The next home in our reveal series is a sweet Portland bungalow that belongs to a fun, young family. After living in Brazil, Canada, Russia and the UK, our globe-trotting clients settled in the vibrant Alberta Arts district of Portland to raise their family. They wanted a space that highlighted the unique souvenirs from their travels, yet still felt cozy and kid friendly.
Here's a bit of the backstory...
Our clients had lived and traveled all over the globe. However, now that they were starting a family, they wanted to settle down in the fun and funky Alberta Arts neighborhood in Northeast Portland. They fell in love with a classically beautiful Portland Bungalow, but inside the style didn't reflect their taste. They wanted to update the home with a fresh, modern feel yet still keep the integrity of the classic features.
Here are some photos of the home when they bought it:
In the entry, living room and dining room space, our clients wanted to update the fireplace facade, space plan and furnish this entire area of the home. Working with the clients, we started to pull together some inspiration photos to get a feel for the design direction we wanted for the space.
We loved the eclectic and casually collected feel of both of these photos. With a palette of organic and neutral materials plus subtle pops of fun color. We started pulling together our mood boards for the space and gave our clients some options.
Both of these schemes incorporated some collected pieces from the couples' travels. Including graphic art from their time in London and a vintage Chilean textile (rug) that we suggested they re-purpose into pillows. We also chose an Article Sven tan colored leather sofa and navy lounge chair paired with a smaller cane Hans Wegner style chair to anchor the sitting area.
For the fireplace surround, we also chose a Bianco Carrara Herringbone marble tile from Z Collection and a complimentary large format Pental Honed Bianco Carrara tile for the hearth. For the entry way we chose a burl-wood console and large round mirror to reflect the light of the amazing windows in the room.
For the rug, we suggested a Vintage Afghani Kilim rug to compliment the Chilean pillows in Scheme 1. For Scheme 2, we recommended a subtlety patterned flat woven Kilim rug from Design Within Reach. Our clients loved the vintage Afghani rug, but thought the palette was a bit overwhelming with the bright colors, so we instead recommended the Afghani rug for the dining room.
Our clients liked many things about our proposed design. However they wanted to make a few changes. Working together, we found some alternatives that we both loved! Instead of the mismatched lounge chairs in the living room, we decided to choose two Noomi chairs from Design Within Reach that the clients loved! To keep the palette light & bright, we chose the Stem Floor lamp from Rejuvenation in white with brass accents, instead of the black floor lamp we had previously suggested.
For the entryway, we continued the Navy blue accent from the living room by choosing a blue console table, instead of the Burl wood. As for the dining room, the clients loved the oak Wishbone chairs from Design Within Reach that we recommended, however they chose a dining table from West Elm instead of the vintage table we had first suggested. We also found (and fell in love) with a beautiful Agnes Pendant from Visual Comfort in a similar white and brass as the living room floor lamp. This space was truly starting to come together beautifully!
Our clients loved these changes and we got busy ordering all the products! However, there were a few issues as items started to arrive and we had to make some changes as we went along. Once the fireplace surround was finished and the rug was in place, we realized that there were too many conflicting patterns and the room looked a little "busy". We instead chose a gorgeous neutral Paulig wool rug from SMG Collective, which made the space feel cozy and complete.
We also had not landed on a coffee table that we truly loved for the space. Finally we realized the perfect solution was there all along! The clients had an antique steamer trunk from their travels that really felt at home in this collected space...
The end result is a youthful, charming home that really lets our clients' personalities shine.
Stay tuned next week when we reveal the breath-taking update to this classic home's kitchen and den!