Live Oregon

A woman smiling outdoors in natural light, representing resilience and personal growth, aligning with themes of self-discovery and transformation in Oregon.

Unfixed: Finding Meaning Through Illness

Memoir and media platform reframe upheaval and illness as a doorway to radical love and meaning interview by Cathy Carroll Kimberly Warner’s newly released memoir, Unfixed, traces her quest for wholeness after confronting long-buried family truths, New Age self-improvement dogma and the perfectionism that shaped her. After developing a rare neurological disorder in 2015, the filmmaker began creating award-winning films, limited series, podcasts, memoirs and live roundtables. Her work, a space where adversity becomes a source of creative intelligence and philosophical insight, has been recognized by PBS, Harvard Medical School and the Invisible Disabilities Association, among others. She lives on a farm in North Plains, west of Portland. What felt most urgent for you to explore in your book, film and audio work? In 2018, still staggering from a rare neurological disorder that left me with unrelenting vertigo, I sat down at my husband’s computer with the urgency of someone…

A cozy A-frame cabin in Oregon's wilderness during sunset, surrounded by trees and open grassy fields, with a person sitting on a bench outside, capturing the serene mountain landscape.

Tiny A-Frame Cabins on Wheels

In Sisters, a trio of friends produce tiny A-frames on wheels so people can get closer to nature written by Melissa Dalton Some founders come up with their startup idea in a garage. Dylan Woock and Alex Zelaya were camping in the Pacific Northwest woods. “We had spent a ton of time backpacking and sharing a tent on these epic trips out to the Wallowas in Eastern Oregon, or up to Washington, and we were pretty burned out on our respective career paths,” remembered Woock. The two had met in college at the University of Oregon, and by 2019, Woock was working as an architectural designer in Portland, while Zelaya was getting his MBA. On one of their excursions, they asked themselves: “What if we created a product for the masses that allowed people to get outside, out to these really beautiful places that we’re experiencing?” And so, their company,…

Enjoy a pairing of fine chocolates and craft beers, showcasing a variety of dark, milk, and white chocolates alongside rich, frothy beers for a delightful tasting experience.

Perfect Pairings: Beer and Chocolate

written by Jeremy Storton | photography by Alyson Brown The firm snap reverberates through my senses to let me know something amazing is about to land on my palate. Just from the sound I can tell the producer has put time and care into tempering this bar of chocolate well. It is something to savor and appreciate, not the type of bar to carelessly hand out for Halloween. This is the tease … the anticipation … the foreplay. Next, we place the chocolate on our tongue; we need to warm it up to unlock its aromas, and there is no better place to do so. Now, we pour the beer and inhale its aroma before introducing the beer to the chocolate. Does the pairing work? Is it a dud, or is it exquisite? If I were honest with you, both beer and chocolate are things no one needs but everyone…

Delicious roast meat crusted with hazelnuts, fresh herbs, and spices, displayed on a rustic wooden board, perfect for Oregon cuisine and food culture photography.

Cozy Filbert Recipes: Savory & Sweet Hazelnut Dishes

Roast Hazelnut Loaf Farmacopia Farms / SCIO Shonda Warner SERVES 4-6 Ingredients: Instructions: Hazelnut Baked Brie with Bacon, Dried Cranberries and Maple Syrup Chef Leif Benson, Oregon’s Culinary Ambassador SERVES 4 Ingredients: Instructions: Farmer Filbert’s Hazelnut Schmear Farmacopia Farms / SCIO Shonda Warner SERVES 8 Ingredients: Instructions:

A 1902 bathroom in Willamette Heights gets a handsome makeover that improves space utility.

Three Bathrooms, One Designer

Interior Designer Holly Freres of JHL Design in Portland takes us through three creative bathroom designs written by Melissa Dalton | photography by JHL Design When it comes to designing bathrooms, Holly Freres likes to sweat the small stuff. “I love doing bathrooms,” said Freres, interior designer and principal at the Portland-based JHL Design. “There’s a lot of details that go into their design, whether it’s the lumens of the vanity sconces, the size of the drawers or the clearances.” She walks us through three notable projects, including her own home. WILLAMETTE HEIGHTS Modern Classic Old house owners often love the historic details in their homes, but not the outdated function. Such was the case for this primary bathroom in this 1902 home in Portland’s Willamette Heights neighborhood. “Like a lot of old homes, all of the bathrooms were quite small,” said Freres. The biggest challenge was to maintain the…

With a picture frame molding accent wall, scale and pattern are important.

DIY Picture Molding for Plain Walls

Try out this fun weekend project to add dimension to plain drywall. 1 GET YOUR PARAMETERS Start by taking measurements of the chosen wall to ascertain the available space for the picture molding boxes. Identify places on the wall where the picture molding can’t go, such as electrical outlets, light switches, baseboard and window or door frames. Sketch this elevation to scale, either on paper or in digital software. 2 PLEASING PROPORTIONS This is potentially the most difficult part of the project—getting the number and proportions of the picture molding boxes right! Think about the wall as a grid with rows and columns, and start sketching out possible layouts. While mapping this, keep in mind the key elements that will affect the final look: repetition and asymmetry. An odd number of rows and columns will look best. When the layout is complete in 2D, use a pencil and a large…

A close-up of a glazed ham with crispy exterior slices and pink interior, served with roasted potatoes, showcasing Oregon's culinary traditions and gourmet food scenes.

Why City Ham Is the Ultimate Holiday Ham

written by Thor Erickson | photography by Tambi Lane Years ago, while standing around a smoky fire pit in the Willamette Valley with a couple of chef and butcher friends, we got into it—a heated debate over the perfect holiday ham. One argued for the rustic charm of country ham, aged and cured like an Appalachian heirloom. The other, a devotee of European traditions, sang the praises of jamón ibérico, that nutty, air-dried marvel from Spain. I kept my poker face—then calmly played the city ham card. You see, while country ham and dry-cured European hams get all the gourmet glory, there’s something time-less and deeply comforting about a city ham—especially during the holidays. What’s the difference? A city ham is wet-cured, often brined or injected with a seasoned solution of water, salt, sugar and sodium nitrite. It’s typically sold fully cooked or smoked, and sometimes spiral-sliced for easy serving….

The simple decor of Hayward is offset by elaborate and intricate dishes.

Hayward Restaurant Celebrates Oregon Seasons

written by Kerry Newberry | photography by Carter Hiyama/Hayward At Kari Shaughnessy’s farm-to-table restaurant in Carlton, the hygge magic runs deep—think nostalgic wallpaper designed with staff family photos, wooden silverware trays carved by the GM’s father and the soft glow of vintage lamps. The space hums with warmth and storytelling, anchored by a fictional muse: “We brought Hayward to life as a character,” said Shaughnessy. “A strong-willed and worldly woman, a seasoned traveler curating treasures from around the globe, yet always returning to her ranch in Oregon.” For the menu—an ode to hyper-seasonal ingredients—the James Beard-nominated chef collaborates with nearby farms and ranches including Even Pull Farm, Trent Family Farms and her husband’s Revel Meat Co. On the compact wine list, look for local standouts like Beckham, Buona Notte and Big Table Farm. (For that matter, peek at the neighboring table where a local winemaker might be dining next to…

A cozy indoor garden scene featuring an easel-style shelf holding multiple potted plants, including succulents and cacti, with natural light from a nearby window, capturing the essence of Oregon lifestyle and gardening culture.

DIY Cedar A-Frame Plant Stand

illustration by Charla Pettingill Plant lovers, this one is for you—a weekend woodworking project that packs more plants into one space, courtesy of this simple A-frame plant stand. We’re building it out of cedar, so it can go outside on the patio; however, the shelves are removable and it can fold up (courtesy of carriage bolts), so feel free to put this anywhere. Here are our instructions. 1 MATERIALS We’re opting to build the A-frame supports on either side from four 8-foot-long, cedar 2x4s. There will be eight supports for the shelves, each support measuring a foot long, so you will need one 8-foot-long cedar 1×3. The shelves will require two 8-foot-long, cedar 1x12s. Prep the wood, if needed, and give it a light sanding. 2 BUILD THE A-FRAME Cut the 2x4s to 73 inches. Cut the bottom of each leg, where it will be sitting on the ground, at…