Stephanie and Samuel Dyer are no strangers to a fixer-upper. They bought their first home in Portland, Oregon, just before getting married 20 years ago—and Stephanie says “we ended up having to remodel the entire thing.” In the years since, she finished interior design school and opened her own firm, Dyer Studio, while Sam taught himself carpentry and met his future employer, Harding Construction, while building out their backyard ADU.

The couple raised two children amidst the demo dust, and now they’re on fixer-upper number three. “We always joke about being serial remodelers,” says Stephanie. “But we weren’t necessarily looking for this one.”

One day about four years ago, on a dog walk in their North Portland neighborhood, Sam took a left instead of a right and spotted a “For Sale by Owner” sign in the window of a 1898 dwelling. It was one of a handful of “storefront homes” that can be found throughout Portland, with a commercial space at street level and an attached house in back.

Before: Rear Facade

The couple learned that the building has a rich history—the storefront first served as a neighborhood general store, then a WWII rations depot, and the house had evolved just as much. The bones, from the brick facade to the rear kitchen, were solid, but the vibes veered very hippie.

“Five years ago, if you had told us that we were going to buy a shabby, hippie, general store building, we would’ve been like, ‘Nah, that’s not our style,’” says Sam. “But when we found ourselves in it, it was an absolute yes.”

After: Mudroom

It was clear that the eclectic kitchen had been cobbled together together over time. One corner appeared to have original cabinets, while the sink was flanked by a few mismatched cupboards tucked under a handmade, wood countertop with lovely rounded corners. “There were so many natural objects that have a handmade touch,” says Stephanie. “Before we did anything, we asked ‘are we taking away any of the magic?’”

After: Built-In Table

The couple decided to preserve the original windows, mixed-wood floors, and beadboard ceiling, as well as the basic layout and appliance locations, although they nudged the stove over a tad. As Stephanie says, the challenge was “embracing the patchwork of a lot of different types of wood.”

$15,336 Appliances	$21,000 Cabinetry	$2,000 Cabinet Hardware
$4,143 Plumbing Fixtures	$300 Electrical Materials	$500 Finish Carpentry Materials
$200 Paint & Stain	$2,000 Bench Cushions & Pillows
Grand Total: $45,479

They repaired and augmenting the counters, and swapped in custom lower and upper cabinets. They found existing V-groove wainscoting near the back door, so Stephanie echoed the finish on the range hood and select cabinet fronts.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

She also brought in products and finishes to balance the wood tones, including a green-hued BlueStar range (which was a splurge), dark green window frame paint, and Benjamin Moore French Quarter Gold for the walls—Stephanie calls the latter her “soul color.”

The brass hardware and faucet (also splurges) have a “living” finish, so they’ll patina in step with the wood—and the couple also set a sheet of brass behind the stove. “We ordered this big, raw metal plate online, and had to figure out how to install it,” says Stephanie. Luckily, they met a neighbor with a metal shop who guided them in cutting the template to accommodate outlet covers, and adhering it to the wall.

Before: Sink

After: Sink

The finished kitchen sets the scene for memorable meals—and it’s also made it into the movies. The space—and the couple’s dog, Oso—guest starred in Kelly Reichardt’s most recent recent film, Showing Up.

Stephanie and Sam feel proud that they’ve preserved what was there while adding their own story to the mix. Sam built the custom sink cabinet with doors made of one-inch-thick fir slabs. Stephanie points out the satisfying way they swing shut, and the texture of the cutouts. “Everything about them is, to me, perfection,” she says. “But most of all it’s that we created something together. Something unique that exists only in our home.”

Before: Stove

After: Stove

Before: Refrigerator Area

After: Refrigerator Area

More Budget Breakdown stories:

A Kitchen Reno Uses Sustainable Materials and Lush Wallpaper to Go Green

A Portland Couple Design and Build a Compact Home for $222K

This Remote Prefab Hideaway Built From Shipping Containers Cost $300K

Project Credits:

Interior Design: Dyer Studio / @dyerstudioinc

Cabinetry: Olson Brothers