Serving Up Style

Once again, Debbie McCabe has organized an engaging exhibit at the Fall Home & Garden Show going on today through the weekend at the Expo Center.

In "Serving Up Style," McCabe has gathered some talented Portland interior designers and architects, and given them the task of turning a empty 12-by-12-foot space into a dining room.

This year, the designers went all out.

From the whimsical -- a Mad Hatter tea party -- to the elegant -- a shiny holiday affair -- to sustainable, modern, lavish and international, this year's contestants drew from a variety of themes.

The contest is the brainchild of McCabe, president of Molly's Fund Fighting Lupus, a nonprofit organization working to educate the public and medical community about the disease, push for earlier diagnoses and fund research. McCabe's aha moment about pairing home decor with a community awareness campaign came after seeing a similar event put on by Elle Decor in New York.

At this year's exhibit, you'll see a Hamptons artist studio re-created by the folks from Cielo Home and Maison -- complete with an artist who will be painting throughout the run of the exhibit -- while the folks at Vanillawood blended sleek modernity with organic elements.

All the designers -- Eco Remedi, Nicole Helene Designs, The Joinery, Staicoff Design Co. & Ditroen Inc, Coco Designs, Modurne, Cielo Home, Maison, Vanillawood, Bedford Brown, Rejuvenation, The Art Institute of Portland -- have a chance to win one of several awards: The Judges' Choice; Most Creative; and Best Table Top. Attendees to the show can also vote for the People's Choice award. All the awards will be presented at a gala event Saturday night honoring the designers.

Molly's Fund is named for Molly McCabe, Debbie's daughter, who in 2005 was stricken with undetermined illnesses before being correctly diagnosed two years later with the chronic autoimmune disease lupus.

By Bridget Otto from the Home and Garden section of the Oregonian