When the homeowners began building their dream space in Tetherow, one thing became clear. They didn’t want to play it safe when it came to design. [Photo above by Benjamin Edwards]
“We wanted to risk potentially coming to hate the choices we made, and that approach gave us permission to fall in love with bold elements,” they said, adding, “We wanted to have a sense of continuity but surprise.” The pair created a home filled with interiors that they noted leave guests reflecting, “That’s interesting.”
The mid-century-influenced home features statement light fixtures, wall coverings with pops of deep blue flowers, tropical fish and birds, and an intriguing play between light and dark.
From a library with a bright yellow daybed evoking an Eames chair to a laundry room with copper piping inspired by a 19th-century diving helmet, every room has character.
Bold Home Design Choices
The couple had roots in Southern Oregon and fell in love with Central Oregon on a ski and snowboard trip. They began working with John Brockway and Michelle Wilson of Lightfoot A+D in 2019 to create a home with a main living area that would accommodate large gatherings such as for Seder. The upstairs was designed on a more intimate scale so their family of four would be encouraged to spend time together.
The home’s main floor is split into three terraced levels to follow the sloping landscape. The upstairs, including the main bedroom with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, has panoramic mountain views to the west. In a nod to Frank Lloyd Wright, the home has moments of compression and release with smaller spaces sometimes leading to larger ones. Think Alice in Wonderland, but with sophistication.
“The spaces feel engaging and playful, in a way that reflects the personalities of the owners,” said Brockway.
A love of reading inspired the book nook in the upstairs family room, featuring a Cisco Home pink velvet sofa. Built-in bookcases were designed to reveal a surprise, hidden doors leading to the daughters’ bedrooms.
The dining room ceiling is darker than the rest of the home. The vision was a steakhouse by way of Bend, with an oversized oak table where the family likes to play games of Mahjong. An array of hematite-like Tom Dixon Melt Pendant light fixtures that extend beyond the table toward the living room creates what the family calls a dining hall.
“Modern can be simple and minimal sometimes to a fault. This house has textural contrast. It has layers,” said Design Bar founder and lead designer Anne Mastalir, who began working with the couple shortly after they purchased the property.
Creating Contrast in Architecture and Design
The homeowners are the first to admit they have opposing tastes in architecture and design. The husband, chief marketing officer of a software company, prefers more minimalist modern designs. The style preference of the wife, a clinical psychologist, leans to the traditional.
“We decided we would give the other person what they love in areas, instead of always splitting the difference so neither person gets their way,” they said.
Clad in thermally modified ash and dark gray ledgestone, the home’s architecture is undeniably modern, but more traditional touches can be found throughout. Throw pillows in the family room are upholstered in maximalist Emma J Shipley and House of Hackney fabric, then trimmed with fringe. The wooden floor in the dining room is a traditional French-style herringbone parquet. Cabinet doors leading to the powder room feature multiple panels of glass made to look antique with a high-gloss paint finish.
“They weren’t afraid to bring in materials from suppliers that most people would not think about for a modern house,” said interior designer Mastalir.
Thoughtful Choices with stories to tell
Whenever possible, the couple chose products and materials that were ethically sourced and efficient. The Ann Sacks MADE Modern Collection black tile on the kitchen backsplash is made from clay sourced outside of the Portland area. The Rumford fireplace in the living room is shallower and taller than a typical wood-burning fireplace, so it burns less wood.
To support women, it was important to the homeowners to find female light fixture designers. Brooklyn-based designer Danielle Trofe designed the fixture in the guest bathroom with sustainable materials—the hanging lampshade is made from naturally grown mushroom mycelium.
Art is also deeply personal. The family put together the black and white Vitra Algue installation in the entryway—its seaweedlike plastic components snap together like Legos. A photograph of the interior of historic Hangar One at Moffett Federal Airfield, California, in the main living area was taken near where the homeowners met.
The family didn’t expect to love certain parts of the house as much as they do. In the kitchen, striking and moody with lower ceilings, matte black cabinetry and a large marble kitchen island, and a single large picture window frames tall trees and a putting green.
“I love symmetry, and I fought the architect. I said ‘really, we’re going to do one window?’”
But with rabbits, quail families and bucks often passing through as the seasons change, it’s like a living artwork, adding to the mystery and the wonder that this home reveals around every corner. “It’s our favorite place in the house,” they added.
