Sometimes what you’re looking for comes when you’re not looking at all.” Though the maxim typically refers to relationships, for one Oregon couple, it also proved true for their new abode. “We were not house hunting,” the husband recalls. “We saw the listing, toured, then decided to buy it within 24 hours.”
The Portland property’s classic architecture and expansive grounds, as well as city and mountain views, made it irresistible—and with a generous floor plan, including an indoor pool and a sport court, there was plenty for the couple and their kids to love. But the fact that the 1930s-era home lacked modern amenities and contained dated features and finishes meant that it needed some polishing to make it a perfect fit for the family. “We originally planned a cosmetic renovation to make the appearance match our personal styles,” the client notes. “But eventually, the scope evolved so that we effectively rebuilt— or at least touched—every room in the house.”
The previous owners had quickly readied the residence for sale, making it an enormous blank slate for interior designer Holly Freres and her team, including David Horning and Zelda Boatright. “It was very vanilla, very expected,” she says. “We took it in a different direction.” The collaborative effort with general contractor Narada Fairbank yielded an exquisite three-story abode whose strong first impression continues inside the large front doors. “We wanted to capture a unique feeling in each of the rooms,” Freres explains. “Although the spaces feel connected, they also have their own purposes and personalities.”
“There were parts of the home’s history that we infused back in,” Freres adds. Take the formal living room, where the original paneling was sanded down, refinished and stained a brown- black hue. The designer introduced a plaster- cast fireplace—the mirror above it conceals a television—and a leopard rug that nods to the wife’s fondness for animal prints. In the neighboring sun room, Freres modified the entry with steel doors and replaced the windows. Carpet gave way to Nero Marquina marble flooring, and ornate crown molding provides an elegant finishing touch.
Freres describes the dining room as “a fun design exercise,” pointing to the central light fixture as an example. She likens the chandelier, composed of hand-blown glass spheres and a dangling brass ring, to jewelry. To ensure the customizable piece fit just right, the team “did a mock-up with balloons, on-site,” Freres shares. The room’s existing paneling was swapped out in favor of a more sophisticated incarnation and painted in a soft blue-black.
Although the billiards room’s foremost function remains the same, the environment— transformed with an Art Nouveau-inspired wallpaper in a moody aubergine hue—is now “very East Coast/New York bar,” Freres says. One of the room’s entry points was closed off and supplanted with a seating niche, referred to as the cocktail perch, appointed with antiqued mirror and hunter-green velvet.
To create a coat closet near the entrance, the front of the house was extended, which also allowed for the addition of a sitting room on the second floor. Elsewhere upstairs, to address the warren of rooms and hallways, the layout was reconfigured to create a more flowing, functional floor plan. Most significant, the primary suite was enlarged by claiming square footage from another bedroom and bathroom. Now accessed by double doors with hand-cast brass knobs, the opening to the couple’s room was “changed completely, so it feels grand and special,” Freres says. Inside, amid blue-green walls and terra-cotta drapes, a Calacatta Vagli marble fireplace is flanked by window benches. The adjoining bathroom is awash in white oak and marble, including a patterned floor tile. Slab marble was employed on the vanity wall for a paneled look.
Despite the dwelling’s grand scale and striking features, the design team made room for the playful along with the polished—including lively patterned wallpaper and bright colors. The balancing act made for a challenge Freres eagerly embraced. “The opportunity to work on a home of this scale really stretches you to stay fresh and use things with restraint,” she says. “It encourages your best work.”
