Combing through salvaged hardware to find a good match

We recently completed our design and construction administration services on a major remodel in Portland, Oregon.  We thoroughly enjoyed working with the owners, Leigh and Luisa Guyer, who really embraced the idea that one can greatly improve a family’s lifestyle by giving a modern fine-tuning to the interior of a traditional home.

Selecting a simple palette that bridges traditional and modern

We recently asked the owners to share how they felt about the experience of working with us, from initial concept to project completion.  Here is what they said:

“Ogawa Fisher Architects was able to grasp the specific and subtle changes we wanted for our house, and delivered a thoughtfully and beautifully laid out space for us to enjoy. We moved into our NE Portland house in 2004, and while its size and location worked very well for our family of four (2 adults, and 2 children, 9 and 11) there were a few things we wanted to change: The entrance was too small for daily use with shoes, bags, jackets overflowing into the living room; there was only one bathroom on the ground floor which doubled as powder room and bathroom to the master bedroom; the second floor bathroom was small and outdated, and the kitchen was outdated.

Over the years we had entertained the idea of remodeling, but kept on putting it off until January 2011, when Luisa read an article in the Oregonian about an Ogawa Fisher remodel in Portland — the way Hiromi Ogawa spoke about her practice and the way the homeowners spoke about their experience resonated with both of us. It made us want to meet Hiromi and see what she might suggest. We contacted her and embarked on a series of meetings to address our hopes and needs for the house. Hiromi presented us with thoughtful alternatives on how to use existing space and suggested some changes that we hadn’t even considered. We made some tweaks to suit our taste/quirks and budget, and by June we were ready to sign on the dotted line and begin our remodel!”

Tagging punch list items with Jason

“The project touched the entire first floor, parts of the second floor, and the basement. In order to facilitate the process, we moved out of the house and handed it over to Hiromi and Jason Ring from Scene Construction in August 2011 – throughout the three month remodel we met with Hiromi and Jason on a weekly basis, discussing the project’s progress, viewing the work, picking paint colors and bathroom hardware, etc.  In the end, the project came in on-time and on-budget. The entire process was a thoroughly enjoyable experience – both Hiromi and Jason are consummate professionals, who clearly love and take great pride in their work.  Throughout the process we had a clear and thoughtful communication, and our satisfaction with the project was always the priority.

The house feels wholly refreshed and we are definitely making better use of space in the house.  It’s hard to choose a favorite room or area of the house. We smile every time we open the front door and see the refinished floors… But if we were pressed we would say that we are especially pleased with the architectural changes that make the house feel more airy – the new third arch from the living room to the hallway that leads to the private spaces,  the crown molding for that hallway, and the half wall on the second story landing.

We would highly recommend working with Hiromi Ogawa – whether you’re remodeling or creating a brand new space.  She has a wonderful sense of aesthetic and design, is a thoughtful and true partner in a process that requires one.”

The "kid in a candy store" feeling when leafing through wallpaper

Thank you so much, Leigh and Luisa!  It means so much to us that wonderful people like you found our philosophy and service to be the right fit for you and your home.  We appreciate that you had an open mind about reorganizing the house to fit the way your family lives now; your insight and decisiveness created a truly collaborative process that allowed us to keep moving the project forward.  We love that you wanted to get fancy with your new powder room (which we mentioned in a previous blog post) and that your living room feels entirely different with a few subtle moves.  We look forward to having your project professionally photographed this spring!

The Novak Residence kitchen (it is called the 12th Street Kitchen on our Houzz page) has been featured (again!) on Houzz, in an article called “8 Cozy Tables for Two”.  This is timely for me, since I was sitting with a friend at a bar counter in a coffee shop today and was noticing how much more intimate it is to sit next to each other, than to sit across the table.  Pair it with a view and you’ll never want to leave!

You can also check out our blog post about our experience with Lincoln.  We look forward to more fun shoots with him this year!

Lynn was sorry her son wasn’t there to see the cement mixer truck.

This is the slab for the entry. Wood framing, subfloor, and flooring will go on top to become flush with the existing floor level.

This is the slab for the rear addition, which includes the new kitchen, dining room, and family room.  A giant blue tarp “tent” was erected to keep the rain away.

More updates soon!  (Thank you, John Fisher, for the site photographs.)

photo by Randy Rasmussen

Happy New Year everyone!  We hope your year is off to a great start.

We just found out that the one of our projects, the Kovtunovich Residence, was mentioned in the Best of 2011 in the Homes and Gardens section of The Oregonian.  You can find it in the “Trends of the Year” section, where they praise the owners, Ian and Tonia Kovtunovich, for “mixing it up” by building a very modern addition to their traditional bungalow.  The original article for the project was published in January, but we are so flattered to be mentioned again at the end of the year.

Thanks again for all your support, and we look forward to another exciting year.

We are in the final stages of construction on the Knott Street Residence, where we divided a bedroom into three parts:  a master bath and walk-in closet for the adjacent Master Bedroom, and a Powder Room that is accessed from the main hall.  We were elated when the owners expressed interest in having wallpaper on the Powder Room walls, and after an extensive search for the perfect pattern, we found the perfect scale and color, designed by Astek.

It’s a tiny room, and one would think the wallpaper would make it feel even smaller, but the dark shades and repetitive pattern actually create the reverse effect .  By pairing the formal pattern with bright trim and modern plumbing fixtures (we used a Duravit wall-hung sink, which is minimalist in design and also a space saver), it’s a Powder Room where guests can feel like they are getting a proper welcome.  In the photo below, you see butcher paper on the sink and floor, to protect the surfaces while painting and cleaning was completed.

The owners found a beautifully distressed wall-hung mirror from Rejuvenation, which balances the modern/traditional aesthetic.  We will have more (and better!) photos once the project is complete, but in the mean time, we couldn’t wait to share our love for wallpaper.

Fine Paints of Europe now offers Guggenheim paint colors, which are inspired by their art collection and used throughout the museum.  Highly curated paint selections like this, along with other brands like Benjamin Moore’s Affinity line (where all 144 colors are compatible with each other in any combination) take some of the guess work out of choosing the right color for your space.  We at OFA are constantly studying and incorporating more options, particularly when they are inspired by spaces we admire, like the Guggenheim in New York, which houses an impressive collection of modern art in a beautiful building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  Do you have a favorite brand or collection of paint colors? Or are there spaces, private or public, where you feel they got the color just right?

Thank you, Mt. Angel Abbey, for hiring Aalvar Aalto back in 1966.

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Our recent flurry of kitchen features has prompted us to look back at our past kitchen projects, and see the variety of different styles and needs we have encountered.  Each one is unique, which is what makes kitchens so interesting. It’s one the most intricate rooms to design in a house.

The Recinos/Cooper Residence kitchen is a study in efficiency.  Peg Cooper is a pastry chef, and wanted the flexibility to conduct classes in her kitchen.  Even through the confines of the house limited the size of the kitchen, both Peg and Andrew wanted it to operate like a commercial kitchen: with separate and efficient areas for prepping, cooking, and cleaning.  In addition, they wanted the style of the kitchen to stay true to the era of their Craftsman House.

As always, we started by looking at the house as a whole, and evaluating essential design issues like natural lighting, traffic flow, and utility.  By relocating the rear entrance and studying the movements between the three workstations, we worked with the owners to create a spacious kitchen with distinct work areas and lots of storage.

We recently asked the owners to share how they felt about the experience of working with us, from initial concept to project completion.  Here is what they said:

“It is hard to believe that a kitchen remodel could change your life, but in many ways this is the case with the remodel designed and managed by Ogawa Fisher Architects.  Prior to the remodel, the kitchen was already the focal point of the house (so often the case, and more so with a toddler), which just exacerbated its deficiency.  Poorly laid out, dark, and cut off from the rest of the house, the kitchen was a constant source of frustration.  The Ogawa Fisher team imagined a new kitchen in the same space, which was well lit, well designed and integrated into the flow of the house – a focal point we actually want to spend time in.  The first time friends entered our house post-renovation, they tended to say the same thing – ‘this didn’t just change your kitchen, it changed your whole house!’”

Thank you, Andrew and Peg!  It’s so rewarding to know that changes in one room can transform the feel of the whole house.  We really enjoyed working with you and hope we have the opportunity to collaborate with you again soon.

Special thanks to Scorpion Construction for their hard work and craftsmanship; and to Kristin Beadle for the beautiful photography.

For more images of this kitchen, feel free to browse the project album on our facebook page.