In a home full of delightful surprises, it’s only fitting that its origin story involves a dash of serendipity: When designer Andee Hess was contacted by musician Charlie and her husband, Todd, to remodel the kitchen in their 1930s Tudor home in the West Hills of Portland, Oregon, they discovered they were already acquainted—not only did they share mutual friends, but they were also fans of each other’s work.

Before: Living Room Fireplace

After: Living Room Fireplace

This spirit of creative kinship extended to the design process with the founder of Osmose Design drawing from myriad influences such as boat casework, Greek caves, and the American studio craft movement for a remodel that would expand beyond the kitchen. Overhauling previous work done to the Tudor, the project would reimagine the living room fireplace, an underused niche, and the main floor bathroom. Hess used sweeping plaster forms, handcrafted wood elements, and statement tile for a look that’s organic, bohemian, and entirely unexpected.

Before: Niche

After: Niche

In the renovation, Hess focused on what the owners already loved about the home, such as its Tudor bones and city views. The arched openings inspired a motif of curving elements in the redesign, which repeats in the white oak cabinetry with pronounced, integrated hardware in the kitchen, the rounded plaster fireplace, and the reworked cabinet fronts in the bathroom.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

Contributions from local artists, including sculptors Vince Skelly and Scott Foster, foster a handcrafted feel that embraces the unexpected: A carved wood form by Skelly is integrated into the kitchen island, while Foster fashioned the conical stove hood and fireplace surround.

In a niche off the living room that previously sat empty, Hess installed built-in seating to take in the views. Overhead, there’s a stepped ceiling treatment banded with inlaid wood marquetry, which is also repeated on the kitchen shelves. “We wanted to make that a surprising moment when you sat down and looked up. A real cozy, discovery moment there,” says Hess.

The unusual choices did raise some questions—the plumbing supply company, for example, double-checked Hess’s choice of terra-cotta for the custom powder-coated fittings in the bathroom.

“They actually called us and asked, ‘Are you sure?’” Hess recounts with a laugh. “We weren’t afraid of some of the decisions, which, if you took out of context, could seem risky or extreme. But when you see all of it together, it creates this sculptural feeling that is so unique and unified with the house.”

Before: Bathroom

After: Bathroom

More Before & After:

A Once-Stuffy Midcentury Is Refreshed With an Airy and Arty Renovation

A Loft in a Former See’s Candy Factory Gets a Tasteful Renovation

An Outdated Venice Beach Bungalow Becomes a Light-Filled Bachelor Pad

Project Credits:

Builder: Cascade Contracting

Interior and Lighting Design: Osmose Design (@osmoseme)

Cabinetry Design: Osmose Design

Cabinetry Fabrication: Cascade Contracting

Photography: Dina Avila

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Before & After: In This Portland Tudor, an Irresistibly Quirky Kitchen Steals the Show