Before & After: Touring Midcentury Homes Was an Obsession. Then They Got to Revive One by Saul Zaik

A few years ago, Isabel and David Yahng had a regular weekend routine. "We’d check out a coffee shop and go to some open houses," recalls Isabel. She’s originally from Long Island, New York, he grew up in Hong Kong, and they moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2017. It was through their weekly excursions that they learned about Pacific Northwest modernism and the wealth of midcentury homes designed by notable local architects throughout the city. "Anytime a midcentury house would come up for sale, we would go check it out. We’d go listen to talks at Restore Oregon, and go on tours featuring midcentury architects," says Isabel. "I think we got a little addicted."