Archive for the Modern Homes Category
Architectural Art – Walter Gordinier
glass walkway
Walter Gordinier is a local visual artist that creates functional pieces of art out of glass. Gordinier’s concept of functional art glass was conceived in 1989 and since then while working with architects and interior designers, he has produced amazing works of art that function as stairs, walkways, countertops and walls. I had a chance to see some of Gordinier’s work in action on a recent tour of a beautiful Lake Oswego home. The stairs leading to the main living space are Gordinier glass and the bridge on the second floor loft walkway have panels of art glass that glow when illuminated below showing off their beautiful colors. Gordinier uses a mix of granite, stone, glass, metals, lighting and wood in the production of his functional artwork and does everything from concept designs with clients to installation. The artist is also known for his self described “monolithic” atrium aerial sculptures which are indeed large beautiful works of art.
More on Walter Gordinier
Sunday Open House 1-4 – Lake Oswego Contemporary Modern
18308 Meadowlark Lane
Open this Sunday October 9th from 1-4pm, stop by take a look at this beautiful contemporary home with amazing views in Lake Oswego.
Features:
- 4 bedrooms, 3.3 baths
- 7,341 sq ft
- 3 gas fireplaces
- Floor to ceiling windows with views of parks, farms, greenspaces & mountains
- Gourmet kitchen with Wolf gas cooktop
- Main level great room
- Lower level great room
- Theater room
- Elevator to all floors
No listings found
This home is listed by Terry Sprague of Cascade|Sotheby’s International Realty in a marketing collaboration with Marisa Swenson of M Realty LLC. The listing brokerage is Cascade|Sotheby’s International Realty.
Saturday Open House – John Storrs Original Northwest Regional Design
John Storrs Designed Mid Century Home
Open this Saturday from 1-4pm come by 11990 SW Butner Road to tour an amazing house.
Home Details:
- Listing – 1199o SW Butner Rd – John Storrs Original
- John Storrs Northwest Architect
- Visit to Butner Rd
- Virtual Tour – Butner Rd
Photo Gallery Slide Show
Weekend Events – Build it Green Tour – Portland
Build it Green Home Tour
Tomorrow is the 10th annual Build it Green Tour in Portland. There will be 22 homes on tour this year so put on your walking shoes!
Details from the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability:
The 10th annual Build It Green! Home Tour and Information Fair is a self-guided tour of 22 green remodels and new homes around the Portland metropolitan area. Start and stop where and when you choose.
Chat with homeowners, designers, do-it-yourselfers and contractors about solar panels, ecoroofs (green roofs), rainwater harvesting, natural landscaping, affordable housing, water and energy conservation, natural building materials, alternative construction techniques and much more! Pick up some great ideas for YOUR current or future home.
Tour date: Saturday, September 24th, 2011
Tour time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
New Info Fair hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tickets are $15 per person, purchase them here.
Minimalist Modern – NW Portland
European Modern
I had the opportunity to visit a beautifully designed minimalist modern home on the exclusive market in the NW Hills neighborhood of Portland. This is a very rare opportunity because this style of modern home is always custom built (as this one is) and most of them won’t be seen at re-sale from many, many decades.
Winding my way up the hill, a short distance from the NW 23rd shopping district, I made my final turn and caught my first glimpse of the home. The home sits perfectly in it’s site on a thick layer of bedrock, it looks like it was carved and tucked right into the hillside. The natural warm cedar siding complements the hand folded zinc roofing and flashing, as well as being a warm pairing to the charcoal finish of the custom designed, curved lap siding.
Stepping into the home at ground level reveals a beautiful entry with glassed in flex space that could serve as a home office , gallery space or a welcoming guest receiving area. The walnut open metal staircase beckons you up to the second floor living quarters which boasts high ceilings, high end halogen lighting, a whole house air purification system, radiant heat, and custom Henrybuilt designed built ins for all of the closets, storage and cabinets.
Heading up one more flight of stairs unveils a gorgeous open living space with high ceilings, a 30 foot wall of windows and sliding glass doors that maximize the natural light coming into the home and gives the household access to the panoramic city and mountain views. The wide open kitchen flows to the dining space that meets the family living space making the room comfortable and functional for every day living and entertaining. The sliding glass doors lead to the front deck that is equipped with surface lighting that will artistically illuminate the beautiful deck yet will not interrupt the cities glow at night.
The kitchen is furnished with Gaggenau steam and convection oven as well as a 5 burner cooktop, Thermadore refrigerator, Meile dishwasher, Durat countertops and Vola fixtures. The dining space is furnished with a custom Henrybuilt table and bench to match all of the built ins and a Marcel Wanders designed hanging lamp.
The exterior door off of the kitchen leads you to the terraced, hardscape designed backyard with a built-in fireplace and a custom wood slat bench to sit close beside it. A handful of steps lead you up to the second backyard living space that boasts beautiful city views as well, perfect for entertaining.
The home was designed by Rick Berry, famed Scott Edwards Architect known for his award winning modern designs all over Portland and beyond. All of the finishes , systems and lighting were carefully chosen by the owner, interior designer, and architect based on the products function, sustainability, and for their minimalist, modern designs which in turn has resulted in a highly functional, beautiful, low maintenance home.
Photo Slideshow
Home Features:
- 4 bedroom 3.5 baths
- 3 Level Home – Elevator Ready
- Radiant Heat
- Air purifications System
- Walnut Flooring
- Ann Sacks Tile Flooring
- Henrybuilt Custom Sustainable Built In Cabinets, Closets, Bench
- Durat Kitchen Countertops – Recycled Post Industrial Plastics that is 100% Recyclable
- Recessed Reveal Trim
- Hand Folded Zinc Roof and Flashing
List price $1,995,000
Please contact Marisa Swenson of Modern Homes Portland for more information on this property 971-285-7955.
This home is listed by Terry Sprague of Cascade|Sotheby’s International Realty in a marketing collaboration with Marisa Swenson of M Realty LLC. The listing brokerage is Cascade|Sotheby’s International Realty.
Modern Events Around Town – AIA Design Matters: A Tour of Exceptional Homes
Laurelhurst Modern
One of the many activities going on during the 2011 Portland Architecture and Design Festival is the Tour of Exceptional Homes showcasing 6 unique modern homes designed by a handful of famed Portland architects such as Pietro Belluschi, Paul McKean, Benjamin Waechter. This is the modernists version of a street of dreams tour so get a ticket here before they are gone.
From the AIA Portland website:
“This homes tour provides a rare opportunity for guests to glimpse inside six sensational Portland residences. Featuring both cutting-edge and historic homes designed by architects, this daylong self-guided tour is a not-to-be-missed event!
The Design Matters homes tour is open to all, from design enthusiasts to professionals, builders to homemakers, students to senior citizens, and is a highlight of the 2011 Architecture + Design Festival, presented by the American Institute of Architects Portland. For more information, please call AIA Portland at 503-223-8757.
Just $40! Includes access to six featured homes, printed program with maps, and interactive iPhone app with GPS”
When: Saturday, October 1st, 2011 starts at 10am
What: Self guided tour of amazing homes – easy to follow GPS/map iphone application
Cost: $40 per person
Get tickets here and check out the other Portland Architecture and Design Festival events here
Rustic Modern Retreat – Lake Oswego
Lake Oswego Retreat
Driving through the winding, wooded lot to get to the hidden retreat that is perfectly sited into the sloped lot that hugs the banks of Lake Oswego and has one of the most stunning views of Mt. Hood. The natural cedar shingles that make up the siding blends the form further into the landscape along with the gabled copper roof. Originally a 70′s split level home, the home was completely remodeled in 2004 by Otis Construction with the redesign done by local architect Dennis Batke.
When you enter the home through the antique hand carved panel from India-turned-elegant front door, you are greeted by a slate entry that draw you down a flight of hand crafted, architectural glass art stairs created by local artist Walter Gordinier. This is when you enter the expansive vaulted , lodge style living space that boasts gorgeous rich dark wooden posts and beams throughout and warm mahogany flooring. The 19 foot floor to ceiling glass walls draw you to the breathtaking view of Mt. Hood and the lake which they frame perfectly.
The main floor combines living room, dining room that flow together and a side nook perfect for curling up to enjoy the views. Through the dining space, doors open to the outdoor living room that boasts a huge hearth style fireplace that is surrounded by the wooded lot with a view of the lake.
On to the the upper floor, the open loft walkway which overlooks the main floor living spaces greets you with more beautiful jeweled panels of Walter Gordinier designed glass as flooring that are illuminated by the lighting underneath. The upper floor rooms have high ceilings and creatively placed panels of glass to allow light in unexpected corners while maintaining privacy for the residents. The interior design was completed by local designer Karol Niemi who perfected the interior finish details.
The lower floor master suite greets you with beautiful hand carved doors of a male and female figure that open up into a comfortable bedroom with floor to ceiling windows that again capture the mountain and lake views. There are more panels of unique glass incorporated into an art deco style master bathroom.
Additional features:
- Guest House – separate 2 bedroom, 1 bath home with living room connected to the main home by a breezeway and elevator
- Optional Elevator Entrance
- Custom Lighting
- Hammered Pewter Door Handles
- Built In Surround Speakers
- Additional Garage with Flex Space – perfect for art/music studio or separate office
- Granite Slab Counters in Kitchen and Baths
- Fireplace in Master and Main Floor
Listed price $3,995,000
Please contact Marisa Swenson of Modern Homes Portland for more information on this property 971-285-7955.
This home is listed by Terry Sprague of Cascade|Sotheby’s International Realty in a marketing collaboration with Marisa Swenson of M Realty LLC. The listing brokerage is Cascade|Sotheby’s International Realty.
The Royal 5 Project – Organic Architect Robert Oshatz
site for the Royal 5
The newest venture for Robert Oshatz, Portland’s famed organic architect, is a project titled the “Royal 5″. There are 5 view lots located at the intersection of NW Skyline and Royal Blvd which Oshatz plans to sell, design and build 5 custom homes for some very lucky buyers.
You might be wondering why Oshatz doesn’t just design, build then sell his homes but according to his design approach he must first understand the clients needs and the function the home must provide:
“The starting point of my work is the clients program, so my first step is to divide the program into its functional and spiritual components. The program is more than just a set of functional requirements, technical space allocations and relationships. It should embody the emotional needs of the client/user.”*
The term “organic architecture” was used by and to describe Frank Lloyd Wrights approach to design. The idea of organic architecture refers not only to the buildings’ literal relationship to the natural surroundings, but how the buildings’ design is carefully thought about as if it were a unified organism. Oshatz had worked for and studied under Frank Lloyd Wright Jr and is a very accomplished architect.
“Just as there is no one answer to life’s problems, due to its complex and changing nature, there is no single solution to an architectural design challenge. With a myriad of past experiences within me, I try to clear my mind of previous solutions and preconceived notions and approach design intuitively.”*
These factors guarantee that each of these homes will be artistically unique and I am excited to see this project develop. These yet to be constructed homes are available for purchase, contact me if you would like more info on purchasing one of the Royal 5 homes.
Posts about Robert Oshatz:
Photos of other residential projects by Robert Oshatz:
Wilkinson Residence
*from the Oshatz website
Rummer News – Plaques and Auction
Rummer Home
There will be an auction for Rummer items beginning May 26th, 2011 through June 2nd, 2011. The auction will be in Ebay under the seller name “bobrummer”.
Items included:
- Pieces of furniture displayed in the original Rummer showcase home and used by the Rummer’s in their homes through the years
- Vintage Danish modern rosewood credenza
- Rosewood Danish modern table
- Documents and drawings signed by Bob Rummer
- Vintage Magazine Articles and Rummer Ads.
Have fun shopping!
Rummer Owners
You can now purchase the official Rummer designed home plaque customized with the year your home was built. Order on the Rummer Network website.
Frank Shell House Update
entry atrium - one of three atriums
One of the first blog posts that I wrote here on the Modern Homes Portland site was a visit to a home that was on market designed by architect Frank Shell for his personal residence. Frank and his wife lived in this house until he passed away in 2003. The Shell house was then sold, a little bit of work was done to it then it was sold again. The home then went back up on market a short time after, that listing turned into short sale, a sale never happened so it went back to the bank. During the couple of years it took the bank to take it back and re-sell it, the property ended up suffering from a bit of deferred maintenance. I lost count on how many times I have showed this house but let’s just say that I know it quite well.
During the years that the property was in short sale/bank owned limbo, the fear for most mid century architecture preservationists was that a builder would see a good deal in the land/lots for development and raze the house to build something more “profitable” since it is in a desirable, close-in SW neighborhood.
The good news: I was contacted recently by the new owner, who is a contractor, and very much enamored with the form as most of us are. He is currently working on preserving the structure and updating the systems as necessary but is making an effort to keep many of the details intact and taking care to research the architects original vision for the home.
The owner let me take a look around the other day and take a few photos while they were working, slideshow below:
I can’t wait to see what it is like when he is done and we are so happy that the Frank Shell house will be here for many more years, thank you new owner….next stop, historical register?
Original post on the Frank Shell House.
