Profiles

My place- Thomas Lauderdale

Where he lives: A former picture-frame factory circa 1874 in downtown Portland. He bought the 9,600-square-foot building in 2001 for $444,000. Most of the ground floor serves as headquarters for Pink Martini, the top two floors as living space.

Why he lives there: “I bought this in part as a protest of what was happening in the Pearl District. The vibe there is incompatible with the Portland I love. It was ridiculous to lambast developers about what they do. Better to buy a place and do it.”

Home style: Like the band, eclectic, difficult to define and purely original; a crazy mix of raggedy vintage, industrial, mod.

The nest: A faded ’50s sectional and marble slab table laden with favorite books, sculptures and tchotchkes create an intimate seating area in the cavernous space. Note the vintage red phone used in OPB pledge drives and a herd of concrete garden deer.

Ozzie & Ozzie: He collects. Partner Philip Iosca edits and organizes. A designer, Iosca put much of the cool in the Ace Hotel.

Home confession: For several years the place had no kitchen, only a fridge “full of historic food. It was almost a performance piece.”  They’ve since added cherry red Ikea cabinets, stainless steel counters and a handcrafted 12-foot-long wood table.

Oregon archivist: Vintage Pendleton blankets and pillows, velvet curtains from a Salem theater, an 1882 desk from a former editor of The Oregonian, and a signed movie poster of Portland-born actress Jane Powell keep providence in residence.

{besps}articles/2011/April-May-2011/Lauderdale|width=680|height=500{/besps}
{besps_c}0|1.jpg|Thomas Lauderdale was goofy and fun throughout our photoshoot.|PHOTO BY PAULA WATTS, STYLING BY JON TAYLOR CARTER{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|2.jpg|Lauderdale eating his favorite treat- salted caramel ice cream.|PHOTO BY PAULA WATTS, STYLING BY JON TAYLOR CARTER{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|3.jpg|Lauderdale mimics the famous “Expose yourself to art” poster featuring former Portland Mayor Bud Clark.|PHOTO BY PAULA WATTS, STYLING BY JON TAYLOR CARTER{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|4.jpg|One of Lauderdale’s prized deer garden statues, in front of his Pendleton Home Store pillows.|PHOTO BY PAULA WATTS, STYLING BY JON TAYLOR CARTER{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|5.jpg|Photographer Paula Watts captures a rare moody image of Lauderdale.|PHOTO BY PAULA WATTS, STYLING BY JON TAYLOR CARTER{/besps_c}
{besps_c}0|6.jpg|Lauderdale in one of the many wigs in his collection, with a sitar from the Peter Sellers movie The Party.|PHOTO BY PAULA WATTS, STYLING BY JON TAYLOR CARTER{/besps_c}