Aaron and Yuka Ruell transformed a Portland ranch house into a retro-inspired family home with plenty of spaces—like the trellised porch—for their four children to roam.
Cutouts in the concrete slab floor allow for an indoor forest of taro, fig, and bamboo—and a subsurface drain connected to a perforated underground pipe slowly filters out excess moisture to the groundwater. The cabinets were custom designed by Nick Damner, while the refrigerator and dishwasher are by Thermador.
A Toto toilet and bathroom sink, with a faucet by GROHE, are illuminated by a Leucos light fixture. Birgit Piskor designed the sculpture in the garden beside the shower.
California: Andrea Cochran
To contrast the billowy tufts, Cochran inserted blue-toned agave. “Drought-tolerant and hardy enough to handle the intensive sun exposure of this location, both of these plants are regionally appropriate,” says Cochran. “California is in the midst of a drought; we need to consider water-conserving plants.”
In the kitchen, designer Maca Huneeus prepares lunch with her daughters Ema, 12, and Ofelia, 7. The pendants are Jonathan Adler; the island is a custom design, inspired by a 1960s Dansk tray that belonged to Huneeus’s mother. The barstools are from Blu Dot.
While it's not your traditional backsplash material, when properly prepared and treated, wood can make for an effective, functional, and beautiful backsplash. Here, the wood backsplash matches the wood of the nearby kitchen island in an otherwise white kitchen with white cabinetry.
A new kitchen in the old part of the building contrasts sleek dark wood millwork with the original vaulted ceilings, which Gargan and Wagner scrubbed and sanded themselves to reveal the old-growth redwood.
Engineered for versatility, Bosch appliances fit into the contemporary kitchen with ease. From wall ovens and warming drawers, to speed microwave and steam convection ovens, their streamlined designs create stunning visual alignment between cabinetry and appliance.