ARCIFORM
Building a Design/Remodel Business One Client at a Time
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| Scott
Mumma cutting cabinet panels in Arciform’s fully equipped
woodworking shop. |
Many of Arciform’s
clients ask what exactly does “arciform” mean? According
to Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus, Arciform is an adjective
that means to deviate from a straight line.
Anne and Richard
DeWolf, co-owners of Arciform, agree that this definition is also
an accurate description of how they went about building their pre-WWII
design/restore/remodel business here in Portland in 1997. They could
have taken a straighter route, but deviation has allowed them the
opportunity to creatively get to where Arciform is today — a
client-driven business that measures its success on the next project.
Sitting in the
conservatory client conference area in the new Arciform Building,
they overlook the new Interstate Max line and reflect on the eight-year
history of their design/remodel business. Like the line itself that
arcs past the building, they have come a long way and yet not so far.
Just four blocks
away from the office is their 1906 home that for the first five years
served as headquarters as well as workshop. All cabinetry projects
were constructed in the basement and were designed so they could fit
out the door. Staff meetings were held in the living room. Operations
and design came out of a makeshift office that once served as the
dining room.
Richard, originally
working as an architect, didn’t want to be behind a desk because
he enjoyed working with his hands, apprenticed with a woodworking
craftsman. As his skills improved, he focused his career path on his
own business remodeling old homes. In 1993 he met his life and business
partner Anne. She attended school at Marylhurst University studying
interior design and then went to work for a design firm in Portland.
During this time Richard’s business was growing and the need
for skilled and qualified pre-WWII home remodelers was on the rise.
Anne quit her job to join Richard in growing the business, Arciform.
She took on the bookkeeping, sales, marketing, and brought design
in-house — a relief to Richard who had been up to this point
handling it all.
With success also
came a need to expand out of their home and locate Arciform somewhere
else, but they loved the Overlook neighborhood. They spent a year
looking for just the right place near home and settled on constructing
the Arciform Building on a triangular-shaped lot that was a brownsfield-designated
location. (A brownsfield is a formerly developed site where potentially
contaminated materials leached into the ground — making them
generally unfit or expensive to redevelop. This particular land was
a gas station.) Planning and construction took 2 1/2 years and the
doors of the building opened May 2002.
Since that time
they have developed their in-house cabinet workshop led by master
craftsman Jeff Vasey and hired another designer; Melissa McCall. Jennifer
Barrow is the office manager who oversees day-to-day operations and
field crew leader James (Eddy) Peterson runs a six-person construction/craftsman
team. There is also the addition of The Craftsman Café —
a coffee shop that serves the neighboring community as well as features
its custom-crafted cabinetry.
Working out of
their home and living in this historic older neighborhood has given
the DeWolfs a unique perspective on design, remodel, and restoration.
Realizing that many share their passion for the lasting beauty and
quality of an older home they make conscious decisions to the structure
along the way, no matter how long it takes. This attention to structure
is the most rewarding. Their clients feel the same way.
CONTACT INFO:
503-493-7344
www.oldhomesnewlife.com
CCB#119917
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