Here Comes The... Sun
A West Hills Victorian beams bright with color, style, and warmth
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A. STARRY LIGHTS
Spies lusts after these lamps by Dutch company Zenza. With their silver-plated, pierced shades casting shimmering patterns on ceilings and walls, they would perfectly satisfy her urge for sparkle. zenza.nl
B. MIRROR IMAGE
California artist Deborah Childress finds branches and blossoms and makes impressions of the graceful forms for her mirrors, like this ginkgo-branch design that hangs in Spies and Sommer’s master
bathroom. $2,200 at
C. MATH SET
The elegant, burnished forms of Match pewter, made by hand in Northern Italy, are on Spies’s wish list for every holiday. Her favorite is a champagne bucket—last year’s Christmas gift from her husband. $103 for a spoon at Uptowne Papers, 9 NW 23rd Pl, uptownepapers.com
D. POWER POUFS
Intricate white silk embroidery softens the masculine black leather forms of these Moroccan poufs. Easily to move, and only 14 inches high, they do double duty as seats and side tables. $245 at Tazi Designs, tazidesigns.com
E. TRIM TAPERS
Inspired by the classic shapes of Biedermeier, Ted Muehling created a line of candlesticks that look like finely spun eggs resting on long rods of oxidized bronze; Spies keeps a pair on the couple’s bedroom fireplace mantel. $144–1,008 at Ornamo, ornamo.com
F. COLORS UNDERFOOT
Birds perch on branches of a flowering tree set against a lush red backdrop in this Chinese Hamadan rug by Michaelian & Kohlberg. To satisfy Spies’s penchant for pink, blossoms were lightened to cream for her custom version. $4,900 at Madison Millinger, 1307 NW Glisan St, madisonmillinger.com
G. WOOD WORKS
From fanciful whorls to intricate forms, Portland furniture maker Kai Fuhrmann has a well-honed ability to create sophisticated styles for custom requests—Spies has a living room bench with legs that mimic the Ted Muehling candlesticks. 1421 SE Gideon St, Suite C, pdxmasterfurnituremaker.com
The master suite is a calm retreat in serene blues. In the bedroom, a Restoration Hardware bed is flanked by side tables made by local artisan Kai Fuhrmann.
View Slideshow »In the dining room, a large Mexican dining table and Crate & Barrel chairs are lit from above by a classic Fortuny pendant.
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“I don’t think a house can have enough mirrors,” says Spies. In the living room, oversize mirrors bounce beams from the various lamps throughout the house.
View Slideshow »In the light-filled master bathroom, an antique chair provides an unconventional lounging spot.
ON A FROSTY WINTER MORNING, as the wind whips around shivering trees in the West Hills, Jessica Spies and Martin Sommer’s home beckons like a beacon of light. The graceful, century-old Victorian with a farmhouse mien has a wraparound porch that invites guests up the steps and through the front door. Inside, the fireplace crackles, Legos are scattered underfoot, and aromas of beef bourguignonne waft through the air. “I wanted the house to feel like sunshine,” Spies says.
Spies, a busy dermatopathologist, and Sommer, a software engineer, followed their jobs to Portland from Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2007 with their young son, Max. Lamenting the absence of desert light and clear skies, they were determined to find a bright, airy house to compensate for the gray outside. They fell in love with their home’s large rooms, plentiful windows, and ample 3,700 square feet, as well as its location in the storied Ainsworth grid. It was an added perk that the house had already been extensively remodeled by two previous sets of owners, who had added trim, overhauled the kitchen, and knocked down walls. All that remained, then, was to put their own personal stamp on the place with décor—for assistance, they turned to local firm Jessica Helgerson Interior Design.
Often, when a designer is called in to decorate, the designer’s style ends up filling the space. In this case, Helgerson was stonewalled. Spies, a vivacious blonde and self-professed fashion maven known by first name at Mario’s, had a clear vision of a comfortably elegant space tinged with Hollywood glamour—she just didn’t know how to achieve the look on her own. “She has a strong point of view,” says designer Andy Beers, who worked on the project at Helgerson’s office before co-founding his own firm, Ore Studios. “She just needed a filter and someone to tell her which pieces to add to make it cohesive.”
Published: February 2011
Nice house kid.
I love it! Yay Jessica!
I love the Moroccan style home decorating, it is absolutely one of the best
if you would like to lean more about Moroccan style home decorating and Moorish interior design feel free to visit: http://www.sainttropezboutique.us
Cheers,
Maria,