Georgian Facelift - It Begins

This is the first installment about one of our ongoing projects which is currently under construction. A couple from Portland, OR with three young children hired Stephan Jones|Studio to re-design the front façade and landscaping of their Georgian-style house. There were three particular challenges to this project: downscaling the façade to blend with the owners’ aesthetic as well as that of the neighborhood; creating privacy from the main thoroughfare on which it is located; managing the project from afar, particularly at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is making site visits impossible.

Georgian home, built in 2004

Toning Down the Facade

The family is the second owner of the grand two-story Georgian home, built in 2004. The Georgian style can be elegant, with a focus on symmetry, scale and proportion. But this particular residence featured a façade with overly formal details that were not properly scaled to the house. The new owners loved the home’s location and it suits their growing children and lifestyle, but were uncomfortable with the formal and grand design gestures of the front façade of the house.

The first item on Stephan’s agenda was to strip away the façade’s extraneous features to simplify the design and make it feel more “human scaled.” His goal was to make the house more approachable by adding a modern feel while still retaining traditional references.

Stephan and his studio had been working with them on the interior of their home when they commissioned Stephan to turn his attention to the re-design of the front exterior. They wanted the exterior to be in keeping with both their own point of view and tastes and the Portland neighborhood in which they lived.

The work included stripping off the dentil molding around the crown of the house, removing the entry colonnade, the pilasters on the outside corners and the dormer windows. Essentially eliminating the excess detailing.

It also involved designing a new front porch and landscaping. When the project is completed, the result will be a respectful update of the house by creating a hybrid of traditional and contemporary elements. It will marry the home’s exterior with the interior, with its tasteful mix of antiques and mid-century furniture and a blend of colors and textures.

Making it Private

The house is sited on a downward sloping property, situated 15 feet lower than street level with an open front yard, inviting the gaze of passers-by while offering no protection from their curiosity.

Stephan's goal was to create not only privacy but also a more artful outdoor space where the family would enjoy spending time. Instead of just being a place to walk through to get to the front door, it will become an extension of the living space that will function as an outdoor room. The front area also presented an opportunity to design an exterior environment that represents a blend of the modern with the traditional, in keeping with the house itself.

Design an exterior environment

The design involves moving the gates further down the driveway and installing a privacy hedge of Portuguese laurel, a lush plant that grows densely in the area. The pedestrian approach to the house from the auto court will be reconfigured with a bluestone terrace organized by a series of low-clipped hedges and an allee of trees.

Managing the Project Remotely

The owners and their property are located in Portland while Stephan's office is in Los Angeles, but the firm's ability to manage projects remotely has always been one its fortes. In fact, 90% of their projects are outside of the city or state. The combination of that experience with the quality of the team working on the project, including the general contractor and landscapers, has made this project proceed smoothly. Equally important are the effort and time spent in the planning phase.

Since most of the work is being done on the exterior of the home there is a limited number of workers on site, and the project has been up and running during the pandemic. It is also fortunate that the family owns a second home outside of Portland to which they can escape for periods during the construction work.

In short, there are some of the ingredients for making this a successful project:

First and foremost, a good team to support the process.
A solid plan, which in this case was three years in the making.
Good communication, and the ability to communicate remotely, are key.
Finally, a schedule is essential, but disruptions were to be expected due to unpredictability caused by the pandemic.
Keep an eye out for an update on this project as the work proceeds!