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Eleven companies, many local, are setting up hands-on activities at NestFest to both show off their expertise and give attendees a jumping-off point for their own projects. Because this is Portland, and we like to do it ourselves.
NestFest organizers experimented with similar experiences at the inaugural event last year—attendees could sketch out their own native-plant rain gardens with the help of experts, for example—but this year’s event expands the idea and triples the offerings.
“It’s not only about good design,” says WW publisher Anna Zusman. “It’s about personal expression, and so all of these experiences are intended to enable attendees to express themselves.”
Suitably, these are not the pop-up sales booths typically found at home design expos. Here are the hands-on activities in store at this year’s NestFest.
1. Paint a Chair
Community Warehouse is a local nonprofit furniture bank that collects home goods and furniture and redistributes them to families in need. At Community Warehouse’s chair-painting station, you can help paint collaborative murals on two children’s chairs that will become unique furniture keepsakes for two lucky young Portlanders.
2. Print With Pattern
Classique Floors + Tile is a flooring company on East Burnside Street. Classique has created a whole art project featuring its Coffee & Cream Ceramics line. Use Coffee & Cream’s hand-carved printing blocks to experiment with color, pattern and composition. Play the game and go home with your own tile-inspired, block-print work of art.
3. Dig into Living Soil
Blueprint Earth is a local landscape design company that builds eco-friendly outdoor living spaces: think rain gardens, native plants and drought-tolerant ecosystems. Blueprint will be doling out personalized soil advice and teaching NestFest attendees how to cultivate “living soil” that helps plants get established faster and thrive, often with less water.
4. Find Your Color
JK Paint is a Newberg-based interior and exterior painting company run by four siblings. Former fans of magazine or online quizzes, rejoice: JK Paint is giving interactive “color personality quizzes,” which, of course, help you discover your color personality. Leave with a personalized four-color palette for inspiration and free yourself from all-white walls! No, “eggshell” and “linen” don’t count as breaking free.
5. Snack Time
California Closets, the multinational custom closet-organization company, is showing off its tricked-out pantry systems in an effort to prove that, when designed impeccably, the pantry could be the best room in the house. (This seems unlikely, but the thought experiment is intriguing.) Wellspent Market, the gourmet food store on Southeast Division Street, will provide snacks.
6. Mood Boards
EcoCraft is a local design, build and remodel company that focuses on sustainable construction. The company’s in-house designer will help attendees create one-of-a-kind mood boards by combining a variety of images, fabrics, materials and colors. Hint: Come prepared with a room that needs sprucing up in mind, perhaps even with photos for the designer to look at.
7. Ask a Designer
Craftsman Design & Renovation is a design-build firm that specializes in renovating older Portland homes. Craftsman is offering one-on-one “design therapy” (no copay) to help tackle tricky home design conundrums. The designer will have prompts, such as “What’s a corner of your house you’ve neglected and why?” and “What’s a room layout that has never really worked for your family?” Get ready to go deep.
8. Write a Letter
BeOak is a European oak furniture company that just opened its first U.S. showroom in Bend. BeOak will spoil writers and skin care devotees in attendance with two separate experiences: a letter-writing station with plenty of pens and stationery set up at the company’s FLOW writing table and a peek at BeOak’s GLOW vanity table. The latter has a built-in illuminated mirror and magnetic storage system for all the lotions and potions, including samples from Olio E Osso.
9. Make a Key
Chown Hardware in the Pearl District started supplying Portlanders with hardware in 1879—an impressive run for any business. And Chown’s setup at NestFest just might save you an annoying errand: The company is bringing its key-cutting machine and is giving out free, personalized spare keys.
10. Think in Paint
Sherwin-Williams is a—c’mon, you know who Sherwin-Williams is. The global paint whisperers will be at NestFest helping people understand the “why” behind paint and design choices. Learn about undertones, sheen, and how paint colors can change pretty dramatically depending on lighting and time of day. Anyone who’s been stumped at a paint counter trying to decide between matte and glossy finishes—this is for you.
11. Paper Weaving
Cargo is the Central Eastside shop where you never know what you’ll stumble into: Home décor, perfume, clothing, stationery, craft supplies and more are all under the same roof. Cargo spoils us with a hands-on weaving workshop where it will provide a tutorial and weaving papers of all kinds of textures, colors and patterns for a fun exploration that ends with a take-home art piece.
Read more about NestFest here!
GO: NestFest at Art of Catering, 110 SE Taylor St., nestfestpdx.com . Noon–5 pm Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19 and 20. Free.
