Going for the Gold!

The Week magazine names the ideabox AKTIV the best property under 1,000 SF! 

We were thrilled to be noticed by such a prominent periodical. Love their line "All you need to know about everything that matters." Not only was the AKTIV the #1 pick, the ideabox Northwest Modern was also mentioned, which given it's the original ideabox design and the first series we built, we're obviously very pleased. 

For the next week, you can see the ideabox AKTIV house on display at IKEA Portland at Cascade Station. It has been such a positive experience having the opportunity to introduce modern design and how we can turn a small footprint into big living. Thousands have walked through the house, most not believing how much space and volume could be realized. Seeing is believing! 

Check it out! ideabox AKTIV..... 

the right amount of everything!

Summer in the City

It's an ideabox event! We're calling it "Summer in the City!"  

After all, it is summer. And for the first time, we have a home on display in Portland. You gotta come see! We're live with the ideabox AKTIV model on display at Cascade Station right next door to IKEA Portland. The display is simply amazing! Fully furnished, power from the sun, and swedish meatballs right next door. What more could you ask for?


We're excited. We rarely have a house available like this for display (everything we do are design/build custom houses). So it is very cool to be able to have the house in Portland, and at such a great location like Cascade Station. Even cooler is being next door to our collaborative partner with the AKTIV design, IKEA Portland. Really terrific to for people to see a real house with IKEA products, installed. For our customers, they can go right next door and spec out the kitchen of their dreams. Even more terrific for us is the opportunity to introduce just how functional carefully thought out modern design can be. 

Our "Summer in the City" display takes a lot of work to make happen. For starters, we needed power, so we went solar. Panels were provided by Solar World (made nearby in Hillsboro) and designed by Cliff Schrock. Once powered, the space needs to be conditioned, so installed is an incredibly efficient Fujitsu ductless heat pump from The Heat Pump Store from nearby Independence. All the furniture, as you might expect, came from IKEA Portland, and it's really comfortable.... (I'm writing from the couch now!)


The exterior features a clever deck built from timbers, pavers, and rusting metal planter boxes from Oregon Outdoor Landscape. It's small, (given our temporary location), but you get a real sense of what can be done with clever landscaping. All of our houses are designed to extend the indoor living space to the outdoor space. We've been fortunate to work with talented landscape designers and contractors who pick up the architecture of the house.


We couldn't be here without an access ramp. We turned to AMRAMP of Portland, who not only provided a ramp for easy access, the ramp they brought is a work of industrial art. We love it.... Clever engineering, infinitely adjustable, we kind of want to ask them if they could make us a deck product, it's that cool. So many people have commented about how intriguing the ramp is constructed it's got us thinking.... what if we had a deck like this?!? 

We're calling it our "Summer in the City" event. We're here through August 6th at Cascade Station. It's been amazing so far. Come see just how amazing modern prefab houses can be.