Houzz Tour: 1930s Home Becomes a Better Version of Itself
A thoughtful redesign with new built-ins, leaded glass, herringbone floors and loads of charm transforms an older home
Entry (After)
Custom turned-steel balusters and new white oak treads revitalize the staircase, which now extends to the third floor. A slight modification to the original design provides a graceful curve to replace the previously flat landing.
Flooring: Hand-laid herringbone floors replaced the standard oak floors throughout the house.
What to Ask Before Choosing a Hardwood Floor
Custom turned-steel balusters and new white oak treads revitalize the staircase, which now extends to the third floor. A slight modification to the original design provides a graceful curve to replace the previously flat landing.
Flooring: Hand-laid herringbone floors replaced the standard oak floors throughout the house.
What to Ask Before Choosing a Hardwood Floor
Living room: Custom-milled crown, window, door and base moldings give the house character it seems to have been born with. The marble fireplace facade is original to the house. The window seat is another new feature that feels as though it was part of the original design. All windows and doors throughout the house are new.
How to Bring Out Your Home’s Character With Trim
How to Bring Out Your Home’s Character With Trim
Kitchen (After)
Bumping out the back of the house to add space to the kitchen was the only change made to the home’s footprint. “It was a tiny kitchen, and it’s not huge even now,” says Kris Mitchell of The Works, which was the general contractor for the project.
The ceiling beams are new. Carrara marble tile covers the walls. Countertops are Pietra Gray quartz, and Pyrolave glazed lava covers the island. The new mudroom is visible through the door at the back of the photo.
Bumping out the back of the house to add space to the kitchen was the only change made to the home’s footprint. “It was a tiny kitchen, and it’s not huge even now,” says Kris Mitchell of The Works, which was the general contractor for the project.
The ceiling beams are new. Carrara marble tile covers the walls. Countertops are Pietra Gray quartz, and Pyrolave glazed lava covers the island. The new mudroom is visible through the door at the back of the photo.
Fireplace: The area that now includes the fireplace used to be part of a small den. The builders raised the fireplace and covered it in marble tile. It’s wood-burning and adds cozy warmth during Portland’s damp, gray winters.
The large kitchen window is new, as are the built-ins with leaded glass doors. Custom-designed light fixtures add a special touch here and throughout the house.
The large kitchen window is new, as are the built-ins with leaded glass doors. Custom-designed light fixtures add a special touch here and throughout the house.
Dining Room (After)
Custom-made leaded-glass doors, new built-in cupboards and graceful new crown, window, door and base moldings all appear to have been there from the start.
Custom-made leaded-glass doors, new built-in cupboards and graceful new crown, window, door and base moldings all appear to have been there from the start.
Powder room: The redesign added a powder room in a back hallway off the kitchen and dining room. Mirrored panels mimic the size and shape of the window, spreading light and giving the impression the room is windowed all the way around.
3 Easygoing Rooms With Creamy Off-White Walls
3 Easygoing Rooms With Creamy Off-White Walls
Master bedroom: A reconfiguration of the side of the house containing the master bedroom created space for a luxurious bathroom and a pair of walk-in closets.
Master bath: A brass vanity with a Carrara marble slab top is simple and elegant. Two-by-four-inch ceramic Pratt & Larson tile covers the walls.
The boys’ bedroom: The family’s twin boys now share a room with built-in bunk beds (and nooks for books and various treasures), as well as built-in wardrobe and desk space.
The third floor: A bright, lofty paneled room with two large opposing dormers fills what used to be unfinished attic space. A built-in desk area, large reading nook and bright dormers add up to the perfect place for work and play.
Find an architect or designer near you
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Find an architect or designer near you
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their three children
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: Four bedrooms, four bathrooms, two half bathrooms
Designers: Jessica Helgerson of JHID (interiors) and Yianni Doulis (architecture)
The backstory: When the homeowners found this 1930s home in a family-friendly Portland neighborhood, it was exactly what they were looking for — with some major caveats. While the home had been well-loved, it needed a major renovation to meet the new owners’ needs for their young family.
Scope of work: The renovation included extensively digging out the basement to create ceiling height for a guest bedroom and bath, powder room, family room and wine cellar; new footings and retrofitted foundation walls; relocating the kitchen; adding a mudroom and powder room; reworking the master bedroom to create a large master bath and two walk-in closets; and finishing the third-floor attic space to create a cozy work and play room.
A new outdoor fireplace turned the patio into a three-season space.