A 1960s Portland Home After a “Fast & Furious” Remodel

updated Apr 30, 2019

A 1960s Portland Home After a “Fast & Furious” Remodel

updated Apr 30, 2019
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Bedrooms
N/A
Square feet

2968

Sq ft

2968

Name: Kami Gray, her husband Bryant and dogs Ben and George
Location: Mt. Tabor Neighborhood — Southeast Portland, Oregon
Size: 2,968 square feet
Years lived in: 2.5 years, owned

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Kami and Bryant started dating when they both lived on different floors of the same condo building. After falling in love, they decided to buy a house to live in together. They purchased a home on Mt. Tabor — an extinct volcano and one of the highest points in Portland — and jumped right into a major remodel.

“We did a fast and furious remodel just to make the house livable because it was pretty disgusting,” recalls Kami. “We lived here and did the whole thing in six weeks. There was a ton of old wallpaper, and the house really smelled bad — I can see why we were the only people making offers on this house! But we saw the potential.”

Kami is an interior designer and Bryant is a builder, and together they are a remodel dream team. Their collective professional experience helped keep the renovation budget low and in check. “Our budget was $30k to do the entire house, including the kitchen and two baths.”

The new relationship survived the remodel even though they sometimes disagreed on finishes. “Bryant fought for all the wood. Normally I would have painted more, but I agreed with him — this is a mid-century modern and we wanted to keep the original feel.”

The split-level layout affords the couple their own living spaces; she uses the master bedroom and bath as her “quarters,” and he has a bath and office all his own on the lower level. When they first moved in, they joked that they could even have their own kitchens.

It’s no surprise that Kami’s proudest DIY is all of it. “We redid the entire interior of the house ourselves. The before and after is pretty dramatic. And we spent 31k. Felt pretty good about that.”

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: Mid-Century Modern, Eclectic, Global

Inspiration: Living in Morocco as a kid, era of 1960s/’70s, home was built in 1963, Mid-Century Modern

Favorite Element: The living room with its giant picture windows overlooking the city from Mt. Tabor.

Biggest Challenge: 40 steps up to my front door from the street

What Friends Say: That my house is totally me. Quirky with style.

Biggest Embarrassment: The wrought-iron railings leading up to my front door. Unfortunately, someone painted them glossy black and they are all chipped and will be quite the undertaking to fix them.

Proudest DIY: My husband is a builder so we redid the entire interior of the house ourselves. The before and after is pretty dramatic. And we spent 31K. Felt pretty good about that.

Biggest Indulgence: No big splurges on my end. My husband has some gorgeous furniture he bought while we were on a trip to Hong Kong together long before we got married and moved in together. His dining room table and chairs are pretty special, too.

Best Advice: Blend different styles and make sense of the combination through color.

Dream Sources: Maven Collective in Portland, Oregon. Four Hands, based in Austin, Texas for furniture. Appetite. Surya for pillows, throws, and small decor items. Creative Co-op for home decor items.

Resources:

PAINT & COLORS
Benjamin Moore Simply White
The entire house interior is painted in this color, except for the office.

ENTRY
Aeros Chandelier from Rejuvenation (Unfortunately, they only make the pendant now and the chandelier is no longer available.)
Kat and Mouche Moroccan Wedding Blanket Wall Hanging. I won it at a Pantsuits for Hillary event.

LIVING ROOM
Clifton Sofa in Seagrass Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
Navy/Cream Pillow — Surya
Coffee Table — vintage
Sedgwick recliner in cognac — West Elm
Navy/Natural basket — Surya
Cowhide Rug — Etsy
Credenza in Black — DWR

LOUNGE/BAR
TV/Bar Cart — Vintage
Accent Chair — Vintage
Coffee Table — Custom made by Gearhart Ironwerks
Leather Rug — Uttermost
Fur Lounge Chairs — Bought while traveling in Hong Kong
Pillows on Lounge Chairs — Pendleton

DINING ROOM
Table and Chairs — Urban Hardwoods in Seattle
Sheepskins — Ikea

KITCHEN
Subway tile — Dal Rittenhouse 3×6″ Color 0190
Quartz — Silestone
Nook Table — Ikea
Nook Chairs — DWR, no longer available

BEDROOM
Console table — vintage
Dresser — vintage

BATHROOM
Subway tile — Dal Rittenhouse 3×6″ Color 0190
Quartz— Silestone

FAMILY ROOM
Grammercy Sectional — Four Hands
Leather Chairs — Uttermost
Coffee Table — Four Hands

Thanks, Kami!


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