There’s an old adage: They just don’t make ‘em like they used to. Rejuvenation, established in Portland in 1975, strives to prove that old adage wrong. Over the last four decades, Rejuvenation has looked to period lighting, hardware, and house parts to inform the design and craftsmanship of our collections of products. For this Community Showcase exhibition, they opened their vault of antique home décor catalogs and original untouched artifacts to reveal how Rejuvenation uses inspiration from the past to make products for today.

The Rejuvenation archive reflects a wide range of historic designs, from Victorian, to early Industrialism, to Mid-Century Modern. In the 1990s, with twenty years of experience with design and reproduction, Rejuvenation began to experiment with reinterpretation of iconic historic designs. While inspiration is drawn from the forms themselves, equal attention is paid to the techniques and methods of construction. Rejuvenation’s authentic reproductions and reinterpretations strive for that same level of quality craftsmanship laid out by the standards of these historic models. Hand-assembled and hand-finished here in Portland, Oregon, by a team of craftspeople, each product features sturdy long-lasting materials and components.

While exploring the original inspirations for period replicas, this exhibition follows that path from exact reproduction, to re-interpretation, to complete innovation. From reproduction gas-fueled lanterns to LED engines, Rejuvenation continues to push the art of craft even further, bringing a model of quality and authenticity to our homes and daily lives.