This House Eaves-drops and Raises the Roof

Details

Diamond in the Rough in Portland

While remaining true to a Portland home's midcentury intent, a sensitive renovation adds light, space and luxurious touches.

Updated 1956 Portland Home

Staying true to architect Van Evera Bailey’s original intent, the architects’ ingenious solution was “to transition to a new upper ridgeline set behind the main roofline,” says Schouten. In practice, the new structure’s placement preserves the roof’s original profile, subtly echoing it, while providing unobstructed views of downtown and the mountains.

A custom door by
Portland Millwork leads into a 1956 Portland home by Van Evera Bailey. Architects Timothy Schouten and David Giulietti updated the residence for the 21st century, designing a second-floor addition that harmonizes with the original structure.

Furnishing the Modernist Treasure

Homeowner Todd Sprague called on designer Casey Hopkin of Casey Duke Design to assist him with furnishing the modernist treasure. In the entry, a pair of Lyudmila Agrich paintings hang above two Ambella Home Collection stools covered with Robert Allen fabric.

Revived Vintage Furnishing Collection

Much of Todd’s vintage furnishing collection found places in the revived abode, including the George Nelson chair that stands beside a wall clad in Ann Sacks marble surrounding the living room fireplace.

Red and Green Seating in a Living Room with Lots of WIndows

More glass also created clear views through the house, as did widening the breezeway and reconfiguring the garage. The home had been largely untouched since it was first built, so the dated salmon-colored carpets and “gaudy wallpaper,” as Todd calls it, had to go. “I wanted to maintain that character but an updated version of it,” he says. “I wanted it to be crisp and exact and as perfect as I could get it.” Throughout the main house and guesthouse, the materials are sumptuous and the craftsmanship immaculate, from the living room’s marble wall to the kitchen’s Lumix countertops that seem to glow from within.

Beacon Hill fabric covers the living room’s vintage sofa, while Robert Allen fabric dresses Lazar chairs that provide more seating and lend a midcentury feel appropriate to the dwelling’s roots. Crowning the space is a Visual Comfort & Co. light fixture.

Dining Room with Glass Folding into the Wall

The architects’ plans also called for additional glass on the façade to bring in more light—accomplished by vaulting the low dining room ceiling and enlarging the window wall at the stairway.

In the dining room, a panel of glass folds into the wall, which opens out to a courtyard. Beneath an
Arteriors chandelier, Calligaris Etoile dining chairs from Furnish surround the wood-topped dining table. The credenza is a vintage find from The 595 Project.

Renovated Wooden Kitchen with Midcentury Modern Touches

Walnut cabinetry contrasts with stone and tile-faced walls and backsplashes, and Bailey’s trademark eaves were clad underneath with cedar. Todd fully immersed himself in the materials selections. “I was involved with everything in the house and spent hours finding what would be the right fit for me,” he notes. The homeowner also tapped designer Kirsti Wolfe of Kirsti Wolfe Designs for the kitchen layout and details in the guesthouse, and he later worked with designer Casey Hopkin of Casey Duke Design to choose some of the furnishings. Says Hopkin, “I was inspired by the history of the home, and the work that Todd had already done in updating the surfaces.” 

In the renovation, the architects opened up the kitchen to the rest of the home while designer
Kirsti Wolfe of Kirsti Wolfe Designs worked on the layout of the space. Lumix from Pental Surfaces on the counters, installed by Infinity Countertops, and walnut cabinetry by Pacific Design reflect the rich materiality found throughout the house. The sink and faucet are from Ann Sacks, while Eastbank Contractor Appliances supplied the appliances.

Ari the Dog Models on a Transitional Home's Exterior

A C. Jeré sculpture from Jonathan Adler hangs on an exterior wall beneath generous eaves that contractor JD Hill clad in cedar. Todd’s dog, Ari, stands on the exposed aggregate walkway installed by Fettig Commercial Construction.

Windows that Punctuate the Home

The house needed more than just a second story and fresh interior finishes. Its bones required some shoring up to withstand any potential seismic occurrences. Moreover, the original roof was primitively constructed, with no insulation between the ceiling and the roof shingles and had, by today’s standards, inadequate structural support. “The whole thing was 2-by-4s nailed on edge together and no rafters,” says builder JD Hill. “It was the craziest construction I’d ever seen.” The renovation added insulation to the roof and strengthened it with steel structural elements that remain unseen, allowing the house’s large overhangs, which had begun to sag, to look the way Bailey intended. 

The eaves, a hallmark of Bailey’s original work, protect an outdoor seating group. Expansive
Fleetwood windows punctuate the home; the architects incorporated additional glazing to bring in more light.

Open Courtyard with Many Landscaping Details and Views Inside the Home

Schouten and his team also removed part of the guesthouse and expanded the carport between the main house and the garage, which doubles as a showcase for Todd’s collection of vintage Porsches. “Removing the extra family room allowed a true sense of entrance to the guesthouse and also gave us the ability to mirror the large overhangs of the main house,” says Schouten. Now, there’s a continuous sight line from the front yard into the rear courtyard and vice versa.

Surrounding the residence, the large expanse of lawn is dotted with a multicolored halo of blooming flowers installed by landscape designer Paul Knopp. “We considered a more monochromatic approach with flowers to fit the contemporary design, but in the end we just decided to color it up,” he says. In the back courtyard, a new fire pit and a waterfall create a tranquil oasis that’s also ideal for entertaining. 

Stucco by
HL Stucco Systems covers the main house’s new second-floor addition. Positioned across a grassy expanse, part of a garden planned by landscape designer Paul Knopp, is the guesthouse. Duff Maiden Mason Contractor installed the basalt walkway borders. Sawtooth Roofing used CertainTeed Presidential Shake asphalt shingles for the roof.

Black Ann Sacks Tiled Master Bedroom Fireplace

In the master bedroom, Ann Sacks tile covers the fireplace wall, bestowing texture. A whimsical Arteriors pendant shines down on a Della Robbia bed flanked by Copeland Furniture nightstands. The Fabrica carpet is from Hill-Devine Design and Supply.

Sumptuous Wooden Master Bathroom with Intricate Tile

Walnut cabinetry carries into the sumptuous master bathroom, where vanity mirrors from DT Glass hang. Pental quartz composes the countertops by Infinity Countertops. The large-format backsplash tile, faucets and sinks are all from Ann Sacks.

Black White and Warm Gray Master Bathroom with Large Tub

The architects reconfigured the master bathroom to allow for more windows and light. A freestanding Victoria + Albert tub with a Kallista tub filler is a sculptural element. Tirolean Tile installed the Calacatta marble and shower tiles, which are all from Ann Sacks.

For architect Timothy Schouten, the renovation of a 1956 gem by noted architect Van Evera Bailey presented a head-scratcher of a challenge. A quintessential example of Northwest Modern style, the hillside single-story home came with floor-to-ceiling glass walls framing views of downtown Portland and the snow-capped Cascades, large roof overhangs, and, as with much of Bailey’s work, a vaulted ceiling crowning the living area. But the home came with a quirk: It had just one bedroom. The other bedrooms, along with a family room, were tucked into a separate guesthouse built in 1987. 

Understandably, homeowner Todd Sprague wanted to flip the script, giving the main house more bedrooms and reducing the size of the guesthouse. So, he asked Schouten—who worked on the project with his partner, David Giulietti, and design assistant Jake Weber—to craft a second-floor addition. “Adding another story was certainly going to change the roofline and eaves,” says Schouten. “We looked for a solution that would provide two bedrooms upstairs and retain the classic gable front elevation without stripping away the large eaves at the front or rear.” 

Now reborn, the home remains close to the spirit, if not also the letter, of Bailey’s original, with the changes capitalizing on the existing structure and bringing in a sense of gracious luxury. “That’s really what those midcentury architects did—a very minimal sort of design where you’ve got the long eaves and you’re maximizing glass,” Schouten says. “The key for us was just to enhance that, to showcase the warmth of the wood and the way the house fills with light.” 

Brian Libby