Jess & Evan’s Playful, Sophisticated Portland Home

Name:Jess, Evan, and Auggie
地点:Portland, Oregon
Size:1,700 square feet
Years lived in:4 years; owned

When Jess and Evan were on the market to buy a home, they knew they wanted a change from the Portland bungalows they’d spent the last few years in. They knew they wanted something mid-century, but with the market becoming so competitive, it felt more and more difficult to find a place. In a stroke of serendipity, a friend mentioned that one of her friends was planning on moving out of state and wanted to sell his house. Jess and Evan came over, saw the house, and knew it was perfect—everything that they’d been looking for. They worked out a deal, the home was never listed, and the rest is history.

The house was built in 1952 and with three bedrooms and one and a half baths, it has been a wonderful home to start a family. The neighborhood has been a welcoming community, with most of their neighbors living in the area since their houses were built in the ’50s and ’60s. Everyone looks out for everyone else, and it really is the type of place where you can go next door and borrow a cup of sugar.

Jess and Evan moved to Portland eight years ago from Florida, and have really loved everything about it. It’s been a great place to live, and now a great place to raise their son. Jess has been a hair dresser for about 15 years, and recently moved to a great salon in central Portland calledGamine. On weekends, you can usually find the family working on their house or yard, hanging with friends, and checking out estate sales.

Our Style:I do a ton of thrift store shopping, and I try to go to estate sales when I can. I really just go for whatever catches my eye. I tend to be inspired by vintage pieces, colors and patterns. Although, I try to keep big furniture pieces more classic, that way if I’m bored I can swap out rugs and pillows instead of changing the actual furniture.

Inspiration:Mix of ’60s furniture with colorful ’70s decor

Favorite Element:All of the floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s so nice to have a ton of natural light in here. Especially since winters can be so dark.

Biggest Challenge:Trying to make the space feel warm. Because of all of the open space and windows, I felt like it needed help feeling a little more cozy and warm. Paint color, rugs, pillows, shelves, lighting, etc has really helped to make it a more cozy space.

What Friends Say:They love coming over to hang on the deck with us. We have a lot of BBQs during the summer.

Biggest Embarrassment:The window next to the front door that I busted last summer. It still has a piece of foam board over it. We can’t seem to find the perfect piece of glass to repair it.

Proudest DIY:The shelving project in the dining area. It took longer to accomplish than we anticipated. All the planning, measuring, and getting the pipes cut, cleaned and painted, etc. It was all a lot of work, and most likely because it was one of the first projects we tackled after having a baby. So, there was a lot of juggling happening.

Biggest Indulgence:Our big Iranian rug in the living room, found at an estate sale.

Best Advice:Wait for things that you really want. It took us years to get our outdoor fireplace. I knew what I was looking for, but waited years to find it at the right price. Maybe it’s because I’m used to thrifting and hunting for treasures. But I’d rather wait to find just the right piece at the right price, then to have it immediately at any cost. There are still good treasures out there to be found!

Dream Sources:Thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales

• Most of the house is a matte white
• The living room wall is a matte black
• The bathroom is a semi-gloss grey/navy

ENTRY

• Native American rug: estate sale
• 70s tree print: thrifted
• Woven wall hanging: church rummage sale

• Ikea couch: Hand me down
• Iranian rug: estate sale
• Black leather mid-century chair: given to us from a friend
• Slat bench: estate sale
• All lamps: thrift stores
• Small wicker ottoman: thrift
• 2 red pillows: thrift
• All other pillows: Target
• All artwork found at thrift stores (except double exposure prints on wall which were done by our friendRyan Garber)

HALF BATHROOM

• Artwork: thrift store

SECOND LIVING ROOM

• Rug found:state sale
• Low black leather chairs: antique store
• Green pillows: church rummage sale
• Mid century rolling cart: thrifted
• Small child rocker was mine as a kid
• 柳条表:节俭
• Vintage speakers and amps: Craigslist
• Art in this room is also all from thrift stores collected over the years

• Bruno Mathsson dining room: Craigslist
• Eames chairs: eBay
• Marushka prints came from thrift stores collected for years

• Turkish rug in kitchen: estate sale
• Mt. Hood print: thrift store

• Crib: Ikea
• Eames rocking chair: Craigslist
• Rug: Costco
• Dresser: thrift store
• Lion rocker: thrifted
• Vintage map: flea market
• Other artwork collected from thrift stores

MASTER BEDROOM

• End tables: estate sale
• Gold framed artwork done by a close friend’s grandmother
• Flag over bed: flea market
• Wool Hudson Bay blanket on bed: Woolrich
• Mid century dresser: Craigslist
• Full-length mirror came from the thrift store (and I painted it pink)
• Mid-century mirror on wall: estate sale
• Painting of old man on nightstand was done by my grandmother
• Small pink tapestry on wall was found in Mexico at a market
• Lamp: thrifted

• Patio furniture: Ikea
• Outdoor fireplace: eBay
• 2 Eames chairs found: eBay
• Small driftwood table was made by us (found the wood at the beach, dried it for a long time and put legs on it!)

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