A Stûv wood-burning stove in the living room provides heat for the net-zero home. (Solar panels supply electricity.) Four equal-size rooms are separated by barn doors that allow for a circular flow through the house when left open. “Our dogs love it,” says David. A recent painting by Mark hangs on the door between the living room and bedroom but might soon be swapped out. “The idea is that I can make a piece in the studio, put it up and live with it for a while, and then change it for something new,” says Mark.
SHED specified a new linear window above the stovetop so as to better frame the views into the surrounding forest and yard.
A long hallway from the living room separates the public and private sections of the home and extends the distance between the living quarters and work spaces.
The open plan, high ceilings, and white walls all amplify the light that streams into the living room, accented with a Barcelona Couch by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll and two Blythe Pony Cube ottomans by Gus Design.
Simple white joinery in the common study area provides a coherent and tranquil atmosphere.
The half-wall that divides the living room and dining room is walnut, and was a clever way to separate the living and dining zones, and wrap the structural posts, which were painted a dark grey. There’s a television lift inside the cabinet that allows the TV to be stowed when not in use. The couch is from Design Within Reach, and the flooring throughout is white oak.
Before: The river rock cladding the fireplace was a later addition and not original to the house.
The inoperable picture windows were replaced with large sliding glass doors that open to the new seating patio.
Before: The long and linear living room occupied the other side of the plan, with large picture windows looking into the yard.
Risa Boyer Architecture guided the whole house remodel of this 1955 Portland home. Lillyvilla Gardens executed a new landscape plan for the property, including this updated entry sequence, while Boyer added more glass to suit the midcentury façade.
The Plus House—named for the perpendicular trajectories of light and air that pass through on the top and bottom floors—is one in a series of architect-designed homes commissioned by Arkitekthus, a development company founded five years ago with a pledge to improve the quality of prefab architecture. The spruce panels that coat the second-floor exterior will fade in tandem with the zinc-coated steel that rims the glazed windows and doors. "They will go gray like we do," says architect Claesson Koivisto Rune.
Floor plan of Neiswander/Corsello Mountain Home by Michael Neiswander