Some designers are lucky to find projects with excellent beginnings. That was Jessica Helgerson’s experience when the Oregon and Paris-based designer, who launched a line of flatweave rugs this month, began a recent gut renovation for a family of five in Portland.
With views of the Willamette River and the peak of Mount Hood, the early 1900s home was designed by famed Northwest architect Wade Pipes, who spread a style of architecture across the area that emphasized natural materials, known as Arts and Crafts residential architecture.
Helgerson added the breakfast nook to the original footprint of the house. The artwork (left) by Miró served as the reference for the colors of the ceiling and banquette.
Helgerson, who describes her design approach as “responsive,” expanded Pipes’ original design by building a new three-car garage and converting the existing one into a mudroom and laundry room. She also added a breakfast nook to the kitchen. The clients brought their museum-worthy collection of art into the home, including an extensive collection of over 30 pieces by Alexander Calder, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso. Those works were the inspiration for the design that followed.
“I wanted the art to settle in and not fight with the space, but feel held by it,» Helgerson said, describing the project as an opportunity to discover how to include the art in a manner that felt intentional but «didn’t dominate the whole thing.»
In the attic bedroom, Helgerson opened up the ceiling, taking it to its peak, and designed the metal beams for structural support. The beds are antique.
To accomplish that goal, Helgerson pulled the primary colors from the bold artworks and carried that scheme throughout the house. Walking through the front door, you’re greeted by Benjamin Moore’s Evening Dove, a gray-blue shade that makes a welcoming statement. The blue theme continues into the dining room and bar area with Farrow & Ball’s Stiffkey Blue, a more muted blue, accented by Calder’s Windmill and 2 Suns artworks. In the living room, she planned the room renovation around the placement of Miró’s Sur Quatre Murs, a focal point above the fireplace mantle. Soft blue sisal by Holland & Sherry covers the walls and acts as a backdrop to the Calders dotted around the room. The dark stained fir walls in the family room are livened up with a colorful Miró. And, a bifold panel above the mantel strategically hides the television so that the room can function as both a place to unwind and to entertain guests.
The kitchen breakfast nook and cabinets mirror the blue and muted red in Miro’s Constellations Pochoir, which hangs on the adjacent wall. And the yellows found throughout the art collection move upstairs to the attic bedroom, where Helgerson raised the bedroom ceilings to their peaks, added closets and trim, and painted the room in Hay by Farrow & Ball.
«I love the design puzzle and how to solve it in a way that feels nice and authentic,» Helgerson said.
Take A Look Inside This Portland, Oregon House
