Emerson Progress.

Days are becoming busier as we are well into the home stretch on The Emerson House.  I know, hardly any updates this time!  Sometimes we dive right into a project and there really is no time for anything else.  That seems to be the case the majority of these days.  Anyway, so much progress.  The house is looking gorgeous and we are so excited to see what the near future holds as we complete it. Anyway, here is a little peek at what we have been up to over the last few months...lots of work!

So much work was spent on the exterior of this house.  We were able to save the original siding hidden under the asbestos siding.  Major victory but so much work.  New trims, doors and balcony are among the few changes that took place and now the house really stands out like it should from the street.  It is looking gorgeous and we are happy.

The inside is something we are REALLY excited about.  We have a lot of ideas guys.  It's going to be good.  Here is a peek of the floors.  1X12 reclaimed fir flooring milled from old beams.  We LOVE them!  That is all for now. :)

And this.  We have some really great outdoor spaces at the Emerson House and this is just one of them!  We were lucky to find some timbers used to build the Sellwood Bridge here in Portland so we used them to build a pergola.  The picture is great but this structure needs to be seen in person.  It is so awesome!

In other news,

1859 Magazine

featured us in their September/October issue.  We are elated.  Check it out!

For more regular updates on our projects, follow us on Instagram!

Brandt's Instagram

Chelsea's Instagram

Emerson

Well it didn't take as long as we thought...but we have found our next project!  Since the market is so fast and competitive here in Portland, we were prepared to wait some time to before securing the next house.  We were able to get away after finishing the Tabor House for some quick R&R only to come back and find the perfect house within a short week.  Since then we have been scurrying around and preparing ourselves for quite. the. project.  We are no longer in the Tabor/Montavilla neighborhood but actually back up in Northeast Portland where we did The 1940's Ranch a little over a year ago.   The location is perfect.  That is one of the main reasons we fell in love with the house.  The others being the street presence, the age of the home and of course the potential!  We present you with The Emerson house...

The house is tall and grand from the street which is one reason we love it.  It looks somewhat old and it is (1908) but there is something slightly off.  Windows and doors don't line up, very basic exterior trim, asbestos siding (ugh!), nothing that really shows off it's age and grandness.  There will be a lot of changes made from the outside.  Other than making the house more symmetrical,  a new balcony will be added above the front door and we will give the house a more age appropriate siding and trim.  Think modern Colonial.

Right now, the back yard is completely open to the street.  Our plans involve a fence at the sidewalk to make this space more private and bigger.  We plan to add parking, create a pergola for outdoor entertaining and revamp the shed into more living/entertaining space!  This area will be unrecognizable when we're done.

The inside of the house is similar to the outside.  Clean, basic, but nothing special.  The floor plan is decent but needs reworking so we will be doing that.  This is right inside the front door.  A large space that is actually not very usable in it's current state.  We plan on adding a bathroom here, since there currently is no bathroom on the main.

On the other side of the house is the living room.  The space is good but also needs to feel special.  More character will be added this space but with a modern vibe.  More to come...

The dining room is the only room in the house that hints at the age of the house.  It's a great space, but almost too large for the type of room it is.  We plan on moving the kitchen to this area so it will open to the living room, dining room and be much larger than the current kitchen.

The current kitchen is small.  It feels very disconnected from the rest of the house and somewhat odd because of it's size.  Like mentioned before, the kitchen will no longer be here as it will swap spaces with the current dining room and will all be open to one another.  

The master bedroom is probably the coolest room in the house.  It is huge and runs the whole length of the house.  However, no bathroom attached and that closet is a little awkward.  This room will stay the same size, but think two separate rooms.  We will also be attaching the upstairs bathroom to this room to make it a true master suite.

The other guest bedroom is also cute.  It is a good size and an interesting shape.  We will not be doing much here as far as reworking layout but it will get the same facelift as the rest of the house and...a door that enters onto the new balcony.  This will be a special room.

The upstairs bathroom is a great space.  The layout is good but it just needs to be dressed up.  Right now this bathroom serves as one of the main bathrooms for the whole house but will now become master bathroom since it is right off the master bedroom. We are changing the floor plan upstairs to accommodate this change and to make the upstairs flow better.

Now the basement looks very dark but is actually quite bright for a basement.  The basement actually sits halfway above ground level making it somewhat of a daylight basement...sort of.  This space will be reconfigured as a secondary living area and bonus space.  It will be the perfect getaway...somewhat of a guest quarters when done.  (Don't worry about that water on the floor...we were defrosting an ancient freezer)!

This room was somewhat of a mystery.  We were unsure if it was another bedroom or an office of some sort.  We will be making this into a bedroom by reclaiming some floor space that was lost when the house was last remodeled.  It will now become the home's second master suite!

The basement bathroom is a good space...but could use some reworking.  We plan on moving the claw foot tub from the second floor down here and charming this place up a bit!  This bathroom will become the second master bath as well.  

Say goodbye to awkward this awkward bathroom!

This project really excites us.  It will be one of our biggest transformations to date and we can only imagine at this point what the house is going to look like a few months from now.  We actually started work on the thing a couple of days ago, so changes are already taking place and we are liking what we are seeing!  We will be posting our inspiration soon!

Tabor House. Done.

So it's been a while...but a lot has happened in these past few months!  Where do we start?  Well let's just say this house has surprised us.  Big time.  As we searched for our next project last fall, the Tabor House just sat there, for days, weeks, waiting for us.  We overlooked it a few times during our search, it just wasn't...right.  One day we had looked at another house in the neighborhood so we thought, let's just take a walk through.  Well, we weren't floored by our tour but the house had potential.  So we decided to give it a go.  That was the beginning.  Everyday after that, the house grew on us.  We pulled up the carpets to pristine oak floors.  We cleaned her out and reworked the layout.  Then we built the dormer...the house immediately changed.  This was going to be a good one.  Once the exterior paint went on, we were in love!  After that, inside changes started taking place.  We found and incorporated unique design and materials into each of the rooms and our love grew.  Well, now we are done and the house is gorgeous.  We were able to do things we have never done before on this house and it makes us want to push even more on the next project.  One thing is for sure, this house has shown us that even the most plain and ugliest house on the block can become the one of the best, that potential does not have a limit and that even we can surprise ourselves every once in a while!

We felt like we picked the perfect color for the exterior of this house.  A custom color that is actually a very dark brown with charcoal undertones really modernized the outside.  We balanced the modern with more traditional wood tones and brass accents. 

We like our interiors to be light and bright so everything went white...again!  We did however, keep the living room windows the original dark wood while painting the rest of the windows throughout the house the same color as the exterior.  

The whole house only had three major colors throughout with the addition of the unlacquered brass as an accent.  Whites, dark charcoal browns (also the exterior color) and medium grey/brown tones add contrast to each other while still remaining neutral and somewhat monochromatic.  This scheme makes the home feel bright and airy but also inviting and warm.

The tile in this bathroom was the main design inspiration for the whole house.  We felt it had a Navajo/Southwestern vibe...but more modern.  We love this tile!!!

We used a variety of different materials throughout the house.  Though very dramatic and eye catching, each room is still a blank slate to add as much or as little as the future owner wants!

All of the brass and fixtures throughout the Tabor House were custom finished by us.  The process was very time consuming but now all of the fixtures and hardware look like they have aged a hundred years and will continue to do so with normal use.

We custom made most of the lighting throughout the house.  It was a huge project, but well worth it in the end!  We wanted a Moroccan or worldly vibe with the lighting so we ended up creating this mercury glass effect on these amazing vintage shades we found.  The result is a beautiful reflective shade during the day and almost a prismatic light at night.

We kept the original (and gorgeous) front door.  It needed some work, so we stripped it down and applied a light white wash to the exterior to preserve the original color.  The door now looks perfectly aged and full of character...and that's a good thing!

The front door needed an awning.  Once painted, the front of the house was very stylish but a little serious.  We originally planned to build an awning from the beginning but the materials and the actual design of the awning changed as the house progressed.  We felt we wanted a welcoming house with a modern vibe but didn't want stray from it's traditional roots.  We decided on a natural awning to match the front door made from wood we salvaged from the Japanese tsunami that washed ashore while we were still living in Lincoln City.  Now the house feels modern and classic and now has a great story!

A lot of thought, inspiration and work went into creating this particular space in the kitchen.  Basically the first thing you see when you walk through the front door, this area is the main focal point of the whole house.  We created a "nook" that houses the range and framed that nook with a dramatic but slightly subtle arch that frames the area and houses the range hood.  To finish the look, we custom designed and built the island almost completely from salvaged materials.  We were very pleased with the result.

Now that the Tabor House is done, it's fun to look back and see how much this  since the beginning of the year.  The transformation of this house changed our hearts.  We feel we pushed ourselves (and the house) aesthetically to create a truly unique and custom home that is unlike any other in Portland.  It excites us to take the journey and lessons from this house and look onward toward our future projects.  We only wish we could have staged this one like we did the Morrison House...but...we sold her early!  Surprise!  Oh well, we'll have that opportunity on the next one!  Can't wait!

Musings on Tabor

Our minds have been whirling lately with ideas and thoughts on what direction we want to take the Tabor House design-wise.  We like the idea of changing design direction with each house because each house is different, and a lot of design styles appeal to us.  We enjoy the challenge of switching it up with every house because it keeps us on our toes creatively and we get the unique chance to create depth within our portfolio with the design styles that speak to us.  Another factor that is just as important in the way we go about creating a vision for a home is through our salvaging.  Sometimes we will find a unique item or material and our design either revolves around it or we find a way to work it into the design.  This is probably one of the aspects of our job that we love the most...it's our version of treasure hunting!  Anyway, what is speaking to us in terms of the Tabor House?  Let us show you!

Bill Ingram Architect

During our time off, we were able to get away and see some amazing architecture and design.  One thing that appealed to us was the use of dark charcoal brown on exteriors.  Used in a monochromatic way, this color has a traditional yet modern feel without being too edgy.  We found the perfect brown that we will be using on the exterior of the Tabor House that we plan to accent with rustic wood tones and aged brass.

Speaking of aged wood tones, this is the perfect example of what we are trying to achieve.  We discovered the art of cerusing or applying a lime wash to wood a few months back and we are dying to try this out.  We have yet to test it but our plan is to accent the exterior of the house with this washed wood look as well as the floors throughout the house...to be continued!

Commune Design

During one of our salvaging trips, we scored an amazing tile that was pretty much the jumping off point for the interior design on Tabor.  Before that tile was discovered, we really wanted to incorporate a worldly feel into this house through materials and lighting.  The combination of the two will live up to the traditional qualities that we have always loved while adding a little bit of modern flair.  A perfect example of this marriage would be the kitchen above...stunning! 

Tracery Interiors/cococozy

For the longest time, we have wanted to create a built-in range but have never had the right space or layout to accomplish it.  Well the circumstances in the kitchen at Tabor have worked in our favor and we have the opportunity to create a jaw dropping focal point not only for the kitchen, but the house.  We are excited about this one.

Studioilse/Aesop

We are also toying with the idea of incorporating this perfect green into the house somehow...the verdict is still out on this one.  The use of color and materials in this space blow our minds!  Aesop's interiors never fail to impress.

Elle Decor

Although a lot of these inspiration pictures appear to be more on the darker side, we are actually planning on making the interior light and bright.  All white walls, lots of light from the windows with only accents of darker shades.  This bedroom above is how we want Tabor to feel.  Bright, worldly, warm with a touch of modern.  

Tim Barber Architecture

This staircase is jaw dropping.  We may tackle something like this on Tabor's staircase but it all depends on the other patterns we choose (and choose not) to incorporate into the design.  Again a touch of modern and worldly...love the dark window muntins. 

Ett Hem/Dustjacket

The bathrooms will have the same modern, worldly vibe as the rest of the house (or even more so) but the master bathroom will benefit from an added shower somewhat comparable to this one.  We will also be using darker greys with brass for the shower but it will look and feel much different from this one.

There you have it!  A little glimpse into Tabor's future.  Lot's of great items, lighting and materials have been stacking up and we are excited to put them in place!

Tabor

We're back at it!  After some much needed time off, we were able to find our next house and here we are, our first official/non-official day back at work.  Out of all our past projects, this house is probably in the best shape of them all...BUT it's funky and needs some serious layout and cosmetic changes.  Though there's always a list of negatives when it comes to a fixer upper, this house has a plentiful list of positives...one being the location.  Just a short walk up the hill from the Morrison House, we are very pleased to be back in the neighborhood again!  We have always talked about doing multiple homes in an area and being able to secure another home in the Mt. Tabor / Montavilla neighborhood really excites us.  Mt. Tabor is one of our favorite neighborhoods in Portland and just coming off a remodel in Montavilla, this house just fit into place. 

A lot of work needs to be done on the exterior of this house.  Obviously the roof is the first thing to be remedied but our main objective for this place is to give it some appeal from the street.  Right now it's showing some wear and it's not very inviting.  Our plan is to take away the left dormer and replace it with a bigger, gable dormer that is built flush with the face of the existing house.  The new dormer will give the home some presence from the street and take away that large expanse of uninviting roof.

This is the view upon entering the house.  The entry is a part of the living room which is completely walled off from the rest of the house.  This wall will be opened up to the rest of the house including the kitchen.  Yes, we will be saving that door!

The living room is very charming and a decent size.  We love all the windows and the cove ceilings plus the oak floors under that carpet!

The main floor bathroom is a good size.  Horrible layout.  We will be changing the layout, updating the tile and adding some beautiful fixtures to make this room really shine.

The main floor bedroom is a great size and has lots of light, we will be sacrificing it however to make a larger kitchen and dining area.  This room will be the new dining room.

The existing kitchen and dining room are small and very choppy.  Our plans involve opening them up to the living area and reworking the layout.

This dining area will become a part of the kitchen while wall to the right will be taken down.  The now main floor bedroom will become the new dining room!

This gives a good idea of the layout issues with this house.  These walls will all be opened up into the hall and living room to accommodate modern living.  This will create a large kitchen with generous cooking and prep spaces and an overall large, open feel throughout the house. 

Another view.  These walls will all be open!

Minimal changes will be made in the upstairs hallway.  We plan on adding some warm lighting and updating cosmetically to make it more inviting.

The upstairs guest room will be getting the biggest makeover in the house.  This room is where the dormer will be placed which will make it larger and a more functional room.

The master bedroom is a decent size so we will be making minimal changes in here as well.  We plan on making more functional closet and storage space for this room and removing the bulky, nonfunctional closets flanking the window. 

The master bathroom will be expanded and changed layout-wise.  

The wall to the left will be taken down and that area will be home to the future shower.

Another view of where the shower will be.

The current basement is large and full of possibilities.  We plan on making it a multi-functional space that is perfect for anyone.

Other than completely updating the area, we plan on adding two full bedrooms in this space as well as a laundry area and a theater room.

This room will become the house's second living room or theater/entertainment room.

Exiting the house from the basement back door we will be creating an outdoor entertaining area (with no deck above it)!

The deck will be removed from the house and we will create a large lower patio for outdoor entertaining.

We plan on keeping the front door but giving it a facelift.  It's going to be gorgeous!

The garage is pretty charming in itself but we will be salvaging those cabinets and putting them back in the kitchen!  Aren't they awesome?

That's it.  Of course there are numerous details left out that would take a year and a day to explain on here but the main points were addressed!  Add curb appeal.  Open living and entertaining spaces.  Update bathrooms and kitchen.  Keep the character and add more where it's missing.  Create a functional floorplan.  Add extra living space downstairs.  Create outdoor living.  Sneak peek of exterior color?  Check.  This is going to be a good one.

She's not much now but with every visit, this house is growing on us.  Can't imagine how we will feel when it's all done.  Stay tuned...