The project consists of three structures: a house, a tea pavilion, and a studio/garage linked by elevated wood walkways and decks. The renovation project focused on restructuring the home below its central skylight while revealing the entirety of its vaulted ceilings.
SITE
The Mori House, or Forest House, is situated on a forested site in the west hills of Portland, Oregon, with views east to Mt Hood. The house is approached from a detached garage/studio near the street via an elevated deck for entry which extends to the south and connects to the tea house pavilion.
PROGRAM
The new owners, a young couple with an appreciation for Zaik’s work, are drawn to an “East meets PNW” modernist minimalism with clean lines, clear alignments, and natural materials. Design goals for the project were to maximize natural light and views of the forest and sky, reconfigure the existing spiral stair vertical circulation, create clear separation to private program areas, and increase the usability of outdoor decks.
The resulting program comprises the living/dining/kitchen and primary suite on the main level and three flexible bedrooms, a bathroom, a hangout space, a wine cellar, and laundry on the lower walkout level.
DESIGN
On the main floor, the entry is retained but the experience is dramatically altered by removing the existing loft, spiral staircase, and furred-down ceilings to unveil the distinctive nail-laminated wood vaulted ceiling/roof extending up to the central skylight. Clarifying the spatial organization now allows views from all main level spaces to see and experience the forest-filtered light in numerous, changing ways throughout the day and seasons. Key spatial interventions include a new switchback stair next to the entry on the southwest side of the house, a revamped primary suite that runs on the north side of the house, and open living, dining, and kitchen spaces to the south. In place of the spiral stair sits an entry closet and powder room that borrows light from the skylight above.
New openings frame particular views out into the landscape including the kitchen, which incorporates a horizontal window above the cooktop, offering views of mature rhododendrons. A new glass door and a picture window above the sink provide direct access to the existing deck and teahouse pavilion. The wall that separated the kitchen is now open to a dining nook featuring a custom fir bench in front of floor-to-ceiling glass. Directly adjacent to the living room, the relocated fireplace flips the primary seating towards the south and views of the forest and, on clear days, Mount Hood beyond. The former fireplace area now houses a built-in bar and tech closet.
Separated by the central space under the skylight, the primary suite is defined by a new fir slat screen aligning with the refinished exposed beams to allow light into the hall and bathroom. This suite transforms an existing bedroom and bathroom with low ceilings into a spacious primary bathroom with an adjacent walk-in closet. The primary bathroom includes a Japanese soaking tub, a thoughtfully detailed vanity in volcanic stone, custom medicine cabinets with integrated LED lighting, and transom windows to bring light from the skylight in, filtered through the fir slat screen.
The datum of existing beams and wood slats also defines the new switchback stair volume and filters light from the skylight to the lower level. The stair descends to a hangout space with floor-to-ceiling glazing overlooking the forest. The lower level also includes three refurbished private, flexible spaces suitable for bedrooms, home offices, or workout rooms, along with a new bath and a wine cellar tucked beneath the stairs.
