News from the Studio
Hello!
Happy New Year, and welcome to our first newsletter of 2026. We are stepping into this year with a lot of excitement in the studio, with great projects on the books and events beginning to take shape.
Portland is buzzing right now, and we loved getting to participate in the Winter Light Festival last month. What an extraordinary event. There is something about seeing the city lit up and gathered together in the middle of winter that feels genuinely uplifting.
In this issue, we’re sharing a reflection on “longevity is the new luxury,” a recent finished project close to our hearts at Oaks Park, updates from the gallery, and a design fun fact that might finally explain why we take pillows so seriously.
With appreciation,
Arielle and Travis Weedman
Upon Reflection: Longevity Is the New Luxury
We’re living in a world that rewards “new” and moves on quickly. But homes, and the people living in them, don’t actually work that way. The spaces that feel the best over time aren’t the ones built to impress for a season. They’re the ones built to be used, touched, and lived in, and still feel good years from now.
That kind of longevity doesn’t have to be exclusive. It’s less about spending more and more about choosing thoughtfully. Sometimes it looks like investing in one well-made piece instead of three placeholders. Sometimes it’s refinishing what you already have. Sometimes it’s choosing a material that can be maintained instead of replaced, something you can oil, wax, repair, and bring back to life when life inevitably happens.
A restored vintage “Mole” Lounge Chair by Sergio Rodrigues, newly acquired for one of our clients. Great design only gets better with time when it’s built to last and cared for along the way.
Natural materials help here because they tell the truth. Wood deepens. Metals soften and patina. Stone wears in, not out. These surfaces don’t “go bad” the moment they’re not pristine. They develop character. They gain history. They become more themselves.
And then there’s the quiet relief of it: making choices that don’t require you to keep making choices. Not because you’re trying to lock in a “perfect” look, but because you chose things with integrity, made for the way you live, where you live, and what the space needs to do. Nothing is there just to fill a gap. Each element is considered, and that intention pays you back over time.
Longevity is the kind of luxury that’s available to anyone willing to slow down, prioritize what matters, and choose fewer things better. Because if it can age with grace, if it can be cared for, repaired, and kept, then it doesn’t just last. It gets better.
Project Feature: Oaks Park Dance Pavilion
Some places don’t just sit in a city. They live in it. Oaks Park is one of those places.
For generations, Oaks Park has been a backdrop for the kinds of memories that don’t need a caption: first dates, family traditions, school outings, fundraisers, weddings, celebrations that keep cycling through the calendar because they matter. The Dance Pavilion is part of that story, originally built in 1905, and still doing what it has always done: making room for people to come together.
Our work here was an act of stewardship. As the interior design team, we oversaw the renovation in close collaboration with the structural and construction teams, guiding the Pavilion into a new era while protecting what makes it historic. We removed a dated drop ceiling to reveal the beautiful wood ceiling and beams, restoring the height, warmth, and character that had been hidden for years. We preserved historic features that carry the building’s identity, including the windows and the signature flooring with dancehall markings. We also made thoughtful improvements that support the Pavilion’s future, including fully upgraded restrooms, an upgraded commissary kitchen, improved accessibility with a new front ramp, and a covered front porch entry that creates a more welcoming sense of arrival.
The space hosts roughly 200 events each year, including corporate functions, fundraisers, weddings and quinceañeras, nonprofit and trade shows, the County Fair, and plenty of birthday and holiday parties. Working with Oaks Park has been a privilege, and we are proud to help ensure the Dance Pavilion remains part of community celebrations for decades to come.
Interested in booking an event at the Dance Pavilion?
In the Gallery
Current show: Within the Continuum by Christopher Belluschi
On view through March 6, 2026.
Christopher’s work has a quiet physicality, forms that feel grounded and patient, with a restraint that rewards time and looking. If you haven’t made it in yet, consider this your last-call nudge. Our gallery is only open by appointment, so please let us know first if you'd like to stop by!
Next show: Body Language by Roberta Aylward
On view March 14 through May 8, 2026.
Opening Reception: March 14, 4:30 to 7:30 PM
Artist Interview: 5:30 PM
Roberta’s work is intuitive and gesture-forward, pieces that move between abstraction and the figure, often revealing something familiar just as you think you’ve lost it. We’d love to see you at the opening.
Quick Tip: Pillows are not just fluff!
These yellow pillows are the perfect complement to this bedroom in a vacation home where we stayed in L'Aquitaine, France.
Pillows look simple. They are not.
They’re the final touch that can make a room click because they do so many jobs at once. They add comfort and lumbar support, yes. But they also correct proportion, break up a large upholstered mass, soften a line, and create connection between colors and materials that otherwise don’t speak to each other. A pillow can introduce texture, add a little shimmer, bring in pattern, or deliver the one note of contrast the room was missing.
We often have pillows custom made because the details matter that much: the scale, the fabric hand, the insert, the edge finish. When they’re right, the whole room feels more finished, and more believable.
Think of pillows as punctuation. They help the room make sense.
And a gentle reminder: if you have to relocate a small mountain of pillows before you’re allowed to sit down, you’ve overcommitted.
We hope you found something here to inspire your own spaces. If you have questions about design, are considering a project, or simply need a trusted resource, we’d love to hear from you. You can reach us anytime at info@weedmandesignpartners.com, or explore more of our work at weedmandesignpartners.com.
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