New happenings at Portico

PorticoStyle.com is born again

2010-03-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of years i have been posting here to show the latest projects in the furniture and wood shop. This year i asked my webdesigner to redo our website porticostyle with new capabilities, so i could update the content myself. That project has now been successfully completed. Hooray!! I will be able to show so much more of what we do, and what makes the people connected to Portico unique. So stay tuned to porticostyle.com Where the action is.

Sedona Table

2010-03-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

What do Arizona and Oregon have in common? Not much you think?

How about the color orange - rocks in Arizona, Douglas fir wood in Oregon?

Osmo polyx-oil made a beautiful finish for this sofa table.

Office desk

2010-02-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

Mission accomplished! Customers asked for a 10 x 2 foot workstation desk to fill their home office wall. It was also important to be able to slide the office chair from side to side. Mouse holes allow the power cords to disappear. Again, as usual, all reclaimed Douglas fir wood.

Amsterdam table revisited

2010-02-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

I love the contrast between the darker legs and lighter top. All the wood is Douglas fir. The thick legs show beautiful exposed end grain.

Wine Country Table update

2010-02-25T12:34:00.000-08:00

Wine Country table and bench

Mortise and tenon construction

This year our customers allowed us to build several more Wine Country tables. Above you can see what traditional mortise and tenon construction looks like. After it is glued up, it makes one of the strongest joinery methods known. For larger tables I recommend m&t construction.

Amy Doan did a very nice write up of our work in the Oregonian. The full story is here:

http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2010/02/portland_companies_create_hip.html

Thanks Amy!

Sofa Arm Table

2010-01-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

For those of you with square armed sofas - the solution to rest your drinks!
Made in the Portico workshop - made to fit your sofa.

How to measure your sofa arm for proper fit of a custom sofa arm table:

1. Find a hard object, such as a pair of books or pieces of wood.
2. Place each book on the inside and outside of your sofa arm.
3. Measure the distance between your two books. This is the interior dimension of your arm table.

Philosophical question: Can this object still be considered to be furniture? Is it too simple too qualify for the title?

Adopting old Douglas Fir

2009-10-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

Back side of Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage - raw material for beautiful ecological furniture.

People often ask where the wood that we use at Portico comes from. We work mainly with old reclaimed Douglas Fir.

The first immigrant Oregonians of a hundred or more years ago had no other choice but to use old growth trees for their construction needs. A lot of old barns in the Oregon country side are now reaching their end of usefull life. If you own one the old barns that is about to collapse, consider calling a business such as Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage. Much more ecological than burning the wood. The folks in Aurora sell this resource to the public. In my opinion a must see place when you go to Aurora Oregon.

Willie Shelf Triplet

2009-09-16T13:47:00.001-07:00

A cookbook publicist who arrived in town from New York City finally found the right shelving for his cookbooks. Mr. Mowery apparently also has a good eye for color, and decided on the colors for this Willie triplet that he commisioned. Greg Mowery's cookbook blog is http://www.stovetopreadings.com.

In the upper right side of the picture you can see that the backing is made from sun-bleached recycled fence boards. They required no finishing whatsoever.

2009-09-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

Summer is fading away so slow. Take another stroll through your back yard - have one more barbeque. The summer wind left its droppings on the Sunshine outdoor furniture - as you can see in the picture.

We hope to build some more of this wood furniture next year. I trust there will be a new supply of old fence boards available for the next cycle of production.

Thanks to all of you who participated with our custom furniture. You can see more on our website: http://www.porticostyle.com/

Platform Bed

2009-08-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

One of my clients recently arrived in town. This is the bed that they commissioned me to build.

I decided that a slightly back-sloping headboard would look more interesting than a vertical one.

The headboard is 5 feet tall. The top of the platform is only 6 inches of the ground. The old recycled Douglas Fir boards received an espresso finish. The horizontal boards in the headboard came from a decommisioned barn in Scio Oregon.

It was a fun project, especially figuring out how to keep the tall headboard together with the low platform. This new modern platform bed design was christened the Dreamboat.

Willie Dog Bookshelf

2009-07-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Our latest addition to the Portico furniture collection. Made from recycled fence boards right here in our design/build studio using kreg jig construction. This particular Willie Dog is 36" x 14.5" x 70" high.

More sizes and finish options available by order.

Willie Dog on the right is displaying work from local artist Hadley Hutton. Beautiful flora and fauna.

New & Improved Sunshine Outdoor furniture!

2009-07-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

We have made a few modifications to our line of outdoor furniture- new dimensions and more leg room! But availability of Sunshine outdoor furniture is spring and early summer.

Outdoor furniture

2009-04-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here are my ( Johan Meijer ) latest efforts. The orange and black shelf is a variation on the Tabor desk. A minor redesign turned the Tabor work table into a shelving unit. The horizontal surfaces are made of new plywood, but at least the frame for this one was made from recycled fence boards.

Since spring has sprung in the northern hemisphere, i started an outdoor line of patio furniture.

Willie, my dog, would not look up for his picture.

I expect this outdoor wood furniture to age nicely in Oregon's wet climate. An outdoor finish will keep the paint looking fresh for the first couple of years, before the elements show their dominance.

Coming up will be an outdoor bench with a back, and also a rectangular table to round out the set.

Pictures of the newest projects will be gathered here on flikr.

Portico's website.

Any of these pieces can easily made in custom sizes.

Greetings, Johan Meijer

Custom Kitchen Island

2009-03-22T17:41:00.000-07:00

These kitchen islands are 36 inches tall. The tops have a tight grain, and made from old Douglas Fir building material. They are not meant for the purpose of cutting food directly on the top, but they are dent and scratch resistant. The finish is a food safe eco-friendly oil.

If you want the top to be a chopping block, we can use a maple top.

The base can be painted in any color. Standard with a barn wood shelf.

See more furniture pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36630249@N07/

See our website: http://www.porticostyle.com/

Portlandia Table

2009-03-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

One of our customers requested the Portlandia table in a dark brown color.

We were all pleased to see how close the color of the table matched the color of our chairs.

The Portlandia table is made here in Portland, Oregon from old salvaged wood. Call us for details at 503 230-2522.

Reclaimed wood bed

2008-10-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

Introducing The Night Owl platform bed. Made from reclaimed Douglas Fir.

Here is a first picture of the reclaimed wood bed, fresh out of the shop. The platform bed is low to the ground. Only a top mattress is required. Since we will make these beds by hand, you can have your bed made for any mattress size. Made mostly from recycled Douglas Fir.

A nice feature of this bed is the 11 inch wide back board. While laying propped up on your cushions, you will be able to reach behind, and grab "stuff" off the shelf. Hey, you might even forgo the matching nightstands.

The height of this bed was designed for a 12 inch mattress, so you can also sit on your bed (that's how i tie my shoes in the morning).

The wood was finished with Osmo Polyx Oil, a hard drying eco-friendly low VOC wood finish.

For more sustainable wood furniture click here: http://www.porticostyle.com/reclaimed-wood-furniture.html

Brett Bigham's Benches

2008-10-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

Brett Bigham from Portland, Oregon does some amazing paint work on his benches - and for very affordable prices. These benches go for only $149.

You might call Brett an illustrator who uses furniture as his chosen medium.

See more of Brett's stuff here: http://www.porticostyle.com/cabinets.html

Chainsaw Furniture

2008-10-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

It's not the carpenter's hammer, it's the carpenter who builds the furniture - old saw by a wise furniture maker. Tony Schlosser who built this table with his chainsaw from found wood proves this saying again. The table pictured here could be a cocktail table, or a wide bench. The top is over 3 inches thick.

For more recycled wood furniture, click here: http://www.porticostyle.com/reclaimed-wood-furniture.html

Large Custom Made Trestle Table

2008-09-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

Width the large old salvaged Douglas Fir timbers, the proportions came out very nice for this table that measures 10 feet long. The legs are set back deep enough to allow someone to sit comfortably at the end.

This reclaimed wood trestle table is now at the home of the Trant-McCall family, aka "The TMS".

Thanks for the opportunity to build this one!

Portlandia Table in Mahogany Finish

2008-07-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

The Portlandia table came out very nice with a Mahogany stain on Douglas Fir.

For contact details, visit: http://www.porticostyle.com/

Soy based foam sofas

2008-07-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

Nest chair. Sixty inches round for cozying up.

Portico is now offering an environmently friendly line of sofas from Stylus Sofas.

Stylus Sofas are made in Vancouver, B.C. All sofas and chairs are made with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood. All foams are polybrominate diphenyl free, a fire retardant that is linked to cancer. In addition, for a nominal charge, all domestic models have an option for soy-based foam cushions.

With this new development, and with our tables and benches made from recycled wood, our customers have sustainable options for most of their major furniture purchases.

New Custom made tables

2008-07-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

For the time being, Portico has now settled on three new table offerings made by local artisans.

Since we are located in the Pacific Northwest, on the wet side of the Cascade mountains, the wood that we use is old recycled Douglas Fir. Typically it comes from old barns, or old buildings that are torn down.

First table is the Portlandia table. It always comes in a natural finish, with square or tapered legs. The top is constructed to "float" over the table apron.

Second is the Amsterdam table, showing it's legs coming to the top.

Check our website http://www.porticostyle.com/ for contact info or store hours.

Artist Chris Bibby

2008-04-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

Chris Bibby is now also selling reproductions of his art at Portico. A native of Scotland, he is now painting city scapes of Portland. The pictures are frequently updated with new ones.

See his website at: www.iambibby.net

Sustainable wood furniture

2008-04-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

Recent work by Johan Meijer. Johan has been building commissioned furniture made from old floor boards and barn wood.

The booth table has storage benches on both sides. The set is in a travel bus of an adventurous and enterprising couple who producing a TV show about sustainable living.

Black Dog Furniture by Brett Bigham

2007-04-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

Brett Bigham, the designer and furniture maker of Black Dog Furniture specializes in mirrors and tables of all sizes. Visit Portico at 3630 SE Division - to see many more of his artsy furniture designs.

Brett made this mirror that i like in particular - it includes such a handy little shelf on the bottom. With the old foggy mirror glass i look just about right.

If you know local furniture makers who would like to sell furniture at Portico - please pass on our contact info. Thanks!

Brett Bigham uses as much reclaimed material as possible. Check out another picture of Brett's stuff here .

Please contact Johan Meijer at porticofurniture@yahoo.com is if you make things that you want to sell at Portico.

Portico Portland Furniture Stores SE Division St.

2007-04-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

Unique among Portland furniture stores Portico is filled with fun fresh artsy furniture, décor and gifts.Our handpicked merchandise comes from around the globe, including Portland artisans as well. Our select consignment pieces add to the eclectic mix and make for a delightful shopping adventure.Whether you are searching for sofas, chairs, dining or bedroom furniture, garden pieces, mirrors, lamps or art, you are sure to find it here.

Periodically I will update this spot for cool new merchandise and to annouce occasional sales and neighborhood events.