Emily and Grady moved from Chicago to Portland when their eldest child was just an infant. They wanted to be close to family, and bought their home in Portland’s historic Laurelhurst neighborhood with children in mind. A few years later, when their twins were born, their house realized its full potential as a colorful, functional family-friendly home.

From the tree-lined street, the 1923 home looks traditional, but when you walk in the front door and see hot pink walls and modern furniture in the dining room, you know that this family is fun. Through the use of color, pattern and fabrics, the couple has created a home that is memorable, comfortable, and totally kid-friendly.

Emily and Grady are both attracted to color, pattern and a modern aesthetic, and together, they created an environment that’s equally pleasing to adults and kids, as well as livable for all the members of the household. Emily’s talent for organization can be seen throughout the home, particularly in the functional built-ins that she envisioned. Her desire to fill her space with warm textiles was realized along with the help of designer and friend Victoria Robinson.

Our Style: Eclectic — we like a mix of old and new, with an appreciation for the clean lines of mid-century modern design, the desire to keep things kid friendly and functional with a love of fun and playful artwork, lots of color and fabrics.

Inspiration: We wanted a home that captured both the warmth of summer, as well as the ocean’s rejuvenation. We knew that we wanted to live in rich color and patterns that create a playful mood to combat Portland’s notorious rain.

Favorite Element: The color and textiles throughout our home.

Biggest Challenge: The size and location of the bedrooms in our house. We have three small children — our six-and-a-half year old daughter and three-year-old boy girl twins — and only three smallish bedrooms on the second floor. So, we have had to be creative in terms of sleeping arrangements and storage.

What Friends Say: I love how comfortable and cheerful your house is!

Biggest Embarrassment: All the clutter from having three kids — toys, papers, artwork, books. We have a lot of stuff coming in and not as much stuff leaving our house.

Proudest DIY: All of the organizational systems we worked on and maintain throughout the house. But currently, with our kids, we don’t have the time to do any DIY projects.

Biggest Indulgence: All of our custom-made window coverings and pillows. We love textiles and I wanted to insure that we had full black-out shades for all of our bedrooms. That morphed into having beautiful window coverings, rugs, and pillows for most of the house.

Best Advice: Find the colors that bring you joy and fill your home with them! Also, allow your home to be a place for all of your senses to find comfort, calm and inspiration. For us, that means incorporating fabrics, furniture, rugs and lighting that feel and look good.

Dream Sources: Canoe, Jonathan Adler, Design Within Reach, Graham & Brown, Dwell Studio, Serena & Lily, Noun: A Person’s Place for Things

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