Maple Rock Residence - Contemporary Home Design in Portland, Oregon

The Maple Rock Residence is a Northwest contemporary home built for entertaining and showcasing the homeowners’ extensive art collection. It was clear early in the design process that the house represented a milestone in the clients’ lives. On the cusp of retirement and ready to determine the pace of their lives moving forward, the new home would play a large role in how their future would look. A gallery-like aesthetic and a focus on indoor-outdoor integration are the pervasive elements of the design and serve to create a functional and beautiful forever home for the clients. An early challenge that we encountered was the steep slope of the site — from the road to the opposite end of the site, the grade change is over 20 feet. Remaining in this neighborhood was important to the client, and the site offered incredible views of the Coastal Range along with mature trees, so we knew the design needed to work with the slope. The resulting house and landscape step down with the natural profile of th