Have a look at the Butler Residence located in Portland, OR. This home has an open floor plan, yet the ample use of wood throughout helps it remain warm and inviting. Qualities sometimes lacking in modern design.
Designed by PATH Architecture, this residence bridges the gap between interior and exterior. The wood covered walls and furnishings create a natural atmosphere that help to balance the large open spaces. The central columnar fireplace is a main focal point that greatly adds to its cozy ambiance. You can see more images of this house over at Freshhome.
(Images: Ty Milford)





Comments (12)
The wood cladding is attractive but a bit cliche and wears very badly in the Pacific Northwest.
It's nice, though "warm and inviting" isn't the phrase I'd use. I could see it becoming warm and inviting once it's furnished, but for now it's a lot of angles and hard surfaces.
It seems to tower over the neighboring houses but it looks really good.
I agree with JamesinSF about the style being cliche (at least here in the Bay Area). The look is getting dated already.
I understand what you both mean about cliche - down here in LA, it seems like every new house in Venice looks exactly like this. Nonetheless, I'd live there in a heartbeat! I love all the wood in the kitchen - it reminds me of being in a boat.
nice!
Not sure where you are getting you info. You are incorrect about the durability of cedar in our northwest climate. It's a great material that, if properly finished, will last the life of the building. This particular siding is a custom milled shape that prevents water from sitting in the channels as well.
I think the term is contemporary (vs. modern). Don't you wish it had, you know, furniture?
The PATH Architecture web site says the house is energy efficient. Just how do you heat a place like this? In Portland, OR, not less.
Beautiful. I love all the wood. The sliding shade panels on the exterior are very cool, as is the chimney / the fireplaces.
I do wonder about heating & privacy though. Whenever I see houses like this I just wonder if they installed curtains after the photo shoot. And I hope those windows are double (triple? quadruple?) paned. The folding patio door looks like it would be a serious heat sink. But anyway.. beautiful home!
People are not brave enough to be as cliche as this home is in my region of the U.S. I love it.
First off, it's national code to have multiple paned windows that's insulated, and I bet these are argon filled and this code's been around for new construction for YEARS so that should not be an issue, plus today's heating systems are MUCH more energy efficient than their counterparts of years ago as well.
That said, I like what they did and I find that the selective use of ceder is a great way to warm up a space with lots of white, which is especially important in the NW due to the fact that it's often just gray and cloudy, if not actually raining for at least 6 months out of the year. And this use of ceder paneling is NOT new, has been around since I think at least the early 70's, it's also known as the Northwest look and while the house is contemporary in style, it can go very modern by what you put in it.
I like the interior spaces I think more than I do the outside although it's nice too, just its scale is out of proportion to the rest of the neighborhood.