Uncover The Hidden Secrets Within This Organic Oregon Family Home

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House with black siding and...

This new home in Parkdale, Oregon, by Jeff and Jenny Guggenheim, architect and designer respectively, takes full advantage of views of Mt. Hood. The spectacular surroundings can be glimpsed through Andersen Windows & Doors from Pacific Rim Sash & Door. The Taylor Metal Products standing seam metal roof is by Brown Roofing Company.

Wood walkway leading to front...

The Guggenheims focused on local materials for this Parkdale, Oregon home. A wood walkway leads visitors to the front door by Andersen Windows & Doors from Pacific Rim Sash & Door. Landscape designer Kay Kucera chose native and nativar plantings to foster a naturalistic feel.

Entry of house divided by...

A custom wood screen softens the entry transition, separating the space from the dining area, and cleverly spells out the homeowners’ last name in Morse code. In the adjacent living area, a felted-wool pouf is from SMG Collective; the cozy window seat cushion is upholstered in a Theo performance fabric from Barbara Otto. Solid end-grain fir from Oregon Lumber Co. covers the floor.

Detail of living room with...

Since the living area has circulation on three sides, the furnishings needed to have sculptural presences. To that end, designer Jenny Guggenheim chose a Croft House sofa and an Eames lounge chair and an ottoman from Design Within Reach. On the floor is a Tufenkian rug. The hearth is of locally quarried, hand-stacked basalt.

View of dining room facing...

The clients are avid bakers and chefs who often cook multi-course meals, and the kitchen perfectly suits their needs. Exposed dovetail joinery appears at each corner of the walnut kitchen island, which is topped with MSI quartz. Above is a Roll & Hill light fixture. The bar chairs are from Design Within Reach. Ann Sacks backsplash tiles bring a vivid dose of color.

Dining room table and chairs...

The clients are avid bakers and chefs who often cook multi-course meals, and the kitchen perfectly suits their needs. Exposed dovetail joinery appears at each corner of the walnut kitchen island, which is topped with MSI quartz. Above is a Roll & Hill light fixture. The bar chairs are from Design Within Reach. Ann Sacks backsplash tiles bring a vivid dose of color.

Detail of kitchen with bar

Situated adjacent to the kitchen is a hidden bar and wine storage area concealed behind more walnut cabinetry. The Monogram appliances are from Standard TV & Appliance.

Detail of main bedroom with...

To keep the focus on the views outside, the main bedroom was purposely kept low-key. The Joinery crafted the bed, dressed in RH linens and punctuated with a Block Shop pillow, and the bedside table.

Detail of wood bathroom vanity...

Choosing MSI quartz for the countertops throughout, including in the main bath, ensured consistency and set up an appealing contrast with the walnut cabinetry. Juniper lighting and Rejuvenation mirrors hang against the walls, which are painted Benjamin Moore’s Simply White. The taps are by Delta.

When a couple said their wedding vows at Timberline Lodge, little did they know that one day they’d return to Mt. Hood—permanently. A little over a decade later, though, they bought a 10-acre property in Parkdale, Oregon, sight unseen. It was idyllic. There were fruit trees and pastures nearby, the occasional visiting elk and, most importantly, spectacular views of the mountain. And, having spotted the work of architect Jeff Guggenheim and his designer wife, Jenny, they even knew whom to call when it finally came time to build.

“For years we just waited and dreamed of what our house could be and what we wanted our life to look like,” recalls the husband. “We wanted a modern design that capitalized on the view, with spaces that could blend inside and outside.” The lot lent itself to a long, slender design that could offer every room a mountain view. Over the course of many emails, calls and video chats between the clients and the Guggenheims (along with senior designer Colin Stacey), they developed a plan anchored by a great room, off of which spring guest and media rooms as well as the couple’s bedroom suite and an outdoor spa, with the children’s bedrooms upstairs. 

Aesthetically, the homeowners gravitated to the exposed structure of the Northwest Regional style, a vernacular that, observes Jeff Guggenheim, “reveals how buildings are made, with lots of natural materials and little adornment.” The resulting design incorporates shed roofs and gables to reference local farm buildings, yet it’s unfailingly modern. (Note the lines of the fireplace, its stonework crisply edged with steel.) “They also wanted a home that balanced aesthetics with functionality, and it was important that the materiality reflect the regional environment,” he adds. 

By choosing local stone and wood, “The colors and textures mirror those found of the surrounding property,” says Jeff Guggenheim. “There’s an honesty that feels timeless.” It’s a sentiment echoed by general contractor Kelly Bockius. “There’s a story that comes with using what you have at hand, taking care of your world, and knowing the people involved in the process,” he says, pointing to choices like the ceiling’s hemlock beams sourced from a small mill in Canada. “This was an interesting, challenging design with a lot of different surfaces coming together to form a cohesive whole, but there’s synergy,” he says, emphasizing the talent of the craftsmen involved in the home’s construction, including his brother and partner Eric Hixson, as well as Peter Kirk and Kevin Clarke. 

To also guide their design decisions, Jenny says, the team turned to Timberline’s patinaed interiors. “It’s nature’s magic that the woods work harmoniously,” she shares. “It’s all about textural rhythm.” A key example is the wood screen that delineates the entryway and dining area. (It holds a secret too, spelling out the family’s name in Morse code.) To complement the woods, Jenny Guggenheim pulled a palette of blues and grays from the couple’s pottery collection, weaving the colors throughout the great room. The kitchen’s materials—end-grain fir flooring, walnut cabinetry and a cobalt-blue tile backsplash—make it “a space you want to see rather than tuck away—it’s an aesthetic level that meets the rest of the house,” she says. In the living area, a low-profile gray sofa lets the view steal the show, while underfoot a custom gray rug holds another hidden message: Four bars woven placed at two corners symbolize the four members of the family. The designer carried the palette into the couple’s bedroom with indigo Belgian bed linens and sky-blue shower tile. “It’s quiet, not over-designed,” she says. 

To further tie the house to its site, landscape designer Kay Kucera devised “a naturalistic scene” of native and nativar plants including mountain hemlock, Venus dogwoods and Western sword ferns. “And I love the connectivity of the ‘river’ of grass that flows through different areas around the house,” she says. A cozy firepit lets the family truly bask in the magnitude of Mt. Hood, and a vegetable garden and chickens only add to the ambience. “We wanted to slow life down here and enjoy time with our children,” explains the wife, whose parents have since moved to the area, too. “It’s a home that embraces the site but also the togetherness of family,” says Jenny Guggenheim. And whether out gardening or skiing, they return to a house that was long in the making but worth the wait.