An Oregon Beach House Is All About Clean Lines

The modernist house that residential designer David Horning and interior designer Holly Freres devised for Portlanders Michael and Kari Lubitz is perched practically on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. “The architecture is secondary to the setting,” Horning says. “The house frames and captures the water and the mountains.”

Horning created the house’s form as a simple rectangle. An origami-like roofline ascends and descends, simulating the outline of the nearby Northern Oregon Coast Range. “The exterior siding is vertical western red cedar,” he says. “It will eventually turn gray and just kind of go away as it blends with the gray of the sky and the ocean.”

In the living room, a low-profile sofa upholstered with caramel-colored Italian leather, a marble-and-bronze coffee table, and a large-scale painting with bright blue and green tones add texture and color to the open-concept interiors. In one of the guest rooms, a custom rift white oak bed and built-in daybed display bolsters and pillows covered in emerald green cashmere velvet. The master suite featuring a luxurious tub placed only a few feet from the bed.

The sea-facing rear of the Lubitzes’ residence features mostly glass while the rest of the structure is practically opaque. “We call this the shelter house,” Horning says. “It’s a refuge for our clients. We wanted them to feel protected when they’re inside, but to still be part of the ocean landscape.”

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reference David Horning as a residential designer, not an architect.