www.janushome.com

Jeremy Schneyer has big plans.

The Seattle, WA transplant recently relocated to the relatively familiar climes of the Willamette Valley in hopes of establishing the most significant collection of vintage modern and mid-century furnishings in the region.

It’s a hefty task, but 5 minutes in his new Grand Avenue studio in SE Portland confirmed that he’s well on his way.

Large recent deployments overseas to the likes of Europe & China confirm that the market for the hard-to-find high-end American, Brazilian & European Mid-Century Modern classics that make up Janus Home’s mainstay are a worldwide commodity, unlikely to show signs of age anytime soon.

http://stores.ebay.com/Janus-Home

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PORTLAND, Ore. – (September 10, 2007) – Architectural salvage-hounds in the Northwest have a new destination for discovering recycled treasures. Old Portland Hardware & Architectural, located in Southeast Portland at 41st and Division, spotlights streamlined collections of high-quality architectural antiques in a 4,500-square-foot showroom along with a wide array of hardware presented in behind-the-counter style, a thing of the past.

“We’ve designed the store to create a customer-centered shopping environment – one that fosters a sense of discovery, but without all the clutter,” says owner Bret Hodgert. “Rather than digging endlessly for hardware, customers can describe what they’re looking for and we’ll bring out what they’re looking for from our bins in the back.

“Unusually large and complete sets” of doors, stained glass windows and hardware also help differentiate Old Portland from other antique shops in the area, he says. “In most salvage stores you will see one of countless different items, but we are able to offer many complete sets in exceptional condition, while keeping prices the lowest in the area.”
With a variety of experience and a contagious enthusiasm for his work, Hodgert has become Portland’s architectural salvage guru. He found his passion for the business while remodeling old houses and honed his craft at Rejuvenation where he worked for 10 years and managed the salvage and restoration departments for six years.

“What makes me so happy about this business is the sense of awe and discovery in finding something you’ve never seen before,” he says. “For me, it’s like a never ending treasure hunt.”

Located in what was originally an old lumber yard built in 1947, the store that once housed Maytag appliances has proven to be a find of its own. Keeping in theme with restoring the old, Hodgert has personally added unique touches to the space while keeping key architectural elements intact.

As customers enter the shop, reclaimed tongue-and-groove fir walls provide a warm welcome while serving as an authentic backdrop for displays. A set of glass cases from Oregon Mountain Community showcases unique finds, including a set of ball-and-claw glass table feet discolored to a deep purple hue. The table is speculated to have spent a good part of the century in the hot eastern Oregon desert, where pioneers may have discarded it to remove extra weight from the wagon. “Only sunlight can discolor glass that way, and the table was found overturned near a possible pioneer route.”

Further inside, the cozy storefront gives way to a wide-open warehouse loft with soaring 22 foot ceilings. This area provides ample room for exhibiting the remarkable selection of high quality salvage.

Old Portland Hardware & Architectural will be open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and earlier than 10 a.m. by appointment.

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rontoms, on lower burnside, also has a nice old modern style, more in-line with a 1960’s rec-room. The feel is more casual and open than the Doug Fir, but it utilizes furniture and nuances like lighting (floor lamps, table lamps) that tie the old-modern scheme together. The chairs, tables and couches are placed in a way that breaks up the large, open space and brings it into a more comfortable scale for lounging around. I also love the fact that they have a projector screen hung on one wall and show old movies and documentaries.

What I’m seeing here is an edgier twist on mid-century modern (you know, Eames, Saarinen, F.L. Wright), and while I very much enjoy the nostalgia associated with this style, I hope that it doesn’t become “overplayed” you know like when you hear your favorite song on the radio so much you begin to hate it? My desire is to continue seeing creative projects being done, so that our colorful city remains just that-colorful.

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My favorite exhibits were the paper models of the high rises. They were detailed down to little people walking around, miniature benches, fluffy green faux foliage, and toy cars roaming the streets. (They were all BMV’s, Jaguars, Mercedes, or Audis.) You can see a few of these paper models in this slideshow of images from the Discovery Center.

In the Discovery Center, there are floor plan layouts and model kitchens and bathrooms to give the potential buyer an idea of what they might get stuck with, since they can’t physically visit their unbuilt future home. The bathrooms I saw were rather nice, especially the one with both a shower stall and a bathtub. They were spacious and bright, light colored stone tiles that are easy on the eyes. I was less than impressed with the kitchens. The designers have a sincere problem with veneer. The cabinets may be very expansive, and probably expensive, but they look very cheap. Up close, it’s obvious that they’re made with real wood veneer but from the distance of even a few feet, it’s somewhat reminiscent of 1970’s fake wood paneling. You can see an image of what I’m talking about in the slideshow. In fact, a lot of the furniture in promotional photos I saw (suggesting what the condos might look like when fully decorated) have a very sorry 1970’s look. In some ways, this might make sense. Since most of the clientele may be wealthy elders looking for retirement homes, the 1970’s were probably the heyday of their success and productivity. A bit of nostaglia for this active time couldn’t hurt.

There’s a general theme to the South Waterfront advertising that I find unsettling. It’s the selling of this complex as a self contained utopia. According the planners, there will be everything that you need right there, restaurants, spas, grocery stores, a gym. There will be no need to ever venture out into real Portland. “Whatever you need to see or taste or experience is close, reachable, touchable, from right here. So let the destination not be a place, and make the journey the whole point.”

There’s almost a sense of anti-nostalgia. That one did not live life with adventure and fulfillment. Upon entering the Discovery Center there is a banner with a quote by Nadine Smith:
IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER
I’d like to make more mistakes next time. I’d relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I’d have fewer imaginary one. You see, I’m one of those people who live seriously and sanely hour after hour, day after day. If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.

What did these people give up in their lives to earn enough money to live in these condos? What dissatisfactions can the South Waterfront marketers take advantage of? But how can they sell a more interesting exciting life to a person by locking them into an area that looks smaller than a square mile? There’s something wrong here.

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(If you haven’t heard of this award, and surely you haven’t, it’s because I just made it up this morning).

Three walls are painted a simple, dull white. One of the longest walls is exposed red brick. People have tagged all over the bricks in paint, pens, and markers. This wall comes as a bit of a surprise when you enter the room. It isn’t attractive or homey, which I think is usually the intention of indoor brick. With the graffiti, it makes you feel as if you’ve stumbled into an alley on your search for the bathroom. It doesn’t help that it’s cold and smells like a basement.
While I’m sure the hipster patrons of Stumptown appreciate the minimalist design of the restroom (in an apathetic way, of course), it would be a much better trick in a dingy bar. That way men can feel the freedom of relieving themselves on the side of a building, but with the comfort of being indoors.

3356 SE Belmont
(503) 232-8889

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At least they’re trying to make The Casey more environmentally friendly than your normal luxury apartment tower.

In any case, one of the reported “amenities” of the building is attractive glass art facade. The Bull’s Eye Gallery is hosting an exhibit on the enmeshed glass art and architecture that will go into the The Casey, called The Casey Story: Art Into Architecture.
From the Portland Art Center website:
From January 19 to February 24, the Bullseye Gallery will dedicate the front exhibition area of its Pearl District gallery to telling the story of a unique collaboration: Gerding/Edlen Development, GBD Architects, Bullseye Glass Company and local artists working together to integrate glass and art into the architecture of GED’s 16-story quarter-block condominium tower, The Casey, that is rising immediately to the east of the gallery - as the glass artwork “cooks” in Bullseye’s factory kilns across the river.

The Bullseye Gallery
300 NW 13th Avenue
(503) 227-0222

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