The views were spectacular at this Portland, Oregon cottage, but the interiors? Not so much. A remodel had applied heavy, Craftsman-like trim and wainscoting, which overwhelmed the 1939 home’s small rooms.
The new owners, who had moved to Portland after living in Europe and New York, asked designer Vicki Simon if she could make the space livable for their family, who favored midcentury and European-modern styles.
The first thing to go was all the extraneous trim and textured wall finishes, which gave Simon the clean slate she needed to incorporate high design.
She commissioned a custom steel fireplace surround in the dining room, for example, and found sculptural furnishings, art and lighting to round out the home’s boxy layouts. Custom touches abound, such as a 20-foot reclaimed lumber shelf in the master bedroom and a rug with cut-and-colored pile that mimics the framed ink drawings that hang above it.
Simon also played to her clients’ fearless love of color, choosing bold hues that include a bright-orange shag rug in the family room and a purple settee in the office.
“They didn’t want brown and beige, which is very Pacific Northwest. People’s heads are stuck in this gray weather we have–that’s the default. When I meet a client who’s not afraid color, I’m so excited!”
