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Floor Plan of Fernhill MCM by Risa Boyer Architecture

Brooke and Tobi found the dining table on Craigslist, from a Eugene carpenter who specializes in refinishing vintage furniture. The chairs and light are vintage, and the white oak banquette is designed by Boyer, with Brooke’s love of the Audo hotel for inspiration. “They have a dining area that has an insert in the back of the dining bench to lean photos and pictures,” says Brooke.

A special finish brings out the grain in the kitchen's walnut cabinetry.

The new lower level makes space for guests and the owners' two children to have privacy.

Although the original layout largely made sense, the low ceilings and choppy spatial divisions inhibited cohesion and flow, according to homeowner Tamara Murray. “The biggest areas of the home that were not working were the segmented family, kitchen, and dining rooms,” she says. “We really wanted to be able to move seamlessly between the rooms.”

Surrounded by mature trees, the original windows and doors were expanded to maximize the potential of the wooded lot. “We just knew we could make those doors and windows bigger, and bring the beautiful outside in,” recalls Tamara.

Spiegel and the SAW team leaned on a comprehensive wood palette from Madera to strengthen the architectural vision–wrapping floors, walls and ceilings with wood to draw attention to the geometry of the voids. “It’s a material that has natural resonance between interior and exterior spaces,” shares Spiegel. “It holds sharp geometric forms, but produces visual and tactile softness.”

Homeowners Mark and Tamara revel in the newfound connectivity that the remodel has enabled. “We can sit at the breakfast nook at one end of the house, sipping coffee, and look all the way down to the other end of the house, where the kids’ bedrooms are,” says Tamara.

Herron Horton Architects converted a garage into a place for kids to study and play.

Walnut storage, both open and closed, frames a black-painted wall with a fireplace at its center. The wall treatment can also hide a future television. "A dark wall is a great way to keep a large screen from feeling like a big black hole on the wall," notes the firm.

In the dining room, a table custom-made in Denmark by KBH is surrounded by more Wishbone Chairs. The oversized pendants are from Luminaire Authentik.

Why build a Passive House? "The obvious answer is low heating and cooling bills, but we find people most appreciate the other benefits, like consistent thermal comfort, sound proofing, and air quality," say the architects.

Keyan Mizani and Alexia Zerbinis work from a ground-floor storefront studio that could be converted to either a garage or a leasable accessory dwelling unit.