Ocean Front Hotel Renovation

The design challenge renovating a 1970's era beachfront hotel had to do with the long narrow rooms with windows only at one end.  The renovated rooms had to be comfortable and cozy because guests could be confined inside during Pacific Northwest Coast stormy weather.  On wider rooms a day bed was extended onto the deck as a glassed-in alcove as a cozy place to watch dramatic storm driven surf.  The bed uses a common double mattress so it could also be additional sleeping space within the room.

The "Pullman" bed was also used in narrower rooms by offsetting an alcove with the adjacent room.  An additional child's trundle bed could be pulled out from below creating a flexible room for families. This also broke up the long parallel walls giving the room more character than it had before.

Modernizing a Portland House Details

Creating a more contemporary feel for this house remodel involved using more modern materials with simple detailing that highlighted contrasting colors, shapes and textures.

Before - After rooms views of this project can be seen here.

Modernizing a Portland House

A recent whole house renovation I completed involved modernizing a nondescript 1980's era home.  The renovation involved replacing all the windows and doors, new roof, new bathrooms and new LED lighting throughout. The challenge was to create a very contemporary interior in architectural spaces that were generic and definitely not modern in character.  The solution was to find a balance between clean minimalist details and contemporary surfaces that would not look out of place in the existing building.  The overall effect is bright light filled spaces with warm wood finishes that create a comfortable daily living environment.

Jumby Bay Estate House

This is a design proposal presented to Jumby Bay for new dining facilities at the Estate House.  The Estate House dates back to early colonial days of the Island as a sugar plantation, and had been modified by the time we got involved in the design of the Island and resort in 1983.  It was two buildings made out of three foot thick ruble walls with a courtyard between paved in colonial era English bricks used as ballast on sailing ships carrying the rum and molasses back to Europe.  Unfortunately those bricks were lost one year when a hotel manager had them taken up because their uneven surface made the tables wobble.  The stone rubble walls, fortunately, proved to be more resistant to impromptu renovations and remain to this day.

In 1983 we added a small wooden dining pavilion between the courtyard and a beautiful Saman tree.  Over the years extensions were added eventually creating the unique outdoor dining experience Jumby Bay became known for. However, it was very difficult space for hotel staff to provide service, especially in blowing rain.  This design concept replaces that dining area with a new wing that is in the spirit of the original Estate House and embraces the Saman Tree (which by now has survived major hurricanes and grown into a commanding tree with an incredibly broad canopy).

This new dining room has thick Caribbean stone walls, 20 foot high ceilings and 12' high doors that can be closed when air conditioning is needed or allow evening meal service to continue in torrential rains.  The new wing is surrounded by a wrap around terrace allowing outside dining that is, for the most part, protected on the leeward side from blowing rain.  No guest is seated more than one table from the view or lush tropical gardens under the canopy of the Saman tree.  An elegant yet intimate dining experience that is central to the Jumby Bay style of casual elegance.

Contemporary House Plan 1 Evolution

A design should be flexible enough to accommodate different lifestyle changes that occur over the time a person lives in a building. This post shows how those changes can happen in the previously posted Contemporary House Plan 1 without any change in the buildings footprint. No matter how carefully a house is designed for a particular client, changes in their life over time may necessitate modifications to the building. This design allows a house to start out as a 1,600 sf plan and expand up to 2,600 sf within it's foundation. This is important if the house is on a tight site where local zoning regulations may preclude, due to setbacks or site coverage limits, the ability to expand or add on.

This example converts the garage space into a family room by opening to the kitchen and the rest of the ground floor as well the interior courtyard. A "catch all" storage room is retained for stuff usually stored in a garage, such as garden equipment or snow tires. Upstairs, two bedrooms are created that share a full bath along with an additional storage closet. This would be a very cost effective remodel to accomplish since it involves very little site work, no breaks in the exterior skin (other than two windows), and does not involve disruption of the main living areas in the house.

Portland River House Renovation 2

The interior of this riverfront home in Portland was designed to display the client's eclectic art collection that included brightly colored paintings and prints. Neutral wall colors with rich wood cabinetry and a bronze fireplace chimney compliment the dramatic artwork. Fortunately the house faces north providing abundant north light for viewing the collection. Interior design was done by Rose Capestany of RCI Interiors, Seattle, Washington.