Architecture Wednesday: Hilltop House

The Portland Hilltop House was commissioned by an artist couple who own a series of stores featuring American art, craft, and jewelry. They asked for a home, on a hill—hence the name—with views toward downtown, and ended up with a home that draws on classical proportions and scale making for a sophisticated yet comfortable home.

The simple, long bar plan, and spacing of floor-to-ceiling windows, creates a sense of unity within the house, and access to the views and the backyard as well. Those same windows create a lantern-like entry vestibule welcoming visitors to the house from an auto court.

The main level includes the kitchen, dining room, and living room, an office, and a master suite, all with views across the main axis—from the courtyard to the south-facing balconies—providing a strong connection to the outdoors. At the end of the bar, the master suite angles away from the rest of the house, taking in the best views and appearing to float above the trees.

Toward the rear of the house, the site slopes down and away from the auto court toward a pool, terraced gardens and the lower level of the house containing a media room, guest quarters, storage, and a 100-foot-long library that stretches the length of the house.

It is a house just made for reading ....

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