This turn of the century modern home was designed for a young family with a very modern aesthetic. Jessica Helgerson Interior Design turned a hundred-year-old Northwest Portland, Oregon house into a fresh current design. The designer completely remodeled the kitchen, opening it to the dining room with two-sided glass cabinets. Also on the ground level, the full bathroom was replaced with a compact powder room, thereby creating a back hallway and vastly improving the flow of the house.

On the second level, excess space was borrowed from an existing bedroom to create a master bathroom, complete with double sinks and a generously sized shower. A cabinet was designed that beautifully conceals a washer, dryer and storage space at the top of the stairs. Finally, the formerly dim attic was transformed into a cheerful, sunny home-office and play area, and the walls and floors were freshened up with a coat of white paint and four large skylights were installed. The house is now fresh, bright, functional, and contemporary, while remaining true to itself.

Other creative surface treatments include laser-cut mirrors, whose organic shapes dance along the entry walls, reflecting surprising snippets of the interior.

A palette of whites and cool grays creates both continuity and contrast throughout the home, particularly through the selection of wall colors, e.g. a light-gray entry that leads to a medium-gray living room and a dramatically dark-gray dining room and library.

Photos: Lincoln Barbour