I’d been wanting to check out the Schoolhouse Electric Supply & Co. showroom ever since their expansion last fall, and on a rainy afternoon with Hadley in tow I finally ventured across the river to their warehouse in the Industrial District of Northwest. I’ve been a fan of their period lighting for years, but last year the local shop expanded their goods to include textiles, home accessories and furniture.

Although I somehow managed to escape with only a $3 ruler, there were many items on my wish list:

Clockwise from top left:
Orbit 7 Chandelier
Blackline Stoneware
Beckman Sofa
Pullman Credenza

Hadley loved roaming the massive space, and we even timed it right to watch a train rattle by feet away from the large windows.

And to no surprise her favorite piece hands down was the Stephenson Chair in Fusia {photo via design*sponge}:

Ristresso Roasters Coffee claims a corner of the space and on our way out we stopped by for a pastry. Hadley selected the Figgy Buckwheat Scone and had I known I’d have ordered a second for myself {she cut me off after my third “taste”}. But to my delight I tracked down this recipe online and am thinking of trying my hand at them.

I bet they’d taste even better plated on Blackline Stoneware while curled up in a Stephenson Chair.

{photo via 101 Cookbooks}

As a journalism major I once envisioned a life writing for national design magazines and interviewing fascinating people. After graduation I took my hard earned degree, road tripped cross country and… waited tables {along with a gaggle of others with communication degrees) while freelancing for local publications covering groundbreaking stories like pumpkin carving contests and high school debate trips.

Fortunately I eventually found my calling landing a job as a web designer and fell in love with layouts, html, css, color palettes and white space.

One of my college bffs and fellow journalism cohorts became a real writer, her byline appearing regularly in the Chicago Tribune, national travel magazines, and now her editorial position at DailyCandy.

A couple months ago she emailed asking if I’d be up for writing a piece for Kimpton Hotels. Research included roaming around downtown Portland, popping into clothing boutiques, coffee houses and restaurants and writing about the experience. I was reminded once again how many creative individuals – from clothing designers to food cart chefs – proudly call pdx home.

The piece appeared a few days ago. Read the full article here. Thanks for the opportunity Kel!