Interior designer Anna-Marie Spence has spent the last few years renovating a century-old home in Northwest Portland, blending modern functionality with historic charm.
A Century of Style in the Pacific Northwest
Spence’s home, built in 1926, sits tucked away behind a large fir tree in the King’s Heights neighborhood. While the exterior gives the impression of a Tudor-style home, the interior reveals surprising Italianate details, including arched windows, a domed sunroom ceiling, and textured plaster walls in the entryway.
“I was particularly drawn to the expansion of the first floor, where each room offers a view of either Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, or the downtown city skyline,” she recalls. “Then, there were the sunsets and sunrises, along with the views of storms rolling in on a spring or fall day.” The natural light and brightness of the home stood out in a city known for its rainy and cloudy weather.
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Spence admits she initially struggled with the original textured plaster, thinking it looked outdated. “I was tempted to change these textured walls, thinking they looked outdated and that the late ’80s were just around the corner,” she says. However, she eventually realized the walls were part of the original 1926 design and better complemented the European feel she wanted to capture.
Finding Harmony in the Details
The designer’s approach to furnishing the space mirrors her client work. She often starts projects by playing with fabric patterns and wallpapers before selecting furniture. This method helped her dial in the look of the first floor, starting with the dining room.
“After a lot of thought, my husband and I chose Angels Trumpet by Cole & Son,” Spence says. “The dark green backdrop with the rich, creamy floral motif and distinct edges gives off a Mediterranean-meets-Latin feel in a classical English stripe!” A modern concrete table sits paired with rich redwood leather-upholstered chairs from a Southeast Portland antique store. “These may be older than our home, but we use them daily, even after repairing one after my second-grader’s knee wore out the final piece of leather,” she laughs.
For lighting, Spence snagged an Italian Murano fixture at a local estate sale. “I offered to dismantle it piece by piece, pack up each piece of glass, and carry it down the alleyway to its new home,” she says. “The blown glass edges mimicked the edging in the Angels Trumpet wallpaper; and while I may be the only one who noticed this detail, it brought the space together in a way everyone could feel, even if they didn’t notice why.”
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The final touch in the dining room was a family heirloom. “I made the phone call to my parents, and said, ‘I am ready for the Bavarian ivory chest,” she shares. “I subconsciously knew that this ivory chest was all part of the plan while creating the dining room palette.”
Curating a Living History
The living room features original dentil-molding and a lion’s head motif flanking the fireplace. “The tile is the infamous Batchelder tile that migrated up here from California,” Spence notes. Given the room’s shape, narrowing down a fabric palette and furniture layout was the most difficult part. “I became my own worst client with decision-making,” she admits.
Eventually, the space took form with a vintage sofa found at the old Lafayette Schoolhouse outside of Portland. “I dug through and climbed over piles of furniture to come across this diamond in the rough,” she recalls. The sofa was reupholstered in John Derian’s English Tea Rose fabric.
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To display her cocktail glass collection, the couple sourced an early 19th-century French rosewood hutch from a local vintage importer. “We both fell in love with the story of the Frenchie,” Spence says. “Dating it to the early 1800s, we can only imagine its origin story and travels before it finally made it into our home.” The dark rosewood finish and vintage dining chairs provided a perfect tie-in to both the living and dining spaces.
While Spence notes the home is timeless enough to live with as is, she admits it may never feel completely “done.” “I have been taking my time by slowly curating different mediums of artwork for our home,” she reflects. “We have Italian lithographs, vintage jazz festival posters, a first-edition Picasso print, and original oil paintings.” This slow curation process allows the home to reflect her personality and interests as she continues to evolve.
Spence’s work often involves similar restoration challenges. One recent project involved a massive renovation where a Chicago couple tackled the complete overhaul of a Coral Gables mansion [1] after acquiring the property. The scope of such work can be overwhelming, requiring careful selection of contractors to ensure safety and quality. Finding the right professional for electrical work is also essential, as a homeowner might need to hire an electrician Austin for specific upgrades [2]. In another instance, a design firm stepped in to manage a Chlo Interiors renovation [3] when a project became too large for the original owners to handle.