As International Style modernism flourished in the mid-20th century, architects in the Pacific Northwest developed a regional version, fusing the glassy transparency of Mies van der Rohe and Richard Neutra with a reverence for natural wood and pitched roofs. But by the time Ty and Kelly Milford found one such gem, a succession of past alterations had marred its original design. Acclaimed local architect Saul Zaik had built the wood-clad Feldman House in Southwest Portland in 1956, with a dramatically cantilevered, low-pitched gable roof and floor-to-ceiling glass. So why was there a post right in the middle of the family room? Why were the ceilings taller in the bathroom than in the master bedroom?
“We wanted to put back the part of Saul’s design that had been remodeled out of the house,” recalls Ty Milford, a photographer and midcentury-design enthusiast with a collection of George Nelson clocks in his bedroom and two vintage Porsches parked outside. “We didn’t want to go back exactly to the original kitchen and bathrooms,” he says, but he notes that subsequent renovations had been on a budget—and it showed. “We wanted a cohesive house where at no point did something jump out as not fitting.”
The exterior sconces are original to Zaik's 1956 design. JHID rebuilt the rear deck off the living room, which connects to an aggregate patio; the two architectural elements are connected by pathways in variegated bluestone designed by Lilyvilla Gardens.
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