Accessible Modern Design

Busy Seattle musician, club owner and Artist, Erik knows how to roll. A recent accident left Erik in a wheel chair but it hasn’t slowed his game. He is quick to see the opportunities before him and with his strong connections to the NW music scene Portland seems like the perfect axis between his Seattle and SF/LA friends to keep his primary residence and music recording studio. The goal was to find a wheelchair accessible home and studio within a short roll to a hip urban commercial district.

Initially we sought out a warehouse type space that Eric could easily adapt to live-work. Everything we saw fit the bill for work but the living spaces had lofts or tight quarters that  limited accessibility. The next thing we considered were large homes with room to build studios in. Brandy and I new it was a needle in a haystack we would be searching for- Portland’s hot neighborhoods are surrounded by multi level historic homes- not what I would call Universal Design. Eric didn’t lose faith. Any time we had something that we thought may work, he grabbed a buddy and made the trip down in his modified classic bio-diesel Mercedes. (The guy has style.)

It came as no surprise that what he ended up buying was a mid-century classic. Eric helped me deepen my appreciation even further for mid-century design. Not to be a broken record but, these homes RULE!  Well built, one level living designed for the way modern people live. His Laurelhurst neighborhood offers the quintessential Portland experience; beautiful neighborhoods, amazing restaurants, cafes and boutiques and one of the finest city parks all at your fingertips.

We arranged meetings with elevator specialist and general contractors to make the necessary modifications to the home allowing Eric to easily travel between the basement level that will contain his studio and the main level of living spaces. The other alternative, Eric quickly ruled out, was having a ramp built. Building codes required the slope to be so gradual it would create a long switch back of ramps dominating his front yard.

First time on the market, the home is for sale by the original owner. Every detail is custom tailored and unique.  The home features; 2bd, 2ba, 2633 square feet, 4 fireplaces, mahogany woodwork, and custom iron work- check out the pics below! Listed at 439,900.  

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