modern home tour 2023

2023 Portland Modern Home Tour has midcentury and new modern homes, and cool gardens, too

• Updated: May. 26, 2023, 8:22 a.m. |
• Published: May. 25, 2023, 7:54 a.m.

Since modern design doesn’t start at the front door, this year’s Portland Modern Home Tour includes a focus on landscaping as part of an inviting environment. Black Sheep Design

• Janet Eastman | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Architects’ private residences are revealing because they typically reflect experimenting with a style and adding very personal touches. The 2023 Portland Modern Home Tour on Saturday, June 3, offers the rare opportunity to see the modest, modern chalet celebrated architect Joachim Grube created in 1966 for his wife, Liz, and children on a hillside in Southwest Portland.

Joachim and Liz Grube lived in their home, hosting architects from around the world, for 55 years.

“The Joachim Grube Residence has had very minimal updates and is in nearly vintage condition in every way,” says Jeff Weithman of Real Estate Through Design , who will greet tour goers at the property as will members of the Grube family who still own the property.

In addition to experiencing Joachim Grube’s unique vision of Northwest Regional Style architecture, Weithman says visitors will see the art the architect and his wife collected and the woodblock prints he created.

The Portland Modern Home Tour also includes houses constructed by a carpenter in 1934 and a builder in 1965, as well as updated newer residences and accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

Since modern design doesn’t start at the front door, this year’s tour offers a new feature: Modern landscaping, which plays a role in setting an inviting environment.

Ticket holders ($45 each or $80 for two, at mads.media ) will also hear about energy-efficiency materials and smart design ideas from Portland architects, designers and builders during the tour, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Here are highlights of the 2023 Portland Modern Home Tour as described by event producers, the Modern Architecture + Design Society :

Architect’s hillside chalet: For a half century as a founding member of YGH Architecture , Joachim Grube designed projects around the world as detailed in his 2020 memoir, “A Window in History: An Architect at the Crossroads to Globalization.”

For his family, he designed an 1,800-square-foot house with glue-laminated wood beams, concrete walls and bookend terraces to sit on six concrete piers on sloped land in Southwest Portland’s Sylvan Highlands neighborhood . Inside, Grube installed wall-to-wall bookcases and contemporary artwork.

Don’t miss seeing a wood panel created by sculptor Leroy Setziol over the fireplace.

Next door is architect Richard A. Campbell’s modern chalet . Grube and Campbell split a parcel considered “unbuildable.” The Campbell family also lived in their home for decades.

Midcentury builder’s residence: The late midcentury builder and designer Kenneth Birkemeier’s personal residence in Northwest Portland’s Kings Heights was constructed in 1965 on a steep slope below the Pittock Mansion .

Modernism’s signature elements of expansive windows in spacious, open-plan rooms under cathedral ceilings are employed here, connecting the interior to views of four mountains, the Willamette River and the city’s skyline.

The two-story dwelling was renovated by the current owners in 2021. The redesign team at Giulietti Schouten Weber Architects in Portland improved the functionality of the main level and added a primary suite, office and powder room. The expanded deck cantilevers over the slope, enlarging the outdoor space adjacent to the living and dining rooms. Two guest bedrooms were relocated on the lower level.

Energy-saving improvements include new insulation, siding and windows. Seismic upgrades better secured the structure to the hillside.

Don’t miss seeing the original stone-clad fireplace in the living room.

Side-by-side custom homes: A half-acre lot in Southwest Portland’s Multnomah Village was divided into two parcels for new homes created by M.O.Daby Design for two sisters and their families. One of the houses on the tour reflects the Pacific Northwest Modern style with Oregon white oak flooring, cedar-clad ceiling and Douglas fir casework, window frames, doors and trim.

For both homes, Matthew O. Daby of Portland strategically placed metal-clad windows to capture the views, provide privacy and allow for passive solar access. The variety of exterior styles and textures include painted lap siding, natural wood cladding and board-formed concrete.

Notice that the metal shed and flat roofs respond to the sloping site. “Creating similar external shapes with different materials gives the effect of a ‘different but together’ visual that is emblematic of the relationship between these two families,” Daby explains.

Both houses are equipped with framing for a future elevator, blocking for grab bars and other mobility aids. Zero-barrier showers, wide hallways and doorframes, and main floors that can transition to single-level living allow the couples to age in place.

Each lower level is planned for a self-contained, one-bedroom ADU (accessory dwelling unit). High efficiency and sustainable features qualified the structures for Earth Advantage Platinum certification .

Surrounding the dwellings are low-maintenance concrete slabs with decomposed granite joints and board-formed concrete walls along with a rain garden and natural stone terrace designed by Method Landscape Architecture of Portland.

Renovated Pacific Northwest modern: Portland-based Aubrey McCormick and Walker Templeton of Black Sheep Design worked with Jason Karam of Process Architecture , also of Portland, to renovate a 1934 house into a sophisticated Pacific Northwest modern on a 1.6-acre park-like property in Southwest Portland’s Garden Home neighborhood.

The original builder and owner was a carpenter. The redesign team created spaces that blend the old with new. McCormick’s Twyne Design selected sustainable interior finishes throughout the 2,750-square-foot house.

Extending the entertainment area is a large deck and outdoor hardscape. A long, private drive leads to the detached garage and a studio.

The Slender House: Wendy Scott Design of Portland updated the Slender House , an architectural award-winning structure built in 2018 on a narrow lot in North Portland’s Mississippi District.

Designer Kristin Van Buskirk of the Woonwinkel shop in Portland suggested a color palette to harmonize with the existing quarter-sawn white oak flooring, cabinets and doors selected by architect Ben Waechter of Portland-based Waechter Architecture .

Accessories were found at local shops and antique stores. Bold, custom murals by Banyan Bridges of Vancouver, Washington, in the stairwell and primary bathroom tie the home’s color scheme together. Products by local makers displayed across 2,500 square feet of living space include Pratt + Larson marble tile and wall colors selected from Miller Paint’s Northwest Color Collection .

Behind the three-level, three-bedroom house is a courtyard linked to a standalone, drive-through garage with an upstairs apartment.

Don’t miss noticing the square stone pavers that serve as a continuous carpet for the property.

Architectural ADU: Webster Wilson Architect of Portland designed an architecturally ambitious backyard ADU (accessory dwelling unit) to share a lot with a larger house in Southeast Portland’s Mount Tabor Park area.

The 750-square-foot home, completed in 2023, has modern wood finishes, clean detailing and an abundance of see-through openings. The structure starts as a simple shed at the street, but then slides past the existing house and unfolds into a large living space with floor-to-ceiling glass viewing into a private garden.

Don’t miss seeing how floor space and storage are maximized in this small home.

Modern gardens

Outdoor entertaining: Fusion Landscape Design in Portland transformed a backyard with an uneven brick patio, weedy lawn and kids’ play area in Southeast Portland’s Colonial Heights into an inviting, year-round entertainment area.

The pavilion extending from the 1928 house was designed by eMZed Architecture of Portland. The covered outdoor area has a double-sided fireplace, heat lamps and screens for comfortable viewing. The partially enclosed grill station allows for barbecue dinners under the stars at the long dining table.

The landscape is enclosed by a gray-washed horizontal fence and a pollarded hornbeam hedge. Contemporary hex pavers are used for patios and gravel pathways lead to the casual lounge patio and the perennial garden.

Fusion Landscape Design also updated the front yard with a brick courtyard garden.

Don’t miss seeing the eco-smart pet relief zone.

Northwest contemporary garden: An 8,800-square-foot parcel surrounded by mature fir trees in Lake Oswego was re-created into lush landscapes by Helena Wagner of 4 Season Gardens in Portland.

Large boulders excavated from the property were strategically placed to accentuate and hold metal edging. Wooden arches define the entrance of the garden’s water feature and gravel paths lead to a covered sitting area with a fireplace.

Don’t miss seeing how low-maintenance plants offer a variety of texture, color and interest.

— Janet Eastman | 503-294-4072

[email protected] | @janeteastman

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THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT!

Modern Phoenix is back with our critically-acclaimed home tour of midcentury modern and contemporary modern homes on March 18, 2023.

We're setting aside our 10-day Modern Phoenix Week this year in favor of simplicity.

In the spirit of rebirth, we've put together a great one-day tour and hope you will rejoin our community for our first celebration after four years hiatus.

This event has sold out. Please click the ticket below to join the waitlist.

Modern Phoenix

Explore midcentury modern and contemporary homes on our award-winning self-guided tour of midtown, uptown, and east Phoenix/PV.

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All About the 2023 Austin Modern Home Tour

Whisper Valley is excited to be a part of the 2023 Austin Modern Home Tour , a prestigious annual event highlighting the area’s most interesting modern homes, on Saturday, Feb. 25! This year, a home by Thurman Homes in Whisper Valley was selected for the tour. Keep reading to learn more about the event and how to secure your tickets.

2023 Austin Modern Home Tour

The Austin Modern Home Tour is organized by the Modern Architecture + Design Society. Ticket holders can visit 11 homes on the tour and meet with architects, designers and builders to learn more about the home and answer questions. This year, the tour will also offer more activities including a Friday night VIP reception and a new Sunday tour extension featuring Lake Travis and Hill Country homes.

The tour lasts from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Feb. 25 at homes located across Austin. Limited tickets for the event are available. Click here to purchase!

General Admission for the Saturday tour is $45 for adults and $15 for children ages 10-17. VIP tourgoer tickets are priced at $100 and include access to the VIP reception, as well as the Saturday main tour and the Sunday tour. Consumers also have the ability to purchase 2-pack tickets at a discounted rate and general admission tickets that include the Sunday tour extension.

Thurman Homes in Whisper Valley

Thurman Homes has been a fixture of the Austin Modern Home Tour for years, but 2023 will feature their first tour home in Whisper Valley. Located at 9805 Chirpy Way, Thurman Homes selected this home specifically to showcase a truly unique energy-saving feature: hyper-efficient geothermal heating and cooling.

“Whisper Valley’s shared infrastructure approach to conservation, sustainability and energy efficiency lends a holistic approach to community unmatched anywhere in the world. If you are going to build modern, it just makes sense to build in a cutting-edge community,” ~Michael Thurman.

Austin Modern Home Tourgoers will get the chance to ask Thurman Homes president and CEO, Michael Thurman, about the revolutionary features included in his Whisper Valley home.

Thurman Tour Home

The 1,772-square-foot tour home showcases a contemporary façade incorporating alternating roof pitches reminiscent of a butterfly roof popularized in mid-century design, oversized decks overlooking the gorgeous greenbelt, and bespoke details like hidden deck fasteners and floor-to-ceiling designer curated tile to reinforce the modern aesthetic.

The sloped lot presented challenges, but Thurman chose to highlight the unique location with nearly 600 square feet of lower and upper decks that showcase one-mile views of the greenbelt. For more intimate outdoor living, step down into the terraced backyard to enjoy the privacy and warmth of the fire pit.

Inside, the open-concept first floor design includes a living room that immediately shows off sight lines to the greenbelt view, a large kitchen with wine fridge, a main-floor owner’s suite, a spacious 2-car garage with room for storage and electric vehicle charging, and a powder room for guest use. The home’s second floor includes a loft naturally lit by transom windows which leads to two bedrooms with walk-in closets and a hall bathroom serviced by a utility with ample, full-height cabinetry.

All these features thoughtfully work together for Thurman Homes’ Whisper Valley design. Proof that modern design and quality craftsmanship can be both attainable and sleek.

Learn About Whisper Valley

We invite all Austin Modern Home Tour attendees to also learn more about the Whisper Valley community by visiting our Discovery Center at 9400 Petrichor Boulevard Whisper Valley, TX 78653 .

Environmentally-sensitive living goes beyond the home in Whisper Valley. Our community features 700 acres of greenspace, parks and amenities including a resort-style pool, fitness center, show kitchen and activity room, a dog park, neighborhood parks, trails, organic gardens, and a planned 600-acre public park. Our community lifestyle director also plans outdoor fitness classes, an annual 5K run, healthy cooking classes and fun events for residents year-round.

Discover more about Whisper Valley by visiting our website or by calling 512-720-7467.

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Hamptons modernism celebrated in 20th Century Modern Home Tour 2023

Lovers of Hamptons modernism can take a deep dive into their favourite genre by joining the upcoming 20th Century Modern Home Tour 2023 this summer

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Take a deep dive into Hamptons modernism by joining the upcoming 20th Century Modern Home Tour 2023. Scheduled for Sunday 13 August 2023, this celebration of American modernist architecture is a summer staple for one of the country's most coveted resort spots. 

Antler House by Andrew Geller, interior

Exploring Hamptons modernism

Exploring the region's striking 20th century homes, the tour spans six iconic modernist properties in the Hamptons. All are private residences, so not typically available for public viewings, meaning guests will get a rare peek inside a series of architectural gems. A VIP ticket option also includes a tour of Onna house, 'a historic 1960s home restored by fashion icon Lisa Perry'. 

The special-access event also offers attendance to an intimate panel discussion with Caroline Zalensky, author of Long Island Modernism ; acclaimed architect Viola Rouhani of Stelle Lomont Rouhani; and Perry, moderated by Liz Waytkus from Docomomo. 

Antler House by Andrew Geller

Hamptons 20 Century Modern was founded by interior designer Timothy Godbold in early 2020 with a mission to raise awareness in order to help preserve the Hamptons' modernist architecture gems found in the region. 

‘I first became aware of Hamptons modernism casually, over many years of living there. From time to time, you come across a Jaffe or Gwathmey, and they immediately strike you,’ recalls Godbold. ‘After I was given the book  The Houses of the Hamptons  [by Paul Goldberger, 1986] last year, I posted some images of homes on Instagram, including a Norman Jaffe house on Meadow Lane in Southampton. It was then that someone mentioned that it had been torn down just a year before, and that really struck me. I went online to see what preservation societies were doing to protect these houses. I assumed there was a society for everything out here, but it turns out there was nothing.’

hamptons20centurymodern.org

Join the Hamptons 20th Century Modern Home tour 2023

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).

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• The Woodlands

This Spring Valley Village residence is the home and workspace of LEAM Design + Build owner and principal architect Luisa Aurrecoechea. (Estudio Rob Photo)

refuGe Design Studio modern farm house in Bellaire, Texas.

The studioMET design, the Capri residence, sits at the edge of Venetian Lake in Sugar Land (temporary photo)

2Scale Architects dwelling in Montrose's Hyde Park neighborhood (Photo by TK Studio)

2Scale Architects dwelling in Montrose's Hyde Park neighborhood. (Photo by TK Studio)

studioMET 5,000 square foot home in Hilshire Village

studioMET's 5,000 square foot home in Hilshire Villageis part of the Houston Modern Home Tour.

The Boxprefab precision built, environmentally friendly, and smartly designed prefabricated one bedroom, one bath unit.

Houston’s Most Fabulous Modern Homes to be Shown Off — From EaDo to Sugar Land, These Dwellings Are Cutting Edge

A home tour unlike any old home tour.

S aturday promises to bring a bright and sunny jump into warm weather making it the perfect day for exploring the diverse residences on the 2023 Houston Modern Home Tour. Doors are set to open on five houses in the greater metropolitan Houston area this Saturday, March 25 and at a special “Last Stop” at the Boxprefab factory for light refreshments and a walk through an ADU completed inside the warehouse.

The latter could be one of the most interesting sights of all as the ADU — aka garage apartment, mother-in-law-cottage, etc. — is fully built and staged. ADU is the modern term for accessory dwelling unit. And there will be light refreshments to conclude your day exploring the work of Houston’s talented architects and builders.

This annual event gives local architects, designers and home builders the opportunity to showcase their work directly to the community. The bonus: the self-guided tour provides an opportunity for participants to visit with the creators behind the designs and ask questions as they explore these unique dwellings.

Sponsored by the Austin-based Modern Architecture + Design, details on the homes are available  here and tickets can be purchased here . The tour is being presented by  BEC Engineers and Consultants .

Let’s take a closer sneak peek look at these Modern Houston Homes:

Known for its sophisticated and timeless yet modern home designs, studioMET has two residences in the tour — one in Memorial’s Hilshire Village and one in Sugar Land. Both houses speak to the individual desires of the owners and to the site. The Hilshire Village home is oriented with views to the swimming pool and landscaping while the Sugar Land home addresses the luxe positioning overlooking Venetian Lake.

2Scale Architects

This family-focused home in Montrose, built by Southland Homes of Texas, delivers a modern nod to the bungalows that previously populated the neighborhood. Think front porches and gabled roof lines.

LEAM Design Build

Architect Luisa Aurrecoechea designed his personal home with a style that clearly echoes the firm’s skill at combining aesthetics and functionality, here with multiple living spaces, workspaces, plus indoor and outdoor entertainment spaces.

The design with crawl space effectively allows the gables of this stylized modern farm house to soar, while the front and rear porches maintain the neighborly, urban fabric.

Tour-goers will have the unique opportunity to visit a precision-built, environmentally friendly and smartly designed prefabricated home or ADU. Be it a home or hospitality suite, these structures can be completed in half the time as site-built construction.

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Architectural Digest

Tour a Light, Bright, and Modern Home in Upstate New York

Posted: November 22, 2023 | Last updated: November 22, 2023

In one of the better-preserved historic communities on the Hudson River, main street is a veritable survey of American house styles. One bend in this thoroughfare is so thick with period-spanning architecture that an onlooker could initially miss the charming gardens or soaring Catskill Mountains that frame the view. An Italianate-style residence within this huddle was recently modernized by the New York–based AD PRO Directory firm Lang Architecture to strengthen its occupants’ relationship with the landscape—and add a contemporary flourish to a hamlet fabric of Queen Anne turrets and Carpenter Gothic gingerbread.

The married couple, a renewable energy developer and a media executive, acquired the 1863 residence as a second home almost a decade before the pandemic shifted New Yorkers’ migration to the Hudson Valley into high gear. The husband explains that connecting to the outdoors was one motivation for the purchase: “My existence on the East Coast has mostly been in cities, and coming up here I realized how much I was missing nature and mountains.” The wife adds that the couple oversaw a “radical overhaul on the taste front” inside the house in 2012 yet, wanting to move in quickly, “we decided to shelve the larger projects and time then just rolled merrily by.”

Ultimately the couple prepared for a second phase of renovation, focused on the north-facing rear of the building, which would yield a new mudroom and kitchen as well as less tangible outcomes, like more interior daylight and a greater sense of logic. About the latter, the media executive explains, “The back of the house was where a lot of not-great decisions had been made. The secondary entrance never really looked like it belonged to the house while the inside wasn’t quite gelling. It needed a complete rethinking.”

Feeling unhurried this time around, the homeowners vetted multiple design studios to accomplish their goals. On visiting the firm and its namesake founder, Drew Lang, she recalls, “He had a way of creating a modern interpretation of a building without it seeming stark or sterile, and we wanted a reinterpretation that would allow the place to find a new kind of expression of itself.” Her husband adds that Lang seemed like a kindred spirit, as he saw the architect “light up as we were talking through this idea of opening our experience to the landscape.”

After signing on to the project, Lang recalls, “We explored how the rear could be reconfigured, to become what the house really wants it to be.” That meant eliminating a large fireplace that had blocked daylight and sightlines, as well as moving the secondary entry to appear like an extension of a corner of the building rather than a protuberance on its side. Lang’s team largely performed surgery within the existing footprint. After the fireplace removal, the most palpable example of that work involved deleting a service stair and the slimming down of an adjacent ground-floor bath into a powder room.

“It allowed us to expand the mudroom and kitchen and capture functional space for the coat closet, pantry, and refrigerator, which also improved the flow from front to back,” Lang says of the extraction. The changes also allowed a rethinking of the primary suite upstairs: “We could create a coherent and distinct space that included its own vestibule, as well as a nicely sized bedroom and closet.”

Lang integrated a deck into the rear and lined the north elevation of the house in windows and sliding doors. The visual and physical connections between interior and outdoors are seamless—and, from some viewpoints, seemingly disappeared—as a result. Structural steel made the expansive glazing possible, while a sunken landing carved away from the deck where it meets the new entry volume creates a distinction between interior and exterior programs. “The interlocking walls and volumes are so clever,” the media executive says of the split stairs, to which Lang responds, “There was definitely a playfulness involved in that decision.”

Play of another sort was on Lang’s mind as the collaborators hatched a strategy for the rear of the property. Although husband and wife had thought that a vintage barn and adjacent studio on site could be adapted for new purposes, their deeper exploration with the architect revealed that the outbuildings were obsolete beyond repair. “Drew then thought of a pool and that opened up a whole new way of thinking about the outside,” she says, adding that the old-and-new design conversation taking place at the house felt more resolved with the backyard destination completing the setting.

Lang further notes that he envisioned the pool more as a metaphorical comma than a period, “because pools can so easily be disruptive visually. Our challenge was to nestle this new program into the landscape.” The pool appears freestanding yet low-slung, and becomes almost inconspicuous when its surrounding hillside of Pennisetum Foxtrot and Calamagrostis Karl Foerster grasses reach full height for the season.

In addition, the pool employs similar planks as the back deck while introducing poured concrete to the project palette. “The shift from one material to the next, as you move from the building to the landscape, is a series of distinct expressions and experiences in relation to the historic architecture,” Lang reveals. The renewable energy developer agrees that the sequence is palpable, adding, “It feels like an organic progression, going from the walls of the house’s front section to the semi-walls in its back to the full openness of the deck.” He also notes, “I still cannot get over the big windows looking outward, and I’m especially mesmerized when the birds are active. The deck and the pool offer completely different angles to the Catskills too. This project has tripled our experience of the landscape.”

Lang reciprocates the praise, calling his clients role models for the current wave of movement into the Hudson Valley. “We don’t get many opportunities when someone wants to be a steward of a historic building and very clearly embraces modernism at the same time. I find it refreshing and exciting, and I think it’s emblematic of what we’re going to see more of.”

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