A Classic Look Welcomes An Oregon Couple Home

Details

traditional exterior landscape brown

The residents commissioned DC Builders to customize a horse barn for the property. The riding arena was designed by Washington, D.C.-based Blackburn Architects. Emalee Assenberg of The Queen of Spades Gardens revised the original landscape design.

traditional foyer entry staircase portraits...

In the entry of a West Linn home, revamped by builders Brian Bohrer and Jeff Bohrer and designer Joelle C. Nesen, the team replaced the black-and-white marble flooring with blue-gray stone tile from Ann Sacks. The collection of artwork includes vintage and contemporary pieces making for a salon-like feel. Accenting the space are Avrett sconces and a Christopher Spitzmiller lamp.

traditional kitchen neutral white cabinetry...

The lanterns suspended from a coffered ceiling and a pair of sconces in the kitchen are from The Urban Electric Co.; the two islands are topped with silver travertine from Alpha StoneWorks. The Ashley Norton cabinetry hardware and Waterworks faucet are from Chown Hardware, and the sink is Rohl. Ann Sacks tile on the backsplash behind the Viking range injects subtle pattern.

traditional bedroom reading nook window...

A custom chaise in a Dedar fabric, a Jasper chair and a Soane tripod table form an intimate reading nook in the master suite. Completing the scene are a Holtkotter lamp and a Hartmann & Forbes shade on the windows.

traditional master closet bedroom sunlight...

The design team reworked the master closet as an extension of the master bedroom. The space is flooded with sunlight and features doors with an X detail that supply the space with a traditional sensibility. Simply furnished, it has Vaughan pendants and a Khotan runner from Christiane Millinger.

traditional neutral bedroom antique rug

In the master suite, the clients' existing painted bed provided the foundation for the space. At its foot is a custom settee upholstered with a rich Mark Alexander mohair. Vaughan lamps stand on the custom side tables, and the antique rug is from Kush Rugs.

traditional master bathroom round mirror...

Anchoring the vanity area in the master bathroom is a round mirror by Paul Ferrante; on either side are Vaughan sconces. Emtek hardware from Chown Hardware punctuates the cabinetry, while a Dennis & Leen stool brings an old French reference and Hartmann & Forbes shades dress the windows. Underfoot is stone from Exquisite Surfaces in Sun Valley, California.

horses and dog landscape

A pair of AQHA registered performance quarter horses--both sorrel-colored geldings--reside on the property, where old-growth trees lend a stately quality.

The interior of the house needed to match the exterior’s classic look. That was the priority for a couple who, 15 years ago, hired an architect to transform the outside of their West Linn, Oregon, abode.

“The home had a lot of trendy features from the 1980s,” architect Jeffrey L. Miller says. “I redid windows, dormers, arches and columns and gave it classical pediments and elements that would stand the test of time.”

Now, it was time for these homeowners — and their trusted design team — to bring the living space up to snuff. That mean saying goodbye to such dated details as the faux-finished ceiling, green granite countertops, and black-and-white marble floors — all while keeping comfort and functionality in mind.

Builders Brian Bohrer and Jeff Bohrer, and interior designer Joelle C. Nesen worked to give the estate a timeless makeover that brought in gray stone tile, silver travertine, coffered ceilings and a remodeled master bedroom that boasts a reading nook and fireplace area. Perhaps most notable was the sense of freshness the new design brought out in the home.

“Everyone in Oregon tends to want to do fifty shades of brown,” Nesen says. “But because of this Classical-style architecture and because I always do a shade of white to add lightness, we used cream here. It’s just sort of this crisp anchor that adds brightness on a gray day.”