A woman stands with one hand on the marble counter of an island in a large open kitchen with spherical pendant lights and painted custom cabinets.

Homeowners Ana Quiñones and Eric Karl embraced the city views, abundant natural light, and high ceilings of their SW Portland, Oregon condominium. A decade spent in the condo and working from home during a global pandemic gave them an opportunity to reevaluate, envisioning improvements to the space where they now spend much of their time, both professionally and socially.

Painted kitchen cabinets with a custom wine cooler and drawers below it, with floating wood shelves holding books and glassware over a countertop.

A photorealistic 3D render drawing of a kitchen with floor to ceiling cabinets, an island with bar stools, a wine bar, and marble counters.

CASEWORK ON BUILDING TRUST AND THE DESIGN VISION

It’s important to develop and communicate the design concept in the early stages so the client can see the vision. We do this through 3d renderings, in-person material reviews, iterations, and as many visits to the project site as necessary.

Painted kitchen cabinets with a custom island, top, globe lights and dolomite backsplash. A wood dining room table with a coordinating marble top.

“Our cabinets were like a jigsaw puzzle where only two people in the world knew how to access things,”

They had developed a process for putting things away in the kitchen. says Eric. The couple loves to cook together – as far as cuisine goes, “We’re all over the map,” says Eric – but their existing island space was scant and the cabinets maxed out, even with their carefully calibrated approach. “After ten years, some things started to break down and the design was a bit stale,” says Eric. “We just really wanted to freshen the space and make it more enjoyable for us to be in.”

Several mugs, a plant, and artwork rest on a floating wood shelf above a sink with hand soap and a dish towel. A tea kettle sits on a gas cook range.

Casework Residential Interior Design Portland, Oregon. A professional steel double-oven, custom-painted cabinets, and a light kitchen rug.

Keywords

PURPOSEFUL

CLEAN

CULTIVATED

A textured abstract painting hangs on a wall above a walnut buffet cabinet, where a small plant sits on a book next to a modern metal table lamp.

A decorative open wire bowl full of fresh pears, mangoes, and a grapefruit sits atop a kitchen island with walnut and leather bar stools beneath it.

A floor plan drawing of the condo redesign showing the dining room, primary bedroom, guest bedroom, entry hall, closets, kitchen, and living room.

In a bedroom with walls painted to match its bedding, decorative pillows sit below a unique tapestry near a nightstand with a lamp, books, and clock.

A bedroom window with a view to the waterfront sheds light on a full-length mirror in a space with monochrome bedding, cushions, and walls.

A dolomite wrapped tub with a soap dish holding a sponge sits on its ledge in a room with hexagonal ceramic tile and built-in walnut storage cabinets.

What have you learned from this remodel that you would never do again?

What started as a kitchen remodel and to replace the flooring quickly evolved to add both bathrooms and paint and lighting throughout. Our client’s biggest learning moment from the project was -

Go big! We wish we would have updated a few more things once we moved out and had the whole crew of contractors on board.

It’s all in the details

Hidden behind the Primary Bathroom mirrors is pair of electrified medicine cabinets. Medicine cabinets have either a traditional or institutional look so we framed them with a custom walnut surround.

A wide wood-framed mirror sits on a wall next to a floral print artwork above tile backsplash and a floating bathroom vanity with a hand towel.

A soap dish and a vase with fresh flower stems sits on top of a custom walnut floating vanity with neatly folded towels on its lower open shelf.

What is the material that creates the biggest impact?

Dolomite! We used this material for the bathroom counters, the tub surround, and in the kitchen. Not only is it incredibly durable, but the heavily veined gray and white natural stone also creates major drama. For such a big surface, counters aren’t the most noticeable piece in a room until you turn that material up the wall and use it for the backsplash.