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Portland Monthly

Architecture & Design

Development

How an Elite Group Shapes Portland’s Building Boom, Behind the Scenes

The city's changing skyline is shaped in part by a city process called Design Review.

10/16/2019 By Zach Dundas Illustrations by Matthew Billington

Profile

The Woman Who Keeps McMenamins Restaurants, Bars, and Stocked with Antiques and Oddities

Shannon McMenamin oversees a veritable army of antique dealers, designers, artists, builders, and historians.

10/16/2019 By Ramona DeNies

Candy Coated

Katie Marks’s Ceramics Are Playful, Colorful, and (Often) Rimmed in 22-Karat Gold

From vases to bongs, the Portland ceramicist's wild creations sell out as fast as she can make them.

10/16/2019 By Rebecca Jacobson Photography by Christopher Dibble

Architecture

Lincoln High School Is Getting a Sparkling New Look

A Q&A with Bora's Chris Linn, an architect behind the new school, which is expected to open in 2022.

10/16/2019 By Conner Reed

Design

How This Icelandic Designer Is Bringing World History to a New Portland Hotel

Designer Halfdan Pedersen travelled the world to fill the new Portland expansion of Reyjavik-based KEX.

10/16/2019 By Marty Patail

Sculpture

These Amazing Handcrafted Teapots Carry on OCAC’s Legacy

The Oregon College of Art and Craft is no more. But its many teapots live on.

10/16/2019 By Wriik Maui

Theater

At the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Wigs Are Serious Business

Bouncy bouffants, soaring “hair sculptures,” handlebar mustaches, and beyond—and upwards of 100 each season.

10/16/2019 By Rebecca Jacobson

Sneaker Wave

This Portland Shop Is the Holy Grail for Vintage Nike Gear Collectors

The Culture PDX is a vintage wonderland of 750-plus Nike pieces.

10/16/2019 By Jordan Michelman

Editor's Note

Okay, What Exactly Is Design?

We have a running joke at the magazine: If it’s pretty to look at, it most likely counts as design.

10/16/2019 By Marty Patail

Home Décor

Portland's Chown Hardware Celebrates 140 Years

If you've remodeled your bathroom or living room, chances are you've taken a spin through Chown.

09/13/2019 By Kiva Hanson

Popular Content

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    Pink Martini Bandleader Thomas Lauderdale’s Tailored Loft

    Our 10 Greatest Homes

Wine

This Carlton Winery Is Turning a Century-Old Grain Elevator into a Pinot Noir Palace

Complete with a bar top straight from... Kevin Bacon’s dad?

09/03/2019 By Conner Reed

Design

A Historic Midcentury-Modern Beach House Marries Old and New

When a 2017 storm nearly destroyed the iconic Van Evera Bailey home, the family restored it to its 1955 splendor—with a 2019 twist.

08/27/2019 By Kelly Clarke Photography by Caitlin Murray

Report

Public Parks and Onramps Are Biting Back Against Camping. But Should They?

Hostile design can prevent someone from pitching a tent. But some say the urban design trend just creates more problems.

08/27/2019 By Fiona McCann Illustrations by Neil Webb

Design

These Tiny Home-Inspired “Sleeping Pods” Provide Shelter for Portland’s Homeless Women

The Kenton Women’s Village relocated in April with brand-new units designed by local architects.

08/09/2019 By Conner Reed

Architecture

Learn How to Build Your Own Tiny Hobbit Home

For a fraction of the cost of a typical ADU, the Permanent Culture Project shows you how to sculpt an unforgettable backyard haven from natural materials.

08/01/2019 By Eden Dawn

Science

A Rare, 17-Year-Old 'Corpse Flower' Is Blooming in Vancouver

The 4-foot-tall plant is an endangered plant from Indonesia—and it's open to the public.

07/17/2019 By Shannon Henderson

Office Life

New Portland Coworking Space Wants to Set Us Free from the Traditional Work-Life Separation

With an on-site concierge, fitness classes, and a drop-in day care center, Vida is especially focused on supporting working mothers.

07/02/2019 By Shannon Henderson

History

The Portland Building Used to Be a Jazz Club That Hosted John Coltrane and Duke Ellington

A new architecture podcast examines Portland's forgotten history, one building at a time.

06/25/2019 By Brendan Nagle

Summer Beer: Design

Can You Judge a Beer By Its Label?

Portland Monthly's deputy art director says yes, you can.

06/25/2019 By Brian Breneman

Small Business

This Portland Company Wants to Make Sex Look Like More Fun

Out with the bondage vibes—unless that's your thing, which is totally cool.

06/25/2019 By Eden Dawn

Latest Issue

Fall 2025

The New Willamette Valley

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