“It was kind of a generic house, and it was dark,” says architect Heidi Beebe of the 1914 craftsman in Southeast Portland that Beebe Skidmore was tapped to reconfigure. “One of their main goals was to make it lighter,” she says—hence the project nickname, Operation Sunlight. The architects brought porosity to the original structure by targeting spots in the facade that could be opened up to the sun, adding expansive glass, and then opening interior walls so that light passes throughout the home.

Now, there’s glass on all four corners and internal cut-outs that connect the upstairs with the lower level in two spots. “That’s nice for making the spaces on the second floor not feel completely disconnected from life on the first floor,” says Beebe of the cut-outs.

Before: Front Facade

After: Front Facade

When the owners bought the home in 2009, it had a mix of old and new features inside. For instance, while the built-in hutch in the dining room still had its leaded glass, the interior columns on the other side of the room were recent additions trying to pass for historic. This mishmash didn’t appeal to the homeowners, one of whom had grown up in a home designed by Frank Gehry, and so appreciated more modern architecture. “She wanted [this home] to be architectural, but she didn't want it to be cold,” says Beebe.

The architects maintained key original features and reference points to the old home—including the foundation, stairs, numerous window headers, two exterior walls, two bathrooms, living room casework, and interior doors—then inserted new elements for contrast, such as crisp exposed-plywood cabinetry and colorful laminates.

Before: Living Room and Entry

After: Living Room and Entry

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

The internal floor area was increased thanks to a small addition for the mudroom and cantilevered pop-outs off the rear facade. “Because we were weaving the new spaces around the old spaces, one of the techniques we used is over-framing, so the new floor framing went over the top of the old floor framing,” says Beebe. As such, the cantilevered portions, which host a family room on the main level and an upstairs library, have elevated floors and lower ceilings, creating inviting alcoves off the main living areas. For a family household, those alcoves “create a nice balance of being separate but together,” says Beebe.

Prior to the remodel, the second floor had a single Jack-and-Jill bathroom and two bedrooms for the family of four. Now, the plan accommodates three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a library, and a laundry room.