1930s property

New
directions

Following expansions into the loft and basement, this refined home
now has an air of graceful comfort, perfectly suited to family life
Words Juliet Benning Photographs Jeremy Bittermann

SITTING ROOM
Metallics and shades of red and orange make a lively contrast to the otherwise pale palette.
BB.05.28 light, $15,000, Lindsey Adelman, lindseyadelman.com.

MAy 2017 | H&G | <#R#>


ENTRANCE HALL
The door between the
hall and sitting room
was widened to increase
the flow of light and the
staircase remodelled,
with new pickets made
by a local metalworker.
Pick-n-Mix bowl light, from
340, Rothschild & Bickers, after buying it, they approached local interior
rothschildbickers.com.
<#L#> | H&G | May 2017
P
erched high on a hill blessed with
fantastic views of the city of
Portland, Oregon, this period home
was quickly snapped up by Jenn
Lynch and her husband as the
perfect base for their growing family. Although
the house was in good order, it was too short
on space for the couples needs and so, soon
designer Jessica Helgerson with a brief to
open it up without detracting from its 1930s
character. We spoke to Jenn and Jessica.
What condition was the house in when you
bought it?
JL It had a lot of character and, while parts of
it had given eighty years of service and were
looking tired, not everything had to be stripped
out, so we saved on materials that had plenty
of life left in them.
JH It is a large, simple and well-built house
and being able to take out the few fittings
that had seen better days meant we had a
clean slate to work with. The ceilings were
relatively low but they couldnt be raised, so
we moved the first-floor windows up by four
inches or so; we also added cove mouldings
to the rooms, to draw the eye upwards and to
help make the ceiling look loftier.
What was the design brief for the project?
JL We needed somewhere that our family
could grow into, and space to accommodate
relatives who frequently come to stay; we also
needed room for our au pair. We wanted to
preserve the charm of the house, while at the
same time adding furnishings that would
be resilient to the antics of our three young
children, who regularly make forts out of the
LOFT DINING ROOM
We wanted to give The glass-fronted
this space (top right) display cabinets (right)
a distinctive feel so we were designed by
clad it in wood, which Jessica to showcase
is reminiscent of the Jenns collection of
underside of a boat, Royal Doulton china.
says interior designer Chestnut wallpaper,
Jessica Helgerson. $185 a roll, Marthe
Paris wall sconce, $832, Armitage at Hamilton
OLampia, olampia.com. Weston, hamiltonweston.
com. Interior design,
Jessica Helgerson,
jhinteriordesign.com.
KITCHEN
The long, narrow island is
topped in lava stone. Its
beautiful cracked texture is
the result of having been
glazed and fired, says Jessica.
Bespoke lava stone worktop,
Pyrolave, pyrolave.com.

may 2017 | H&G | <#R#>

sitting room furniture. It was also important
that it didnt look too formal.
JH We werent planning to turn the house into
a mansion, but the family needed us to find
more space. We developed the loft adding
dormer windows and turning it into a play-
room, seating area and oce and the
basement, which we converted into a bedroom
and bathroom, a family room and a wine cellar.
Were there any other major changes to the
floor plans?
JL The layout of the ground oor is pretty
close to the original, but we converted what
was once a den into a more modern, spacious
kitchen and turned the former kitchen into a
cloakroom and boot room. Upstairs, Jessica
managed to incorporate walk-in wardrobes
into our bedroom. We also increased the
size of the bathroom as, believe it or not,
sometimes all five of us use it at once.
Can you tell us about the garden?
JL When we moved in, it was a very formal
English rose garden with a grand three-tiered
stone fountain. We now have two plots, but the
second one is still largely green and unland-
scaped. We tend to spend most of our time
on the terrace and the outdoor fireplace that
Jessica installed is in constant use, often after
the children have gone to bed, and especially
when were entertaining.

DAUGHTERS ROOM TWINS BEDROOM

The wallpaper chosen I cant imagine our
for this room (top left) home without all the
was selected to cater built-in storage we
for the evolving tastes have now, says
of a growing girl. Jenn. It has proved
Although shes only particularly useful
seven, I think shell in keeping her sons
love it just as much possessions in check
when shes seventeen, and their bedroom
says Jenn. (left) tidy.
Jungle Birds wallpaper,
$175 a roll, Marthe guest BATHROOM
Armitage at Hamilton The open frame of
Weston, hamilton the washstand (right)
weston.com. is less intrusive than
a built-in cabinet
and helps to increase
the sense of space.
Pratt metal four-leg
washstand, 1,833,
Waterworks,
waterworks.com.

may 2017 | H&G | <#R#>

MAIN BEDROOM
Comfort and grandeur
are happy bedfellows
in this elegant scheme
(above), which deftly
combines a striking
chandelier, refined
seating and a classic
white quilt.
Arctic Pear ceiling
light, $6,175, Ochre,
ochre.net. Walls in
Gray Owl Aura, Eggshell,
from 25 for 940ml,
Benjamin Moore,
benjaminmoore.com.

MAIN BATHROOM
This room (right)
was styled around the
bathtub, with gold
fittings and touches
of green ensuring
the look is both
opulent and fresh.
Iris cast-iron bath,
$7,360, Cheviot,
cheviotproducts.com.

<#L#> | H&G | May 2017