Lexi’s career as a professional big mountain freeskier has taken her all over the world, and Trinity Passive in the woods of Revelstoke is full of reminders of her globe-trotting lifestyle. "It’s a cumulation of all of my life experiences coming together," she says.
Architect Neal Schwartz was tasked with designing a family guesthouse with both an aging relative and a wheelchair user in mind; at a maximum size of 775 square feet per the local zoning regulations, the home would need to be a single-level structure but also deal with the connection between the main house and the guest house. The solution was a new garage with a breezeway that connected to the guest house, all at the same level, and with a sculptural opening in the roof of the breezeway for light and air.
The front garden area is terraced with custom Cor-Ten steel retaining walls with an oxidized patina. The plantings are inspired by the couple’s love for Palm Springs.
The one bedroom-one bath guesthouse has a kitchenette, and also utilizes the same materials as the main house: walnut cabinets, cedar walls, and the tongue and groove ceiling treatment.
In the main bath, a wall of Heath Ceramics tile joins a terrazzo floor from Ann Sacks.
Floor-to-ceiling glass now leads to the outdoors. The fireplace surround is blackened steel, and the upper cabinet hides the TV, its slatted details echoing the screens elsewhere in the house.
The homeowners loved the idea of bringing in warmth with wood details, so the team added a feature wall of clear cedar to anchor the utilitarian space. Hammer and Hand beautifully wrapped the pantry door in the same cedar for a uniform look. “They're such great craftspeople,” says Boyer of the contractor.
The roof was extended over an outdoor patio to give it cover and ensure that it’s a comfortable space on both hot, sunny days, and in the rainy spring, or fall.
The rear opens up 23 feet, and the glass doors pocket into the wall.
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.
The inoperable picture windows were replaced with large sliding glass doors that open to the new seating patio.
Now, there are sightlines from the entry to the backyard. The dining table, surrounded by Wegner Wishbone chairs, is by Campagna, a Portland-based design studio.
A midcentury-style walnut screen separates the entry from the living room, yet allows connection with its permeability.
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.
While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”
A floor lamp nearly eight feet tall anchors the seating area in the living area. Ceilings that are 12 feet tall at the highest point help the room feel expansive. “We needed to find a way to define different areas in a relatively tight space,” Lachapelle says. It’s the clients’ first experience with an open floor plan. “We raised our kids in an old Victorian, and the farmhouse we live in now is chopped up into tiny rooms save for the studio we just added,” the husband says.
Interior designer Heidi Lachapelle chose unfussy furnishings with clean lines. “Nothing should feel decorative or unnecessary,” she says. “We looked for things that would age beautifully to speak to the wabi-sabi concept.” The oak daybed is by Bautier, the indoor/outdoor rug is by Dash & Albert, and the trapezoidal cushions on the concrete bench nod to similar ones that the wife saw at Georgia O’Keefe’s home and studio. The Scandinavian-inspired fireplace throws heat from two sides.
Another place where the couple minimized expenses was on the flooring. "The floor was a cost saver,
For the bathroom, local studio Dusty Whipple Designs created a custom concrete sink. It sits within waterproof tadelakt plaster walls that run into the shower and around the room.
The gray Lueders limestone countertop and backsplash in the kitchenette are paired with Avalon fixtures from California Faucets in the Oil Rubbed Bronze finish.
“The things we splurged on still look raw, which is what we wanted,” adds Nick.
The home is just over 2,000 square feet, with a connected floor plan. The kitchen has all new Bosch appliances, including the induction cooktop.
The couple introduced a skylight and refinished the ceiling throughout the home to a paler hue. The original beams were covered in Sherwin Williams Resilience exterior paint, in Tricorn.
The couple planted a Japanese moss garden, accented by crushed granite, as well as a lace leaf maple, which turns red in the fall, and mature running black bamboo in the pot.
The couple initiated the renovation, despite not knowing much about Rummers, or remodeling. “We were novices,” says Fay, who researched the architectural features of Rummers to be able to restore its key features, like the roofline.
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