I Love Portland Homes

Cathy Pitters is a local mom, artist and seamstress who runs her business Bossa Nova Baby out of a pink flamingo colored basement in her 1929 Bungalow, which she and her husband, Greg, bought in 2003. She graciously took the time to answer my questions about buying a house for the first time and how the process was for them.

What made you decide to buy a house?
We had a sweet deal paying very little rent for a great duplex but when our landlord nearly doubled our rent we decided to look into buying a house. It was really a blessing in disguise because it forced us to buy at a time when you could still get a fantastic deal on a house in our neighborhood (University Park, North Portland).

How many houses do you think you looked at before you found “the one”?
We found our house on our first day looking – I think we had looked at about a dozen houses that day – most of them pretty scary because our price limit was pretty low! As soon as we walked into our house we knew it was the one. It was so us and just what we were looking for – at an incredible price. It was a HUD house so we had to place a blind bid on it and wait to see if someone else had bid higher than us. Someone did bid more than us and they told us that we didn’t get the house – we were so sad! But about a week later they called and said that the higher bidder’s paperwork hadn’t been filled out correctly and that we were next in line and the house was ours! That’s when we really knew that it was “the one” and was meant to be.

What was it about this house that really attracted you?
We really wanted a house with some old character and also wanted a semi-finished basement for my crafty business. Our house has both of those. It still has a lot of its original charm – some built-ins, wood floors and vintage light fixtures – and a huge basement that I promptly painted pink!

Any advice for first time home buyers?
Don’t be intimidated by the process. We never thought it would be possible for us to be homeowners but we did it and pay about the same as we would have on rent.

 When I discovered etsy, one of the first artists to catch my eye was the very talented Matte Stephens. He has amazing color palettes, adorable subject matter (often birds, cats, and his wife Vivienne), and a fabulous retro modern style.  And if creating such lovelies wasn’t already enough, he has shared his gorgeous house and some tasty recipes with design*sponge. Take a moment to check out his website and etsy shop. It will be worth your while!

I have the good fortune of working just a ways down the street from one of the cutest shops in Portland, Noun! They have a beautiful collection of hand picked vintage housewares and furniture, handmade jewelry and accessories, and amazing treasures. Not to mention they share the space with Saint Cupcake, so you can get your sugar fix while you shop! Noun is also the sole retailer in Oregon of Big Chill’s retro fabulous refrigerator. Their floor model is pink, but it comes in a delicious array of colors! If I could choose any appliance for my kitchen it would certainly be one of these! Does it get any better than a pink fridge, vintage and handmade goodies, and cupcakes in the same place? No, my friends, it does not.

Noun is located at 3300 SE Belmont, Portland, OR. Please visit their website for store hours and more information.

Tickets just went on sale for this year’s Street of Eames!
Sorry for the tease! I heard tickets sold out in an hour. Wow!

You can still have a peek at the homes on tour here.

Solar Oregon just announced a handful of upcoming workshops, including the Basics of Going Solar in Portland (which happens to be free!). They’re also having a Net Zero Home Tour on May 3rd where participants can spend the day learning how to make a net zero home a possibility and visiting four inspiring homes. Please see their website for more information!

If you live in Portland and are a mid-century architecture enthusiast, you might be interested in attending or joining Portland’s own Atomic Age Alliance.  The Alliance is a group of people committed to raising awareness of and preserving Portland’s mid-century architecture and signage, while enjoying umbrella’d drinks with like-minded people. Sounds like fun to me! Their latest endeavor is working on finding a new home for the historic Crown Motel sign on Interstate Ave. The motel is slated for demolition in March.

The next Atomic Age Alliance meeting is Sunday, Feb 24th at 6PM at the Alibi Lounge (4024 N Interstate Ave.)
For more info, please visit their website.

Ashleyg’s profile on etsy about drawing as a child and the creatures she created and imagined living in old tree trunks in her backyard is such an enchanting story. It makes me appreciate her lovely illustrations and paintings even more. She has lots of amazing prints to choose from in her etsy shop. I discover new favorites every time I look at them. She also has a new website, Ashley G and Drew.

The Portland Spaces website is up and my absolute favorite feature is the historical timeline of single family homes in Portland starting in the 1840’s.  There is also an upcoming lecture called “Houses that Make History”.  See more details here.

I could look at old photographs for hours. In college I volunteered at the Lane County Historical Museum helping catalog old photographs for a new database. A good number of the photos were by a local photographer in the 50’s who went around photographing homes that were set for demolition.  How thoughtful of him to preserve those homes as best he could for future generations to see.

While visiting Chicago a few years back for a craft fair I was quite taken with Marina City.  I could practically see The Jetsons flying around the buildings in their little space car. Imagine my delight at later meeting Amy and Mike from Crazy Coconut, who had memorialized the architectural marvel with their original pillows and wallpaper!  We must have similar taste because their other designs feature my favorite Portland bridge (St. Johns), the adorable new tram, and a fuzzy kitten!

Head on over to their website to see the line of pillows and wallpaper, but don’t forget to check out their etsy shop for some additional fun products (like clothing and craft kits!).

photos courtesy of Mike Estes