The Morrison House is done. We got her on the market last week...showings and open house through the weekend, and still didn't get a chance to take pictures until yesterday. We can hardly keep up with ourselves these days! One thing is for certain though, this house is very photogenic. We want to live here. Of course, our belief is to create homes that we would live in ourselves, but this house...is just different. It was different from the beginning and it shows even more so now. You just don't find a home like this in Portland and if you do, it's rare. We knew this when we bought the place and our mission was to not only preserve the character it had left but to make it even more special than the house it was when we purchased it. The results? A modernized Victorian farmhouse that feels casual yet elegant. We love this house.
Staging by:
Kaemingk Design
Our main objective of this house was to open the living, dining and kitchen to create large living and entertaining spaces for modern living...large enough for an eight foot farmhouse table!
Like mentioned before, we wanted a modern farmhouse look for the house. We clad the walls with wood to look like the tongue and groove walls you would find in an old farmhouse. We kept the original wood floors looking rustic and added the modern element with minimal color. The only color added was the charcoal seen throughout the inside and the outside of the home.
We were able to move the shed to a new location on the property and paint it in the same color scheme as the house. We thought it would be perfect for a studio or guest quarters
We installed these salvaged wood shelves from floor to ceiling inside a niche that was created by the underside of the staircase. Not only do they fit perfectly in this space, they create much needed storage for the kitchen. Plus, these shelves were salvaged from another old Victorian in town...the stair treads from the front porch!!
Like the Port House, we created these built-in closets to flank each side of the bed. Instead of being a big bulky closet in the middle of the wall, we feel these are more of a feature and together create the same amount of storage space.
The fireplace was original to the house, so we just modernized it a bit with charcoal paint and a stucco hearth. It now feels grounded and grand.
Like the lower bath, we kept the color minimal with the master bath and added interest with the tile in the shower and our industrial lighting. The space is now large and bright and nothing less than a retreat.
The yard is one of the best features of this house. A little larger than normal in Portland, the house sits in such a way we were able to create multiple large entertaining spaces. Or favorite space would have to be this dining area surrounded by arborvitae.
When we first bought the house, our first plan of action was to close off the entry from the living room to define each as separate spaces while making them feel more intimate. We custom built the walls of glass, metal and wood to create that separation while the glass still let the light flow through. The metal added the touch of modern we needed to complete the space.
We wanted both bathrooms to feel casually elegant so we went minimal on the color, used natural stone, salvaged fixtures and added a little elegance with high-end polished nickel faucets.
These built-ins were a part of the house when we bought it. We loved everything about them so all we did was give them a coat of paint and new brass hardware. They sing now!
We opened up the entry to the kitchen create better flow when entering the house. After some research, we believe that the home originally flowed this way (the living room may have been more closed off originally) and we were right when we uncovered the original opening that led into the kitchen!
We are so happy with the way this house turned out. The potential this house had to begin with was incredible and we feel blessed to have been able to work on such a rare home in Portland. Now it's time for a small break! For before pictures of this project click the link: The Morrison House