Houzz Tour: 1930s Colonial-Style Home Gets Cozy
An Oregon designer weaves in traditional comfort, European touches and a dash of granny style for clients from Iceland
This husband and wife hail from Iceland but met in the United States, married and had a son here. After years of living in a contemporary-style apartment in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, they decided to pull up roots and move to a gracious 1930s Colonial-style house in Portland, Oregon. “My clients really wanted to embrace the home and make it cozy,” says their interior designer, Jenni Leasia. “After living with modern and contemporary furniture in New York for years, one of my clients told me, ‘I actually really love my grandmother’s furniture!’” This inspired the designer to use layers of textiles, comfortable furniture and a few Icelandic-inspired touches to embrace traditional warmth.
After. “In order to make sure they would use it, we replaced all of the windows and doors with energy-efficient ones and added radiant heat beneath the flooring,” Leasia says. The floor is a beautiful handmade terra-cotta tile. The built-in bench was already there, and Leasia cozied it up with new cushions and a mix of textiles in warm colors for the pillows. Bamboo chairs around a wood table create an inviting conversation area. The room opens to the terrace on the left. The garden views on three sides make this a spot everyone in the family enjoys.
Coffee table: Arteriors; chairs: McGuire; tile: Pratt & Larson
Coffee table: Arteriors; chairs: McGuire; tile: Pratt & Larson
Living Room
Before. “It was mostly the dark mauve paint making this room so dark and drab before,” Leasia says. “And with 8-foot ceilings, the fireplace surround was oddly out of scale.”
Before. “It was mostly the dark mauve paint making this room so dark and drab before,” Leasia says. “And with 8-foot ceilings, the fireplace surround was oddly out of scale.”
After. “To bring in the cozy, we chose a true bone for the paint color. This is Sherwin-Williams Antique White, and it’s soft with a hint of gray to it,” Leasia says.
She went with a vintage Persian rug that came from Tufenkian founder James Tufenkian’s personal collection. Draperies in light colors soften the room, brass finishes add warmth, and layers of textiles such as the linen on the chairs, caramel leather on the upholstered ottoman-coffee table and a traditional Icelandic throw blanket make things comfortable and inviting.
Chairs: Lee Industries; coffee table-ottoman: custom; browse leather coffee tables
She went with a vintage Persian rug that came from Tufenkian founder James Tufenkian’s personal collection. Draperies in light colors soften the room, brass finishes add warmth, and layers of textiles such as the linen on the chairs, caramel leather on the upholstered ottoman-coffee table and a traditional Icelandic throw blanket make things comfortable and inviting.
Chairs: Lee Industries; coffee table-ottoman: custom; browse leather coffee tables
The existing 1930s millwork and glass between the sunroom stayed, while the fireplace got a new wood surround that’s more appropriate for the home’s style and period. “A 1930s Colonial would have had a wood surround like this,” Leasia says. The hearth and immediate surround are a porcelain tile that looks like honed natural stone.
Ceiling light: Tilden, Visual Comfort
Ceiling light: Tilden, Visual Comfort
Opposite the sunroom, Leasia nestled a British Colonial game table into a bay window. The bamboo set was an inexpensive eBay find. “The table still has its wonderful old leather top,” Leasia says. She added new cushions and a large lantern overhead.
Lantern: Honore, Visual Comfort
Lantern: Honore, Visual Comfort
After. Leasia widened the opening between the rooms and gave it an extra-deep casing. On the kitchen side, these thickened walls allow for a drink station on one side and recessed shelves in the breakfast nook on the other. By the way, that’s the family’s dog, Coco, who enjoyed posing on photo shoot day.
After. The new kitchen is a mix of warm white cabinetry and warm quarter-sawn oak on the island and plate rack. The backsplash tile was handmade locally. “It has such beautiful variation in color,” Leasia says.
The range cooking station is rendered in cool, shiny stainless steel and chrome, while the island is warmed by its oak base and brass trimmings. The cabinet hardware is from Portland-based company Rejuvenation.
The plate rack is a nod to Icelandic-Scandinavian style. “We thought about cabinets and open shelves but then decided to custom-design this plate rack,” Leasia says. “They really get a lot of use out of it.” The stools were one of the few modern items that came with the clients from their home in Harlem.
Another European influence stems from the clients’ attitude toward marble counters. “One of the most important questions I ask my clients is if they want everything in their kitchen to still look new in five years,” Leasia says. “If they do, then the wear and tear marble sustains is not for them. But these clients looked forward to working in the kitchen every day and embracing the marks it would leave behind.”
Backsplash tile: Tempest Tileroom; cabinet hardware: Massey, Rejuvenation; ceiling light: Visual Comfort; hood: custom, with liner by Vent-a-Hood; faucet: Kallista; sink: Riverby, Kohler; cabinets and plate rack: Oregon Custom Cabinets; wall paint: Elephant Tusk, Benjamin Moore; cabinet paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore
The range cooking station is rendered in cool, shiny stainless steel and chrome, while the island is warmed by its oak base and brass trimmings. The cabinet hardware is from Portland-based company Rejuvenation.
The plate rack is a nod to Icelandic-Scandinavian style. “We thought about cabinets and open shelves but then decided to custom-design this plate rack,” Leasia says. “They really get a lot of use out of it.” The stools were one of the few modern items that came with the clients from their home in Harlem.
Another European influence stems from the clients’ attitude toward marble counters. “One of the most important questions I ask my clients is if they want everything in their kitchen to still look new in five years,” Leasia says. “If they do, then the wear and tear marble sustains is not for them. But these clients looked forward to working in the kitchen every day and embracing the marks it would leave behind.”
Backsplash tile: Tempest Tileroom; cabinet hardware: Massey, Rejuvenation; ceiling light: Visual Comfort; hood: custom, with liner by Vent-a-Hood; faucet: Kallista; sink: Riverby, Kohler; cabinets and plate rack: Oregon Custom Cabinets; wall paint: Elephant Tusk, Benjamin Moore; cabinet paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore
Kitchen Nook
Before. Here’s where things get surprising. “It takes brave clients to want to spend money to make their home smaller,” Leasia says. “But the breakfast nook disconnected from the rest of the kitchen — it was down this dead space of a hallway and it made the back of the house look odd from the outside.” So they agreed to rip it down.
Before. Here’s where things get surprising. “It takes brave clients to want to spend money to make their home smaller,” Leasia says. “But the breakfast nook disconnected from the rest of the kitchen — it was down this dead space of a hallway and it made the back of the house look odd from the outside.” So they agreed to rip it down.
After. This allowed for a cozy new nook that feels connected to the kitchen. The new deep cased opening between it and the dining room allowed for the recessed display shelves on the right. The table is from Ikea, the bench cushions are easy-to-wipe faux leather and the ceiling light matches the one over the island.
Cushion fabric: Southfork, Kravet; pedestal table: Ikea; browse more pedestal tables
Cushion fabric: Southfork, Kravet; pedestal table: Ikea; browse more pedestal tables
Floor Plan
Here you can see the ghost of the old breakfast nook and the new nook, at top left. The plan also shows the large opening between the kitchen and dining room. One feature we don’t have a photo of is the kitchen beverage station, which takes advantage of the new thick wall between the kitchen and dining room for easy service to both spaces, out of the way of the kitchen work area.
Also not shown in the plan is the terrace, so you’ll have to imagine it — now expanded across the back of the house from the sunroom all the way behind the kitchen. “It’s really become this great outdoor living room now that it’s not all chopped up,” Leasia says. The unmarked space beneath the sunroom is the living room.
Here you can see the ghost of the old breakfast nook and the new nook, at top left. The plan also shows the large opening between the kitchen and dining room. One feature we don’t have a photo of is the kitchen beverage station, which takes advantage of the new thick wall between the kitchen and dining room for easy service to both spaces, out of the way of the kitchen work area.
Also not shown in the plan is the terrace, so you’ll have to imagine it — now expanded across the back of the house from the sunroom all the way behind the kitchen. “It’s really become this great outdoor living room now that it’s not all chopped up,” Leasia says. The unmarked space beneath the sunroom is the living room.
Den
One spot that remained relatively untouched was this den, which was already pretty cozy. “It’s wonderful to watch how projects and plans can evolve,” Leasia says. “Originally my clients wanted to paint over the pine paneling with lacquered paint, but as they got to know the house better they wanted to keep it and embraced all of its knots. If there’s one thing we have a lot of in Oregon it’s wood, and this room is so typical of a 1930s Colonial here that I’m glad they did.” She furnished the room with comfy olive leather armchairs, a custom ottoman and even a little friend for Coco.
Takeaways for Cozy, Inviting Style
Chairs: Lee Industries; leather dog: Jonathan Adler; ceiling light: Balthazar, Visual Comfort
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One spot that remained relatively untouched was this den, which was already pretty cozy. “It’s wonderful to watch how projects and plans can evolve,” Leasia says. “Originally my clients wanted to paint over the pine paneling with lacquered paint, but as they got to know the house better they wanted to keep it and embraced all of its knots. If there’s one thing we have a lot of in Oregon it’s wood, and this room is so typical of a 1930s Colonial here that I’m glad they did.” She furnished the room with comfy olive leather armchairs, a custom ottoman and even a little friend for Coco.
Takeaways for Cozy, Inviting Style
- Go with warm over bright when choosing white paint.
- Layer in lots of textiles — rugs, drapes, upholstery, throw pillows and throws.
- Incorporate items that remind you of the house or locale where you grew up.
- Mix in warm metals like gold, brass and bronze.
- Use layers of light. Table lamps and floor lamps are key.
- Don’t paint over wood paneling in haste. Give the wood a little time to see if it grows on you.
Chairs: Lee Industries; leather dog: Jonathan Adler; ceiling light: Balthazar, Visual Comfort
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
House at a Glance
Location: Portland, Oregon
Designer: Jenni Leasia Design
Process. Technology allowed these homeowners to communicate with designer Jenni Leasia. They bought the house after two quick visits to Portland, Oregon, then took off to meet up with their families in Iceland for the summer. Most of the design consultations took place over Skype.
“Designers and their clients communicate so much over the internet these days it wasn’t that different from how we work today,” Leasia says. “But in order to make it work as a designer, you have to document everything you are doing as clearly as possible, with lots of visual references like drawings and photographs. Most importantly, you have to establish trust.”
Style. Refreshed traditional with Icelandic-European touches.
Scope of work. The project was completed in two phases. For the first phase, the entire house got new paint and wallpaper, new flooring, furniture, finishes, window coverings and lighting. The bulk of the work was completed while the clients were in Iceland, and they were able to move in when they returned. During their long Icelandic trip the following summer, phase two took place: a full renovation of the kitchen, including a change to the footprint.