ideabox on the street

Getting Better Every Day!

The landscaping has arrived and the crafting of the exterior design begins. Thanks to the hard work by Arbor Homes with the county, decks are finally underway today by Bob the Deck Guy (our name for him). The deck designs by Schultz & Long continue the modern theme begun at the street as seen in the picture above. It will be a magical display!

It's like a giant puzzle, the biggest piece being the ideabox fortino and corresponding pieces going around and within the house itself. It's such a talented design team assembled for the Street of Dreams, the result will change the way you think about residential living.

The installation by Aspen Creek Landscaping is incredible. Baca Metal Works is back with metal planters and his rain catchment system.

More coming tomorrow. The interiors are coming together just as exciting as the exteriors!

The 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams begins Saturday, (and runs though August!) 

Come See Us!

ideabox on the street

Getting to Amazing

With each day the transformation continues. The landscape design by Rich Schultz being installed by Aspen Creek continues with incredible support from Arbor Homes, who's support has been above and beyond the call... it's a modern home living environment growing in front of our eyes!

Today is "movement day" as the outdoor environment continues and furnishings begin to arrive for the indoor environment. As we were preparing the inside of the house for today's deliveries, the sun was setting off to the west and the territorial views beyond started to twinkle. The evening's cool breeze was wafting through, it was easy to get excited by just how cool the finished house will be. 

The NW Natural Street of Dreams opens on Saturday. We'll be ready! Come see us!

ideabox on the street

Design is a Series of Details

It often begins with a napkin. Or any available medium to sketch out an idea, a thought, a concept. What happens between those initial thoughts and sketches and a completed work is the mystery of the details. The ideabox display at the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams is very much an exercise of thousands of details, from the house itself extending through the landscape.

In our very compressed timeline, the magical transformation of an empty site a week ago to show piece is underway. Hundreds of details coming together at an incredible rate, the creative process in action. We're looking forward to showing you the amazing result.

On my way up to "the Street." More pictures to come - stay tuned!

ideabox on the street

Summer at the "box"

It's an amazing day, exactly what the concept "summer" is all about. Blue cloudless skies, perfect temperature, a light breeze, lots of green vegetation (a result of the never ending rain we had earlier), and wonderful shade only big trees can offer.


It's kind of the calm before the storm. A week from today the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams begins in Portland. It's kind of a big deal for ideabox, being the first prefab ever to be invited on "the Street." So it's a bit of tranquility before the craziness of a show with the magnitude of the Street of Dreams.


I just wanted to share, so I took the picture this morning. A practically perfect day!


A ton of work is going now at the Street of Dreams site. Rick Schultz and Teresa Long (Schultz & Long) have designed another terrific outdoor environment. Decks are under construction, trees and plants are being delivered and placed, it's landscape madness! Aspen Creek is doing a lot of the installation. Daniel Baca will once again be working his wonder with metal. It will be amazing!


Monrovia is providing the plant material for "ideabox on the Street" which we are very excited about.


We're delighted to be working with Unleash Design Studio inside the house. Hip,a local company with a terrific showroom on NW 24th in Portland, is providing furnishings. Design Within Reach is back with lighting & outdoor furniture. 


We'll have more on "ideabox on the Street" as next Saturday approaches.


In the meantime, it's another busy and delightfully sunny day at ideabox. 

ideabox on the street

it begins with an amazing site...

The 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams is the premiere home show in Portland. We consider it a real honor to be asked to be on this year's "Street." Working with the Portland HBA and Arbor Homes, a site for the ideabox fortino house was identified "in the neighborhood" in Portland's northwest hills .

The picture above was taken last Friday!

Working with the amazing people at Arbor Homes and Schultz & Long Landscape Architects, a site was created for the house and the amazing landscape scheme forthcoming. The house was delivered on Tuesday and placed on the "building pad" yesterday. 

"Shelves" were created that step up from the street creating what will become a dramatic landscaped entry to the house. Because the emphasis of ideabox design is houses that "live beyond the walls," the transformation from building site to an integrated living environment is very exciting. An incredible deck/outdoor living area will project from the double set of sliding glass doors.

The shared living room / master bedroom will share a deck that will step off to a wonderful landscaped path with incredible views. It promises to be a wonderful display on the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams. The "Street" starts a Saturday, July 31. 

For more info on the "Street" visit streetofdreamspdx.com - or - visit ideabox.us and click on the Street of Dreams logo!

Stay Tuned! More to come!

On the way to the Street

ideabox - today's dream house!
You have to ask the question...  An ideabox home on the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams? Aren't Street of Dreams houses like a million dollars? And full of opulent materials, the latest trends, incredible appliances, great design, craftsman construction, amazing sites - you know - really expensive houses that we all dream  to have?


Yes.... But wait a tick.... ideabox has all that Street of Dreams stuff too! Terrific materials, cool appliances, the latest trends (green), great modern design, craftsman construction. And really, isn't the most amazing site the one you have? 


I guess the only thing different is we're not really expensive, and our houses aren't very big. In fact, we're remarkably priced, and we like to think we're right sized! You know, "the right amount of everything!"


We think the reason ideabox was invited to be on the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams is because we're helping make the point that dream houses come in a variety of sizes, types, and cost. This year's "Street" has an eclectic blend of high-end living experiences; from the large and amazing, to an incredible penthouse condo in the Pearl, to the coolest thing in modern prefab. All represent shifting trends in what dream living is all about.


In June, I was honored to be on the jury for AIA Seattle's Futureshack design competition. The competition looks at what housing is becoming, what we want it to be, what is it going to look like? How can we make it better? There was a lot of discussion by very talented and experienced jurors prompting a lot of thought. Housing will surely be different than in recent years, offer different uses and functions, some resulting from different financial environments and individual capabilities. 


In many ways, those same observations are behind the thinking in this year's Street of Dreams. Today's dream house will take many forms, offering many different solutions, different sizes, and probably be more about the quality of the living experience. I think houses will be more about design, and contribute to how they will be lived in beyond square footage. I also think the definition of  "value" will change - perhaps less about the dollars per square foot and more about the living per square foot.


But that's just me. Come see what your dreams can look like at the 2010 NW Natural Street of Dreams, starting Saturday, July 31 thru August 29. 


Prepare to be amazed!