Midcentury Renovation in Portland Capitalizes on Nature With Seven Doors to the Outside

An interior designer in Portland updates a 1950s home by a celebrated local architect.
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As International Style modernism flourished in the mid-20th century, architects in the Pacific Northwest developed a regional version, fusing the glassy transparency of Mies van der Rohe and Richard Neutra with a reverence for natural wood and pitched roofs. But by the time Ty and Kelly Milford found one such gem, a succession of past alterations had marred its original design. Acclaimed local architect Saul Zaik had built the wood-clad Feldman House in Southwest Portland in 1956, with a dramatically cantilevered, low-pitched gable roof and floor-to-ceiling glass. So why was there a post right in the middle of the family room? Why were the ceilings taller in the bathroom than in the master bedroom? 

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Brian Libby
Dwell Contributor
Brian Libby is a Portland-based architecture writer who has contributed to Dwell since 2004. He has also written for The New York Times, Architect, CityLab, Salon, Metropolis, Architectural Record and The Oregonian, among others.

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