Though this house isn’t terribly old—originally built in 2003 in Oregon City, a suburb of Portland—the original interiors weren’t exactly sparking joy for the homeowner. She called on Noelle Harvey, Owner, Principal Designer, and Creative Director of Sunday House, to help breathe new life into the kitchen and living areas.
“Oregon has a fair number of gray days, so the dark cherry wood that was so popular in the early aughts wasn’t doing the space any favors,” Noelle recalls. “We wanted to open up the space with lots of lighter colors and textures, while also honoring the stunning natural landscape of the Pacific Northwest.” The client, who works at tile, stone, and accessory house Ann Sacks, had a beautiful stone slab that had green tones throughout. That slab—Ann Sacks “The Mia”—ultimately set the tone for the entire remodel.
“Our client was so unique because not only was she just a good human to work with, but she also works in the industry and works with top designers and design influencers as part of her day job, which means she has a great sense of style and is really open to new ideas,” the designer explains. “The downside was that being around it day in and day out meant that she had a kind of decision paralysis, so she turned to us to help her narrow her vision.”
She had been living in the house for seven years before embarking on the remodel, so she had a great sense of what worked and what didn’t. “For example, she found high cabinets difficult to use, so we took out all but two and put in lots of deep drawers instead,” Noelle explains. “She also loved cooking and entertaining for large groups, so we expanded the island so it could be a place to catch up with her kids after school or the serving area for a large dinner party.”
Style-wise, the Mia slab was not only used as a statement backsplash but also as a shelf. “They told us it couldn’t be done! We ended up having to reinforce the studs and make them bigger and longer, but we figured it out, and it makes such a difference in the kitchen to have a shelf you can put a few special things on,” Noelle recalls. They also added a bar nook across from the island and defined the space with Ann Sacks tile.
In the pantry, they used the Ann Sacks Kelly Wearstler Liaison mosaic tile on the floor. “Our client was a self-admitted tile hoarder, an occupational hazard,” the designer says with a laugh. “She had originally planned on a simple checkerboard in the pantry, but when she showed us the Kelly Wearstler hiding in her garage, we convinced her that a bolder tile was the way to go, and the pantry was the perfect place to take more of a risk.”
In addition to the kitchen area, Sunday House also updated the living room, refreshing the built-ins and installing a custom cast-stone fireplace from Oregon Casting Design. They replaced the flooring and brought in all new furniture, including a custom sofa from Castellano’s Custom Furniture.
Noelle says that from the conceptual phase to the final installation day was roughly 8 months. “Our client was so blown away, we got tears after our final reveal—which of course is always our goal.”
Take a tour in the slideshow.
