-term furnishings solutions, and design custom millwork and cabinetry.  I always say the most sustainable decisions are the ones you only make once--  committing to a dining table that will gracefully outlive all of us is more green than just looking for the type of finish applied to the wood.  We are starting with a blank slate, with just the floorplan and a growing art collection to guide us.  The design is leaning toward a spare plan with contemporary lines.  A few injections of artistic accent in the lighting and custom upholstery design give the space balance.  We are lucky to be working such great Portland vendors for this project-  Hive, Inform Interiors, and Kai Fuhrmann to name a few.  You can follow our concepts for the project over on our Block 90 board at Pinterest.

Block 90 is slated for completion late Summer 2012.  Italian leather sofas bow to no one. 

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?