Before & After: Their 1890 Farmhouse Hides a World of Color Behind Its Gray Facade
In Portland, Oregon, a culinary couple call on architect Michael Howells to raise the roof, revamp the floor plan, and spice up the kitchen.
In Portland, Oregon, a culinary couple call on architect Michael Howells to raise the roof, revamp the floor plan, and spice up the kitchen.
Molly and Jung Kim weren’t looking to radically alter their circa-1890 farmhouse in Portland’s Hawthorne District. A modest charmer situated on a leafy residential street about three miles southeast of downtown, the house fit in perfectly amidst a succession of Craftsman bungalows with covered front porches.
Coming from New York City, where they had met, married, and lived in a succession of cramped Manhattan apartments, the couple found that the little house suited their needs for several years. "Even before we did the renovation," Jung says, "I was just like, ‘This is the nicest place I’ve ever lived in.’"
Before: Exterior
Before: Molly and Jung’s house was built in 1890. It’s the first on a block full of early-20th-century bungalows.
Michael Howells
After: Exterior
The renovation added a new foyer in place of the front porch, and expanded the attic-like upstairs into a full second floor.
Photo: Laurie Black
The farmhouse, a few decades older than its neighbors, had already been altered several times by previous owners, so it lacked many historic interior details. "It had a real sort of funky-schoolhouse kind of vibe," says Portland architect Michael Howells. Yet it wasn’t quite functioning right for the family.
Molly and Jung, both trained chefs, needed a better-functioning kitchen to cook in. Though they loved the home’s original oak floors, they craved a touch of interior color. Asking their son, Winston, and daughter, Pascale, to share a bedroom was no longer sustainable. And though the house had a nice covered porch, its front door opened directly into the living/dining area, without a space for greeting guests.
Before: Living/Dining
Before: The house, altered numerous times before Molly and Jung purchased it, opened directly onto the living/dining area.
Michael Howells
See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: Their 1890 Farmhouse Hides a World of Color Behind Its Gray Facade
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