This month we chat with Vince and Cassie who have transformed their SW home from ‘colorful’ fixer into a stylish ranch full of warmth, flourish and a hearty family welcome.
How do you fill your days?
Vincent is a Senior Innovation Designer at Nike, Cassie is a stay at home mom, Gianna is in first grade and Dean is in preschool. On the weekends we like to be outside working on our yard and garden.
You bought a ‘colorful’ fixer just over two years ago. Have you had a chance to do some remodeling?
Before moving in, Vincent spent two weeks refinishing the floors, removing all of the (crazy) colorful paint and painting all the walls a nice fresh white. He also demolished the tangerine kitchen and put in a beautiful new kitchen himself. We bought all new kitchen appliances (the original stove looked as though it had caught on fire and the fridge had moldy corn in it!) and ran gas into the kitchen for a gas stove, one of Cassie’s most prized possessions. We hung wallpaper in the dining room. Most recently we had a pass through with a counter put in between the kitchen and dining room. We are also in the process of putting in a wood stove right now. Future projects include adding a bathroom and a mudroom.
Of the changes you have made, what brings you the most happiness?
The new pass though and counter has become the most popular spot in the house. It’s the place to be for breakfast, lunch and snacks, chatting with the cook while dinner is being prepared, doing homework, drawing, reading…
I think it’s fair to say that food is warmly embraced in your household. Tell us about that.
Dinner is an important time for us to sit down together, enjoy a good meal and hear about everyone’s day. We always go around the table and say our favorite part of the day. I love cooking and so do the kids. I make big bowls of ramen with homemade broth, roasted chicken and potatoes, and meatballs and brussels sprouts in the winter. In the summer Vincent grills and we eat lots of produce from our garden. The kids are involved either by picking tomatoes from the garden or chopping broccoli. Cooking is a way to be creative in my daily life, when I might not otherwise have time to knit or work on a sewing project.
Top three favorite things to do in Portland? With or without the kids!
We love going out to lunch at Bike Bar on N. Williams. It has good food, great beer and a play area! In the summer we like to go berry picking on Sauvie Island. When it’s just the two of us we like to have dinner at Verde Cocina or get drinks at our favorite neighborhood dive bar, Renners.
Bricks and Mortar 