For this project we were tasked to find the balance between celebrating this home’s midcentury roots and updating it to live best for a 21st century family. Originally built in 1955 for the grandfather of the current owner, this will be the third generation of this family to live in the house. The current owner expressed a nostalgia that set the stage for how to revamp their ancestral home.

Some previous additions meant that the house had plenty of space for the family of 4, but the main living areas were too compartmentalized. We hid a tricky series of structural beams in the attic that allowed us to open up walls around the kitchen and vault the living room and dining room ceilings. With the walls removed, a dialogue is introduced between the kitchen and adjacent spaces and natural daylight now enters from all sides.  A walnut trimmed light shelf defines the edge between the kitchen and a cedar wood cladding keeps the new vaulted volume warm and cozy.

Fond childhood memories of “grandma and grandpa’s fireplace” meant it was non-negotiable to remove or alter it. Instead it is the anchoring feature that the new reconfigured kitchen, dining, and living room are designed around.

We employed similar structural tricks to capture the volume under the roof at the main entry. Walls were removed around the stairs and den and replaced with walnut slatted screens to allow light to penetrate from an added corner of glass, the only appreciable change to the exterior of building. The once dark, hallway-like entry is now an architectural moment instantly appreciated upon arrival at the home.

The original Leroy Setziol wood carved entry door commissioned by grandpa was sent to another house to be appreciated, and in keeping with the tradition, the grandson commissioned Leroy’s nephew, Todd Celmar,  to carve a new entry door.  On request, Todd hid four “special” letters in his piece that represent the current residents. Next to the door hangs an original Setziol carving.

Realizing that the existing finishes were of the wrong style and era, and to add a few amenities for today’s lifestyle, the interiors were entirely gutted down to the framing. Walnut and antique brass was chosen for the new casework and fixtures for their ability to elegantly span from the mid-20th century to the 21st century. Natural slate was paired with geometric and often colorful walls of tile that nod to the home’s atomic age.

Although not original to the house and in disrepair, we found something wonderful about the “sunroom” like glazing that brought the yard’s trees and sunlight into the primary bathroom. During the reconfiguration of the bathroom, we designed in similar rebuilt glazing to recapture the natural bathing experience.

Recognition:

2024 Oregon Home Structure & Style Awards / Best in Design: Whole Home (under 3k SF) - More info here

2024 Oregon Home Structure & Style Awards / Best in Design: Bathroom - More info here