Oregon Home | 39 EVERY DESIGN PROJECT ends up being a collaboration, but working with a household of art-loving creative directors presents a special opportunity for designing intentional spaces. For Jessica Hansen and the team behind Portland-based Tandem Design, this free flow of ideas between creatives was what made their work on a 1980s contemporary in Northwest Portland’s Forest Park so satisfying. “There is really a soul in every house,” Hansen says. “Our philosophy is really to keep what works and what is worth keeping instead of tearing everything out.” A former wardrobe stylist, Hansen knew that working with two creative directors would involve a deep partnership with clients who already know their tastes and would be able to contribute ideas about style, color and form. The couple even made a visual style guide called a deck for the project before discussing with Hansen, who sees herself as a creative director for the remodel. “There’s more than one way to crack an egg,” Hansen says. “Our purpose is to support the homeowner in the ways that they need.” Hansen met the clients at one of the regular networking events she holds at her home. The house they had purchased in a wooded area of Portland had a 1980s feel to it, with arched windows and other vestiges of the era. The main living space had expansive ceiling heights and a workable floor plan that they kept. But some of the spaces still felt dark and kind of drab, and the home’s main surfaces and materials felt dated. “We didn’t have to do anything structurally,” Hansen says. “We already had a lot to work with.” As with many remodels, finding unique ways to update dated looks and a lack of function drove the big-picture process in the home. The project proceeded in two phases, encompassing all of the home’s spaces, including a kitchen, dining room, living room, bedrooms and four bathrooms. First, working with LUX Construction, Tandem redid the floors, switched up the tile in the entry and traded out the old railing for a new, more modern one. Tandem Design kept some of the original elements of the 1980s contemporary, such as its large, arched windows.
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