Room with a View

So I raved about the view over Portland from the new condo, so here it is. The condo has a south-facing wall and an east-facing wall - with a lot of windows on both. From the south windows we see Portland State, and look over buildings trees toward the south waterfront. On the east, we look across downtown - from our perch on 11th & Clay.

Just last weekend, the trees started dropping their leaves - after a serious show of color. So the city has a wintry look-and-feel about it now. Keep that umbrella close to the door.

Condo Spaces Are Small

Our family home in southern Oregon is a spacious, ranch-style with a lot of space. So we have had no experience with small spaces.

We learned in short order that the scale of everything needs to be smaller. Slender legs, non-bulky designs and no clutter. That means not an extra piece of furniture or whimsey to make it really work.

After visiting too many furniture stores and facing daunting choices, we engaged the services of a designer. Another lesson, that. Our first experience was not a satisfying one. The designer turned out to be more accurately a window-covering specialist - though she professed to deliver the whole nine yards. We paid her for an hour or two and parted company, after she revealed she couldn't draw and offered some suggestions that did not fit with our expectations. In retrospect, our interviewing process was flawed. Real interior designers have degrees in design, professional certification, and most can render their ideas in some sort of draft layout.

With that ephiphany, we went back to the data; did some more interviewing, and hired Amanda Klash & her partner Emma Davis at Montgomery Kalsh. We have developed a good relationship with these two professionals and our project is moving forward at long last. Amanda helped us select and order the appropriate window coverings, a woven-wood product, and her installer just got them up a few days ago. Working with Amanda, Emma designed a layout for the space, speced-out some furniture pieces and deisgned us a sectional for local manufacture when we couldn't find an appropriate retail product. We'll have that piece in about three weeks, with any luck at all.

Portland Condo

We took the plunge last year and reserved a condo in one of Portland's newest towers. After more than a few delays, we took possession in July. But our excitement was tempered by the myriad problems the building owners were obliged to address. About five weeks later, we reached a rapproachement with managment (they fixed about 80 percent of our issues) and began the process of furnishing the small space. And that, I can tell you, has proved to be a challenge. More about that later.

We chose the Benson Towers as our Portland outpost. Though "The Pearl" district is very popular right now and offers some fine loft spaces, we wanted a "greener" neighborhood that was closer to theaters and museums. The "Cultural District," where the Benson Towers is located, is across Market street from PSU, two blocks from Park Street with it's towering canopy and downtown greenbelt. The Schnitzer Center for the Performing Arts is just around the corner, as is the Museum of Art. And, we're on the Tri-Met line, which runs in front of our building. Doesn't get any better than that.

We've got a one-bedroom, corner unit on the 8th floor facing southeast. Lots of very large windows, and a small balcony that accomodates two chairs and a table with a couple of plants. The unit has two baths, which is a convenience; and a washer/dryer in a closet off the master bath. The kitchen is quite complete, though the appliances chosen by the builder are overkill.

The building is one of the few in Portland to be exempted from the ground-floor retail requirement. Most residential buildings have retail outlets on their ground floor. The Benson Towers was exempted because designers included a substantial water feature in the front of the building that was judged to be an asset to the city and a waiver was granted. I confess to being distressed when I discovered that the building was also the first high-rise in the city to be completed without union labor. That information would have influenced my decision. As it is, I'll just have to make a substantial contribution to a local labor temple's PAC and light a candle to Dan Gardner to atone for my sin.

That said, we love the place. Local architects are evidently impressed as well. The building is a true tower, with a core of support and lots of concrete, steel and glass. Just what we wanted. And the view is spectacular.