ModMod

The one bedroom-one bath guesthouse has a kitchenette, and also utilizes the same materials as the main house: walnut cabinets, cedar walls, and the tongue and groove ceiling treatment.

In the main bath, a wall of Heath Ceramics tile joins a terrazzo floor from Ann Sacks.

Floor-to-ceiling glass now leads to the outdoors. The fireplace surround is blackened steel, and the upper cabinet hides the TV, its slatted details echoing the screens elsewhere in the house.

The homeowners loved the idea of bringing in warmth with wood details, so the team added a feature wall of clear cedar to anchor the utilitarian space. Hammer and Hand beautifully wrapped the pantry door in the same cedar for a uniform look. “They're such great craftspeople,” says Boyer of the contractor.

The roof was extended over an outdoor patio to give it cover and ensure that it’s a comfortable space on both hot, sunny days, and in the rainy spring, or fall.

The rear opens up 23 feet, and the glass doors pocket into the wall.

The half-wall that divides the living room and dining room is walnut, and was a clever way to separate the living and dining zones, and wrap the structural posts, which were painted a dark grey. There’s a television lift inside the cabinet that allows the TV to be stowed when not in use. The couch is from Design Within Reach, and the flooring throughout is white oak.

The inoperable picture windows were replaced with large sliding glass doors that open to the new seating patio.

Now, there are sightlines from the entry to the backyard. The dining table, surrounded by Wegner Wishbone chairs, is by Campagna, a Portland-based design studio.

A midcentury-style walnut screen separates the entry from the living room, yet allows connection with its permeability.

Risa Boyer Architecture guided the whole house remodel of this 1955 Portland home. Lillyvilla Gardens executed a new landscape plan for the property, including this updated entry sequence, while Boyer added more glass to suit the midcentury façade.

The exposed rafters were carried into the exterior areas, including the covered patio.

While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”

A floor lamp nearly eight feet tall anchors the seating area in the living area. Ceilings that are 12 feet tall at the highest point help the room feel expansive. “We needed to find a way to define different areas in a relatively tight space,” Lachapelle says. It’s the clients’ first experience with an open floor plan. “We raised our kids in an old Victorian, and the farmhouse we live in now is chopped up into tiny rooms save for the studio we just added,” the husband says.

DeNiord designed a simple concrete bench with a honed top to run parallel to the randomly sized concrete pads that lead to the covered entry. He planted blueberry bushes behind the bench and a river birch tree behind the boulder. To conjure a wabi-sabi feel outdoors, diNiord poured concrete around a boulder. “It represents the interruption of perfect geometry,” he says.

Interior designer Heidi Lachapelle chose unfussy furnishings with clean lines. “Nothing should feel decorative or unnecessary,” she says. “We looked for things that would age beautifully to speak to the wabi-sabi concept.” The oak daybed is by Bautier, the indoor/outdoor rug is by Dash & Albert, and the trapezoidal cushions on the concrete bench nod to similar ones that the wife saw at Georgia O’Keefe’s home and studio. The Scandinavian-inspired fireplace throws heat from two sides.