Awww…ain’t Young House Love grand?

We knew the event was going to be big, so we loaded up on books and fought over who would get to help out at the event, because naturally we have lots of DIYers and young lovers of houses here at Rejuvenation. Two Tarts, the sweetest little cookie shop, baked tons of delicious heart cookies, and the F&B cafe, which shares our space, brewed lots of hot coffee in preparation for the hungry, patient line-waiters.

Four hundred people came from all across the Pacific Northwest – and even the Midwest and Canada – to show their own Young House Love. We tried to play the “Who came from farthest away?” game, and talked to folks from Seattle, Vancouver, B.C., Boise, Idaho, and even Wisconsin. Let us repeat that: Wisconsin!

John and Sherry have been on a whirlwind book tour across America, but you wouldn’t have known it to look at them. They were just as fresh and personable in real life as they always are on their blog.

They loved the store, but were a little scared of the stairs:

John and Sherry brave our stairs — just one of the many impressive features of our Portland store

After descending the stairs safely, the Young House Lovers gave a short talk about the five things they didn’t expect about writing a book,

Do you want to know what really surprised John and Sherry about writing a book? How much fun it was. And also, how much work.

and then commenced autographing books and chatting with their 400 new friends.

As Elizabeth, one of their many fans, put it, “They’re great because they really let you into the whole DIY design process. They share all the mistakes they make along the way so you don’t make the same ones. It makes it all seem much more do-able.”

And speaking of do-able: check out our new plug-in pendants. They’re perfect for the DIYer because they don’t require an electrician. All you have to do is hang a hook, swag the cord, and plug it in. Since we couldn’t wish for a more appropriate launch pad, we raffled off our Skidmore plug-in during the Petersiks’ visit.

Lucky Rochelle Zirdum of Hillsboro won it. Maybe, in the Young House Love spirit, she’ll be willing to share with us her Befores and Afters….

Thanks so much to those who attended and, most of all, to John and Sherry for spreading the love in Portland. You can read their version of events (all good, we promise!) here.

 A 5th grader at a Portland elementary school delivers the $100 donation to her teacher

The teachers, as always, were extremely appreciative. As a high-school teacher noted, “This year I am teaching U.S. History. I plan to use the money to purchase supplementary textbooks for the talented and gifted students. These books will be used to challenge students beyond the regular curriculum and potentially earn Honors credit.”

Cash for Kids has always been close to the heart of Rejuvenation’s founder, Jim Kelly.  “From the beginning, I loved the program because it was about way more than the 100 bucks.  It’s good for the schools, good for the teachers, and good for the kids.”

It does us good to know that we’re helping children build for the future (even if right now they’re building it out of Legos).

Translation: Dear Rejuvenation, Thank you for the money. We are going to buy legos.

The Young House Love blog started out as a hobby. The self-described “DIY dorks” decided to chronicle the transformation of their Richmond, Virginia ranch from a “needs-some-love house into a love-it-to-pieces home.” (Naturally, this is exactly the kind of undertaking we heartily support here at Rejuvenation!) With its cheery style and smart advice, the blog developed a devoted following – and collected some major media kudus along the way (HGTV, The New York Times, and Forbes, to name a few).

Thanks to the blog’s success (and a whole lot of hard work), the Petersiks were able to quit their day jobs, wrote a book, and are now hitting the road to meet and greet friends and fans across the country – hurrah!

So, Portlanders, mark your calendars because your chance to meet the Petersiks is coming soon. You can pick up their book, Young House Love, in advance at our store. We hear their book signings have been incredibly well attended, so you’d be smart to arrive good and early. You’ll also have a chance to win our new Skidmore Plug-In.

Three Galaxy chandeliers shine in an updated Johnny Rockets location 

(photo credit: restaurant development + design magazine)

Recently, the successful 26-year-old chain decided it was time to spruce up its look. It entrusted the makeover to Morris Nathanson Design, who then appealed to Rejuvenation’s expert and experienced trade team. The designers needed lighting that complemented the restaurant’s new look – a late ’60s/early ’70s style defined by chrome details, warm wood paneling, and accents of Johnny Rockets’ signature red. Given our broad assortment of period-authentic styles, we had just the thing to evoke a mid-century mood: the Galaxy.

As with all our reproduction lighting, the Galaxy is based on a period original: the Stockholm series, manufactured by EJS lighting in 1959. This sleek chandelier features Atomic Age details, including a streamlined hourglass profile and perforated aluminum shades that create a lovely starlight effect. Because we make the Galaxy with two to five arms, the design team could select the largest version to suit the proportions of the restaurant.

But there was more beyond the Galaxy. Plans for the new interior also called for lights over the dining counter to match the chandeliers. Happily, Rejuvenation could supply the perfect fixtures…but first we had to design them.

In our 36 years of helping trade customers, we’ve learned that no two projects are ever the same (nor would we want them to be!). That’s why we offer customization options like finish, shade, length, and arm choices, and we also craft special order pieces–lighting that’s not on our regular menu, if you will. For Johnny Rockets, we knew we needed to come up with a unique solution, so we set to work creating it.

And so the Rokot was launched – a single pendant version of the Galaxy chandelier. We liked the finished piece so much that we later added it to our Mid-Century Modern Collection.

 The Rokot – Mid-Century Modern pendant

In the end, it was a match made in burger heaven. Not only did we get to create a fun new fixture, we helped out a brand that shares our love for classic American design.

Lighting

A great ceiling light – with an easily accessible switch – is an entryway must-have. It should cast enough illumination so you can scan your mail, but needn’t be as bright as a task light – between 60W and 100W should do the trick. We also recommend installing a dimmer switch to control the illumination depending on your needs and the time of day.

The Blackstone paired with a Opalescent teardrop shade 

Choose your light based on the dimensions of your space. Broadly speaking, the lower the ceiling, the shorter the fixture. And the roomier the space, the bigger the fixture. A narrow but tall entry might benefit from a long pendant with a slender shade while a spacious but low-ceilinged foyer might want a flush-mount ceiling fixture with a dramatic shade.

The Northrup paired with a clear tube shade 

Wall sconces also work well in entrances, particularly when used in tandem with a ceiling fixture. They don’t take up much space and add elegance. Flank the front door with a pair or run multiples down the front hall.

A pair of Westons paired with Mission-style shades

If you have the room for a console or entry table, consider topping it with a statement-making table lamp. It will provide a welcome sight every time you walk in, and introduce your décor scheme.

Accessories

From boots to mail, umbrellas to shopping bags, every item that goes in and out of your house usually ends up making a pit stop in your entry.  With the right set of accessories, you keep your space neat and inviting.

Mail is one of the biggest sources of ongoing clutter. However, with a couple of attractive, strategically placed baskets, you can sort “keeper mail” and “recycle mail” immediately, so it never piles up or gets lost.

Another clutter-fighter: hooks. As far as we’re concerned, you can never have too many – for coats, hats, dog leashes, and bags. With a handy row of hooks mounted firmly to the wall, consider another potentially unsightly pile banished forever. Plus, you may never misplace your keys again!

To keeps things clean, we love to have a perch where you can sit to remove muddy shoes and slip on house slippers. Don’t forget the solid copper “Remove Thy Shoes” sign that politely reminds others to do the same.

For the wall, a well-placed mirror will let you add that final touch of lipstick or straighten your tie. And to help keep your busy life on track, hang an oak-framed chalkboard. You can jot messages, make lists, and scribble reminders in a prominent place before you dash out.

These are just a few suggestions, and we encourage you to peruse our selection of entry accessories for ideas to inspire your own entry update and makeover.

Rachel Austin

Rachel’s hand-framed paintings, note cards, and prints depict the overlap between the natural and urban landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. She begins with found city maps, and overlays them with bucolic images of canoes, birds, and trees using acrylic medium, oil paint, and ink. Rachel also creates custom map paintings, so clients can personalize their own piece.

See Rachel’s work on display at Rejuvenation beginning December 10.

Beth Kerschen

A multi-disciplinary artist, Beth uses a unique blend of photography and printmaking to create her images of architecture, urban details, and fleeting moments. Beth’s compelling montage-like works of Portland’s urban landscape and skyline convey a strong sense of place. Each is unique, and she limits her print runs to under 100.

View Beth’s images on Rejuvenation’s second floor beginning December 14.

Steve Kelly

Steve believes that the vessels we use in our everyday life should feel as alive as our surroundings – and his handcrafted pieces reflect that ideal. Well-versed in several ceramic traditions, Steve creates utilitarian pottery designed to nurture us aesthetically and physically. From dramatic vases to countertop composters, his pieces look lovely, work well, and feel good to the touch.

See Steve’s ceramics at Rejuvenation beginning December 14.

Appetite

Megan Oser and Erin Albin are the sister duo behind Appetite, a local shop where they design, cut, sew, and hand-print stylish, utilitarian pieces for the home. Created out of organic, scrap, and repurposed material, many of the designs’ color, textures, and shapes are inspired by the natural world, giving the pieces a harmonious feel.

See Appetite’s homewares at Rejuvenation beginning December 19.

Today we continue this tradition in our stores, where we buy, restore, and sell salvage.  We love saving these pieces of history and seeing the ingenious ways our customers repurpose old treasures.

Vintage Star Lanterns

Take these vintage punched-steel star lanterns, originally from a vaudeville theater. For the creative holiday decorator, there’s still time to work these bright red stars into an industrial-inspired Christmas display.

 Authentic WPA Lodge Table

And here’s an item that really knocked our socks off. This incredible c.1937 hexagonal lodge table was built in a Works Progress Administration (WPA) wood shop  – the very same shop that built much of the furniture for Timberline Lodge, a jewel in the WPA crown. This particular table was originally built to be on display in the Oregon WPA office, located in Portland, Oregon. It is marked and authenticated, and is truly a one-of-a-kind treasure.

Vintage Johnson & Johnson First Aid Kit

And lastly, here’s an item whose origins are a mystery. We don’t know the story behind this first aid kit, which dates back to the ’20s or ’30s. When we asked our  salvage gurus why they bought it, they said they were attracted to its lovely patina and that it clearly had been actively used. We love thinking about how this kit helped someone, decades ago, feel a little better. Sometimes with salvage, not knowing the story can be just as compelling as knowing the facts!

To discover more intriguing items like the ones above, visit our stores. And if you’re looking for a daily dose of salvage, follow our popular Salvage Pick of the Day Pinterest board.

Like all period lighting styles, its shining knights swept it to fame and glory. But Mid-Century Modern did not live happily ever after.

This is the story of what came next. Three stories, actually…

Born of 1950s Modernist idealism, Mid-Century Modern
was eventually a victim of its own success…

Just as the nation itself experienced a youth-fueled revolution
in the second half of the 1960s, so did the world of lighting…

While tired Mid-Century Modern was being infused with new emotion
and color through Mod, another style was also taking shape… 

Click on each of the chapters above to delve into a past so recent that many of the more distinguished among us still remember it clearly – usually with the intense ambivalence (or outright revulsion) that reflects a vision clouded by lack of perspective. We admit it.

However, a younger generation of fresh eyes (and a few of us older folks who have had the prescriptions for our glasses adjusted) are today seeing a very different story. From amused chuckles to gasps of astonishment and delight, enthusiastic fans of lighting from the late 1960s and 1970s are leading us to rediscover treasure amidst what many still consider trash.

In this uber-post, we’ll time-travel back to the days of hippies, glam rock and disco through the pages of mainstream American lighting companies – with no snobby name-dropping – to revisit fixture designs that many hoped would never again see the light of an Edison bulb…

So far this year, that 1% has translated into almost $17,000 for PATH. And since its grand opening in July, our Berkeley store has contributed $6,000 to BFHP so far.

Berkeley Food and Housing Project

Founded in 1970, Berkeley Food and Housing Project has worked to ease and end the crisis of homelessness for men, women, and children in the Berkeley community for over 40 years. With programs ranging from free meal service to permanent supportive housing, BFHP provides a continuum of care to accommodate a broad spectrum of specialized needs, and helps over 2,000 people each year.

Berkeley Food and Housing Project always welcomes donations and support through its volunteer opportunities With the holidays approaching, one great way to show support is by giving to their food, toy and gift drives. They will also be in need of volunteer groups to help decorate sites, sort donations, and serve at  major holiday meals. To find out more about how you can help BFHP this holiday season, call or email Whitney at 510.809.8585 or whubbard@bfhp.org.

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PATH (People Assisting the Homeless)

PATH is a family of agencies working together to end homelessness for individuals, families, and communities throughout southern California. They strive to do this by prioritizing housing while providing customized supportive services for people in need. Their agencies each address homelessness in a different way—through supportive services, permanent housing development, support for homeless families, and community engagement—all of which ultimately help the people they serve find a home. Using its multi-faceted approach, PATH helped provide housing for 1,608 people last year.

PATH offers a variety of ways to volunteer, donate, and get involved. One easy way to participate is to attend their “imaginary feast.” What, exactly, is an imaginary feast? It’s PATH’s alternative to a black tie fundraiser. In their own words: “Events are expensive. During the holidays, when need is felt the strongest, it’s especially important to put every penny where it will do the most good: Helping people in need. We’re asking you to skip the black tie fundraiser and donate what you would have spent on tickets, clothing, and dinner directly to PATH instead. This way, your contribution can start moving people off the streets and into homes right away.” Donate at www.imaginaryfeast.org, and find out more about PATH at www.path.org.

In addition to thanking these incredible organizations for all their work, we’d also like to take this opportunity to thank you, our customer, for helping us help them.