loads of natural light pouring in from the great wall of windows (and all over the Noguchi table)

I had the opportunity the other day to go and tour a late 70’s contemporary modern home that is for sale ($750k) in a quiet SW hills neighborhood. I love  most things modern but a lot of times I cringe when I think of late 70’s early 80’s anything to do with homes because of the finish work we typically find in these homes. However, the owners of this contemporary modern have a great sense of style and design and the home itself is more of a well laid out canvas that has allowed them to imprint their great taste on it without making it feel or look awkward. The house flows seamlessly from room to room where each new room is more comfortable than the last. The house is situated high on a hill so the main living space (pictured above)and family room has forested mountain views as far as the eye can see that are very soothing while the huge rock encrusted fireplace gives you the cozy feel that you are in a comfy ski lodge, taking a break from the slopes.

cozy up in the Eames lounge chair in front of the fireplace and the view? yes please

custom Doug Fir front door (photo: Marisa Swenson)

Two huge custom Doug Fir grid doors invite you into a slate entryway where you can go either head to the living room that opens to the sky or take a left and go to a couple of bedrooms, office or up a flight of stairs to the landing and open hallway that overlooks the living room. The master suite is nice and separate from the rest of the home with a balcony that is so high up, it feels like you are on top of the world. The master bath/spa has a large soaking tub imported from England, teak cabinets, Pratt & Larsen (local company) sliced pebble walk in shower, and connected is a huge closet.

custom Euro spa bathroom with hidden toilet

The landscaping surrounding the house was done by a Kurisu trained professional landscape architect by the name of Sadafumi Uchiyama, who is currently the Garden Curator at the Portland Japanese Gardens.

Lesson learned: don’t ignore late 70’s modern, with a great design sense and quality finishes, they can make very warm, pleasant homes.

P.S. I also suggested that they make the furnishing negotiable since they have so many great pieces that make the house even more fascinating.

Click on map below to view RMLS listing:

SW contemporary modern home

Photos used with permission of listing broker.

DC202 Modern Design Space - Located in the Leftbank Building

DC202 Space

David Horning, one of the architects at Modern Organic Architecture, invited me over to see his new Portland office located in the Leftbank Project building.  David mentioned while we were setting up a meet time, that there were some additional design people that are located in the space that I should check out while I was here etc.  What I expected to see was a couple of  different offices of small businesses that sometimes do work together but what actually exists in this very large, open space is a living, breathing, community of modern design focused people that actively collaborate on projects.  The design collective they have formed is called DC202 and is made up of David Horning - Modern Organic Architecture,  Holly Freres – JHL Design,  Bill Fritts – Intelligent Design and Solid Core,  Gary Hartill – ORANGEWALLstudios.  The attitude of the group is very open, non-competative, wanting to share ideas and space with each other (real life modern family). There is a very strong sense of community within the group, the combined goal being: getting sustainable, beautiful modern design out into the world.  DC202 has started a monthly open house happy hour  for all design people to come and meet new, like -minded folks, share ideas,  or just hang out in the cozy space they have created.  Their next event is Friday, February 26th 2010 from 4-5:30pm at the Leftbank Project Building – 240 N Broadway Ste. 202, bring a bottle of wine to share!

P.S. Don’t forget to say hi to the cutest members of the collective, Greta and Tucker.

DC202 work space

DC202 View

Street of Eames Modern Home Tour

Tickets for the 2010 Street of Eames modern homes tour are available for purchase right now.  Special advanced tickets are available for an additional donation price of $250 per pair (includes 2 – $50 tickets and a $150 tax deductible donation to the Street of Eames Fund, which supports after-school programs for homeless elementary school students in Portland Public Schools).  Regular priced tickets ($50) officially go on sale February 22nd, 2010  but the event sells out every year (within minutes) so, if you don’t want to take any chances,  then you should buy tickets now at the Street of Eames website.

Verner Panton chairs manufactured by Herman Miller in September, 1974, in vibrant orange molded plastic.

Danish Modern Living Room Set

convertible sofa bed by Hans Wegner (not sure how long that sale was going)

The other I day I was out and about picking up flyers from the printers, there were no parking spaces in the usual vicinity, so I had to park a couple of blocks away. I jumped out of the car and saw a small a-frame reader board that said “mid-century modern furniture” and had an arrow pointing up.  I looked up and saw a door to a narrow staircase, so I decided to pop in to see what they had.  What I expected to walk into was a 1,500 – 2,000 sq. ft. space with a couple of overpriced pieces that were more intended for an e-bay sale. What I walked into, after the couple of flights of stairs, was an 8,000 sq ft warehouse packed full (not uncomfortably) of amazing Danish mid century modern furniture in great/excellent condition. Rooms full of Eames chairs, mid century credenzas, sofas, it goes on for quite a while (and so could I). I was not completely shocked by the pricing, it was what I expect to see this type of furnishing in this type of  condition, and when I was there they were having a 20% off of everything sale.  I met one of the owners and they told me they had been there for awhile but are only open Fri. – Sun. (they actually do a lot of their business on-line), check their site for hours and stop by if you can, it is breathtaking.

Look Modern is located at:

800 SE Clay

Portland, OR 97214

Let’s go on a little road trip:

First we head north to Seattle, WA where Benjamin Allison shows us Seattle’s most amazing modern architecture at his site Jet City Modern.

Jet City Modern - Seattle, WA

Now, let’s head south and visit MCM superman Paul Kaplan from Palm Springs, CA.  Paul has his fingers to the pulse of all things MCM in California and beyond.

Palm Springs MCM goodness via Paul Kaplan

Heading east, we hit Boulder, CO where Sean McIllwain gives us front row seats to the modern home catalog in this beautiful city at his Mod Boulder site.

modern homes in Boulder, CO (this is their office)

Now, let’s take a turn to the south and head to our sister city (I have personally adopted her) of Austin, TX where Ben of Modern Austin gives us all of the modern goodies that Austin holds.  This site is really pretty and has a lot of good info about the architects and design.

Modern Austin, TX

Thanks for taking the trip with me, I hope you enjoyed it.  I will be on the lookout for more modern sites to feature so if you know of any good ones, drop me a line.

Cheers!

The Original Dinerant ~ Portland Oregon

I know the word “dinerant” isn’t really a word but the term fits this modern vintage replica restaurant perfectly.  The Original Dinerant, designed by David Ashen of D-ASH Design (NY), combines the sophistication of mid-century Palm Springs with the casual feel of the classic American roadside diner.  They have an interesting menu with a VooDoo Doughnut burger (yes, instead of buns, doughnuts!), poutine (I had to look this up but it is a standard in Canada), and some of the best breakfast around.  I had the biscuits with the best veggie gravy I have had yet, that was served with a baby field green salad and loved it all!  They serve Stumptown Coffee and the flourescent lit, multi-tiered, rotating dessert case (every diner has one) as you enter boasts the tallest carrot cake and thickest pies around.

The Original Dinerant is located at:

300 SW 6th Ave

Portland, OR 97204

back of the double gabled Gresham Rummer *Not For Sale*

A little while ago I stumbled across a very entertaining blog about a family (the Lewis’) from Gresham restoring/remodeling their Rummer home.  They do not make it look fast or easy but it is very entertaining getting to take a peek into their remodeling projects and the outcome is always amazing, they do such a great job! Another thing that I love about the Lewis’ blog is that the entire family is excited about their home projects, they make it feel like the home is a family member and not just a place to live.

So after I had devoured all of the blogs contents, I contacted Steve and Haley and invited myself over to tour and get a first hand look of their restoration project.  When I visited they had zero kitchen, it was gutted to the studs (very brave).  Haley took me on the tour and explained all of the pretty, clean lines they are going to open up throughout the home, to take it back to the way it was intended to look (& then some).

The kitchen design is influenced by case study home #22.  Here is the plan:

kitchen plan, modeled after case study home #22 - (photo by the Lewis')

case study house #22 - photo by Julius Shulman

Update: Since I have visited, the Lewis’ have put the kitchen back together.  Pics here!  It is amazing, thanks for sharing it with us.

P.S. can’t wait to see what they do with that ‘56 Airstream Safari aka Plan B

Gresham Rummer holiday ~ beautiful! (photos by the Lewis')

For a list of all of the Rummer homes for sale in the Portland area visit the Rummer page where I will update listings as they hit market.

More Rummer Related Blog Posts:

• Rummer Mid Century Modern Home – Bonnie Brae
• Rummer Neighborhood – Oak Hills
• About Rummer Homes

Julius Shulman 3 volume book - $300

If you haven’t seen Visual Acoustics yet, get thee to an indie theater and do so.  If you have seen it, then you will most def want these books (photos is a link to the site where you can buy this for me your loved ones).

Frank Lloyd Wright Lego Set - $99.99

Build it yourself Falling Water Lego set.

subscription to Atomic Ranch Magazine

The Atomic Ranchers are based in Portland so you can boast a decent ” I shopped local” with this gift. Great design ideas for the MCMers.

George Nelson Bubble Lamp Calendar 2010 - $9.95

The George Nelson Bubble Lamp calendar for 2010. Full of vintage bubble lamp ads.

Eames View Master Reels - $35

Photos of the Eames’ Case Study House #8 in View Master fashion (photos taken by the Eames’ themselves). Pretty much everything else on this website would make an awesome gift too.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday! Enjoy everything and everyone.

“What good is a dream house if you haven’t got a dream?” -Julius Shulman

Please share your own ideas if you have them, thanks!

Belluschi House Built in 1951 - Lake Oswego, Oregon

Historic Lake Oswego House to Find a Home at Marylhurst University

Rare residence built by famed architect Pietro Belluschi will come to campus

LAKE OSWEGO, OR — A small but historically significant home designed by noted Portland architect Pietro Belluschi will be kept in Lake Oswego, now that the Marylhurst University board of trustees has endorsed a plan to give the house a permanent home on the Marylhurst campus.

The agreement comes nearly three years after Tim Mather, owner of MCM Construction, and Tia Ross, a fellow historic homes preservationist, discovered a 911-square-foot home designed in 1951 by Belluschi for Arthur and Lucy Griffith of Lake Oswego was about to be demolished, and began a campaign to save it.

The home was believed to be one of only a few Belluschi-designed residences still standing unaltered, and the only one of its kind in Lake Oswego. The Italian-born Belluschi was involved in the design of an estimated 1,000 buildings over his 50-year career, including the Portland Art Museum, the Julliard School of Music in New York and St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. He is widely known as the creator of the Northwest style of architecture, and his homes were constructed to take advantage of their natural surroundings and available light.

“The house is a perfect example of the elegant simplicity of Belluschi’s mid-century modernist approach to design,” said Mather. “It’s truly a work of art and, fully restored, will be a lasting reminder of Belluschi’s architectural legacy.”

The home is essentially one large room, featuring cork floors, hemlock paneling and beamed ceilings. Never remodeled, it had fallen into disrepair, needing a new roof and heating and electrical systems. The home was purchased by developer George Hale, who recognized the house’s intrinsic value but couldn’t find a suitable reuse for the structure until Mather and Ross interceded. Hale donated the home, and Mather paid for it to be meticulously deconstructed and stored. The house – now in 2,000 pieces, all numbered and measured – sits in a 48-foot storage container awaiting reconstruction and restoration.

“I am so pleased that Marylhurst will become the home of this noted piece of 20th-century architecture,” said Judi Johansen, Marylhurst University president. “The educational opportunities the Griffith house at our new Belluschi Pavilion will provide for our students and for the broader community are countless, and I look forward to working with Tim and his colleagues on all the next steps of restoring this home to its full beauty on our campus.”

Fundraising efforts are now underway to pay for the costs of siting, permitting, reconstructing and restoring the Belluschi house. Contact David Miller - Friends of Belluschi 503-699-9600 dave@mcmbuild.com to donate to the preservation effort.

About Friends of Belluschi

Friends of Belluschi was founded in 2006 by Tim Mather, Tia Ross and other home preservationists to save and restore the Griffith residence designed by Pietro Belluschi in Lake Oswego in 1951.

About Marylhurst University
Marylhurst University, a private liberal arts university located one mile south of downtown Lake Oswego on Highway 43, is regionally accredited and nationally recognized for innovation and academic excellence. Marylhurst’s small, seminar-style classes – offered weekdays, evenings, weekends and online – provide convenience and flexibility for students with busy lives seeking professional certificates and undergraduate and graduate degrees

Belluschi

Belluschi House Oregon

More Preservation Stories:

• Frank Lloyd Wright – Gordon House
• Robert Oshatz – Organic Architect

This documentary about the work of Julius Shulman, famed modernist photographer best know for his photos of the Case Study homes in California, is playing this week at the Living Room Theater in Portland, Oregon. I highly recommend seeing it before it is gone. I am on my way right now.

Summary:

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, Visual Acoustics, celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman, who passed away this year, captured the work of nearly every modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Frank Gehry. His images epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California’s modernist movement and brought its iconic structures to the attention of the general public. This unique film is both a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of the magnetic, whip-smart gentleman who chronicled it with his unforgettable images.