Champlain Drive Remodel
Main Floor Remodel · Northwest Portland
This Tudor-era home sits high in Portland's west hills with views toward Mount Hood. They loved the neighborhood and the bones of the house, but the existing kitchen wasn't working for them. A cramped, dated layout barely appreciated the views that set the home apart.
Tweto Architecture designed a new kitchen that embraced the views, increased usable storage, and gave the clients, both avid cooks, a layout where they could share the space without crowding each other. Small, strategic changes to the adjacent dining room and living room unify the three spaces and make the whole main floor feel new.
Contractor: New Roots Renovation
Photography: 22 Pages Photography
The existing kitchen had been remodeled around 2000 and was showing its age. The layout was compromised and cramped by walls that needlessly jog, breaking up the cabinet run. A small window above the sink teased with limited views of Mount Hood. The tight spaces made sharing the kitchen impossible. A small passage between the dining area and the kitchen limited sociability. The existing dining room had a large vinyl sliding door that felt out of place and limited usability of both the dining room and terrace.
The kitchen was expanded by a few square feet into the existing garage space. This small addition allowed for a much more generous layout. With the expansion, there was room to add a compact island that maximizes usability. Tall cabinets fill in one wall of the kitchen lacking views and a matching coffee cabinet unit bookends the largely open cooking area. The island contains the sink and is just large enough to allow for working and socializing on both sides. Generous full-height windows and a glazed terrace door now connect the kitchen directly to the exterior deck and views of Mount Hood.
The dining nook, now used as an art studio, was improved by replacing the windows and full-height doors with more standard size, quality units that retained views while allowing furniture against the exterior walls and made the space much more comfortable. The dining area received new, large windows to match the kitchen and allow furniture placement on the deck wall.
Before
After