Renovation Helps Tell the Story of a Couple’s Adventurous Life
A designer found on Houzz showcases meaningful items the homeowners collected during decades of living abroad
Stints in the foreign service took this couple to Jordan, Pakistan, Tunisia, Switzerland and France over the past 30 years. During that time, they also spent many summers visiting family in Portland, Oregon. They appreciated the city’s natural beauty and focus on outdoor activities and knew they would eventually spend their retirement there. One of the homeowners even recalls running 25 years ago in a hilly neighborhood with beautiful views and dreaming of living there one day.
Several years ago, the dream began to come to life when the couple scooped up an early-1990s contemporary home in anticipation of making Portland their forever home. They rented it out for a few years while they were still serving overseas, then embarked on a major renovation before moving in themselves.
Several years ago, the dream began to come to life when the couple scooped up an early-1990s contemporary home in anticipation of making Portland their forever home. They rented it out for a few years while they were still serving overseas, then embarked on a major renovation before moving in themselves.
Before: The entry that opens to the main level and the stairwell had a closed-in and dated feel. Upstairs were two small bedrooms and a bathroom. Since the lower-level addition includes two new bedrooms, these upstairs rooms were no longer needed, and that allowed Evenson to open up the main level by raising the ceiling, removing walls and letting in the light and views with large new windows. The result is a light and bright space.
After: In the entry and living room, the walls now extend up two stories to the roofline. After the architectural changes were set, the couple embarked on phase two: working closely with Leasia and her team to refine the layout and find the right surfaces and colors. Leasia designed this steel railing for the stairs and a new catwalk.
They decided early in the process to keep the design minimalist and neutral to highlight the special things the couple had collected over the decades. During their foreign service adventures, one of the couple’s favorite ways to learn about the history and culture of a place was to visit the local markets and talk with the vendors. In doing so, they amassed a wonderful collection of art, artifacts and rugs from around the world.
But their collection began with pieces by one of the homeowners’ sisters, Christine Tarpey, a Portland-based printmaker and painter influenced by Japanese art. One of her pieces can be seen here on the stairway wall.
During their travels, the couple picked up more art: antique Japanese prints in London, old prints and maps in Cairo (displayed on the stairway landing), and traditional and contemporary art from France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Sudan and South Africa. Each piece has a story and brings back memories of where it was bought.
They also began collecting carpets, beginning in the Middle East in the 1980s. The rug in the entry is a Persian Hamadan. Each rug holds special significance for the couple not only because of where it came from, but for its more recent history as well. For example, when their youngest son, now 26, stood up and took his first steps on a small Balouch carpet they were considering in Damascus, they knew that one was a keeper that would always remind them of that moment.
They decided early in the process to keep the design minimalist and neutral to highlight the special things the couple had collected over the decades. During their foreign service adventures, one of the couple’s favorite ways to learn about the history and culture of a place was to visit the local markets and talk with the vendors. In doing so, they amassed a wonderful collection of art, artifacts and rugs from around the world.
But their collection began with pieces by one of the homeowners’ sisters, Christine Tarpey, a Portland-based printmaker and painter influenced by Japanese art. One of her pieces can be seen here on the stairway wall.
During their travels, the couple picked up more art: antique Japanese prints in London, old prints and maps in Cairo (displayed on the stairway landing), and traditional and contemporary art from France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Sudan and South Africa. Each piece has a story and brings back memories of where it was bought.
They also began collecting carpets, beginning in the Middle East in the 1980s. The rug in the entry is a Persian Hamadan. Each rug holds special significance for the couple not only because of where it came from, but for its more recent history as well. For example, when their youngest son, now 26, stood up and took his first steps on a small Balouch carpet they were considering in Damascus, they knew that one was a keeper that would always remind them of that moment.
The homeowners wanted the living room to be a space they lived in every day — talking, reading, unwinding and doing crossword puzzles. The house is built on pylons and the deck is about 50 feet off the ground, creating a strong connection between the house and the tree canopy. A catwalk around the living room links to the garage entrance and a hall leading to the master suite.
Custom built-ins in rift-cut white oak provide storage and display space around the home. Leasia designed the fireplace to work with the shelves and cabinets. The bump-out in the left corner is part of the structure of the house, so she used it to her advantage, incorporating it in alcoves for the fireplace and library desk nook.
The only nonneutral wall color in the open space, Poinsettia by Benjamin Moore, draws the eye to the fireplace. The homeowners love the way the color sets off the shelves around it and works with the gray-green concrete hearth.
On the left, a painting by Tarpey hangs above three of the couple’s favorite pieces, three carved Ghanaian combs. The ceramics around the fireplace are from all over the world. The large round plate is by a ceramist from Cape Town, South Africa. Other ceramic pieces are by Portland artists.
Rug: Christiane Millinger Handmade Rugs and Textiles
Custom built-ins in rift-cut white oak provide storage and display space around the home. Leasia designed the fireplace to work with the shelves and cabinets. The bump-out in the left corner is part of the structure of the house, so she used it to her advantage, incorporating it in alcoves for the fireplace and library desk nook.
The only nonneutral wall color in the open space, Poinsettia by Benjamin Moore, draws the eye to the fireplace. The homeowners love the way the color sets off the shelves around it and works with the gray-green concrete hearth.
On the left, a painting by Tarpey hangs above three of the couple’s favorite pieces, three carved Ghanaian combs. The ceramics around the fireplace are from all over the world. The large round plate is by a ceramist from Cape Town, South Africa. Other ceramic pieces are by Portland artists.
Rug: Christiane Millinger Handmade Rugs and Textiles
Leasia designed a desk with a view of the trees to fit between the shelves and the wall on the catwalk. “When we were neatening up their books, it was so wonderful to touch them and look through them,” she says. “They have carried these books around to so many places and they still have books of poetry from college. They still reread them. It’s a beautiful thing.”
The runner is a kilim from southern Morocco; the painting is by Portland artist Liza Jones and the vase was purchased at a local consignment shop.
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The runner is a kilim from southern Morocco; the painting is by Portland artist Liza Jones and the vase was purchased at a local consignment shop.
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After: Now the living room opens to these areas. The lower ceilings help delineate the kitchen space within the open plan. Leasia had the support posts wrapped in natural steel sheathing, the same material she used on the fireplace surround.
The painting beyond the dining table is by the couple’s brother-in-law Scooter Flaherty, who studied with several well-known New York abstract painters in the 1980s. Leasia designed this area with showing off that particular painting in mind.
The carved pillar in the dining room is from a house in Pakistan’s Swat Valley and has quite a story behind it. The couple bought the pillar and an old carved kitchen cupboard from a man with a barn full of architectural salvage in the mountains of Pakistan. The pieces were caked in dust and required hours of cleaning and rubbing with beeswax to bring back the luster of the wood. The husband rented space in the back of a Toyota pickup for the pillar and himself, along with about 12 locals, for the three-hour ride down the mountains.
The painting beyond the dining table is by the couple’s brother-in-law Scooter Flaherty, who studied with several well-known New York abstract painters in the 1980s. Leasia designed this area with showing off that particular painting in mind.
The carved pillar in the dining room is from a house in Pakistan’s Swat Valley and has quite a story behind it. The couple bought the pillar and an old carved kitchen cupboard from a man with a barn full of architectural salvage in the mountains of Pakistan. The pieces were caked in dust and required hours of cleaning and rubbing with beeswax to bring back the luster of the wood. The husband rented space in the back of a Toyota pickup for the pillar and himself, along with about 12 locals, for the three-hour ride down the mountains.
After: A large new island occupies the center of the kitchen. “My clients planned on having family stay here often and they love to entertain,” Leasia says. “These spaces needed to be cozy enough for them to hang out just the two of them but gracious enough for large gatherings.” The island’s overhang gives them a spot to have casual meals together.
The large windows over the sink can be seen from the dining area, and the range wall can be seen from the living room. Tiling it to the ceiling and using open shelves rather than upper cabinets keeps the look open and airy.
The homeowners were drawn to honed marble for the kitchen island and backsplash because they like the warm, classic look of it. They also appreciate the way it ages and develops a soft patina over time.
Artwork: Karen Kessler
The large windows over the sink can be seen from the dining area, and the range wall can be seen from the living room. Tiling it to the ceiling and using open shelves rather than upper cabinets keeps the look open and airy.
The homeowners were drawn to honed marble for the kitchen island and backsplash because they like the warm, classic look of it. They also appreciate the way it ages and develops a soft patina over time.
Artwork: Karen Kessler
To keep the focus on the couple’s artwork and artifacts, Leasia used natural and simple materials throughout the house. But she knew these Carrara marble tiles would provide just the right amount of interest via their veining. The cabinets are the same rift-cut white oak used in the living room. The perimeter countertops are dark quartz, which provides contrast.
Because the kitchen lacks upper cabinets, Leasia outfitted the drawers with pegs for china and glassware storage.
Browse granite and granite composite kitchen sinks
Because the kitchen lacks upper cabinets, Leasia outfitted the drawers with pegs for china and glassware storage.
Browse granite and granite composite kitchen sinks
Leasia tucked this wall of appliances and storage out of view from the other spaces. The homeowners had loved having a Liebherr fridge in their home in France, and it was a must-have for them in their forever home.
Floor plan: Here’s how the main-level spaces work together.
The couple feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to live in and travel to so many places, to learn so much from them, and to have been able to collect meaningful items along the way. They’re also grateful for this new home where they can appreciate those items and recall all their stories, especially when their two sons visit.
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The couple feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to live in and travel to so many places, to learn so much from them, and to have been able to collect meaningful items along the way. They’re also grateful for this new home where they can appreciate those items and recall all their stories, especially when their two sons visit.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple returning to the United States after many years abroad
Location: West Hills area of Portland, Oregon
Interior design: Jenni Leasia Interior Design
During those last years of service in Europe, a family member had recommended that the couple check out Houzz, which is where they found Portland interior design firm Jenni Leasia Design. And one of the homeowners’ sisters was friends with the home’s original architect, Robert Evenson. He was intrigued by the idea of renovating and adding on to the house. While Evenson designed a lower-level addition and the architectural plans for a major renovation for the rest of the home, Leasia and her team designed the kitchen, bathrooms and fireplaces and helped the homeowners select the finishes. “The architect really focused on the exteriors and gave us a shell to work with, which was a great way to work,” Leasia says.
The house is sited on a steep slope and steps down the hill from front to back. The area at the top right of this photo is the driveway entry and garage. The door below is the entry to the main level.
The homeowners thought the house had a great original design but was in need of renovation. Their first goal was to bring the outside in.
The project included adding a lower-level addition with two bedrooms, a full bathroom, a living area, a laundry room and expansive storage. Because of the slope of the hill, the lower level is above ground on three sides, providing beautiful views. The renovation also raised the ceiling in the main living room, which brought in expansive views of the tree canopy and lots of light.
The second goal was to create a clean, elegant and bright space to showcase the art, carpets and other beloved artifacts that hold special memories for the couple. A main priority for Leasia was to design a space where the couple could enjoy these items every day. “These things truly tell the story of their life,” she says.
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