A Modern Goat Ranch? (continued)
About to become parents, a pair of Portland, Oregon, restaurateurs fell for a 1960s ranch house on a goat farm just minutes from downtown
Enter the Goat Ranch, the couple's four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot house on a pastoral three-acre property, with accompanying goats and chickens, only a few minutes' drive from downtown. Some of its aspects seemed dated, from arched windows to aggregate stone flooring. But with Carey doubling as interior designer, the pair embraced the chance to set up a home again -- this time for three (four if you include their Hungarian pointer, Sugar).
"The late '60s were such a great time for design," says Carey. "The house reminded me of where I grew up in Salem, which was a little more Brady Bunch but about the same vintage of ranch, with the reaching eaves and the muscularity of that vaulted ceiling."
The owners happily retained the original hemlock paneling, but gave it a darker stain for an elegant appearance that's more old-school men's club than knotty cabin. An open floor plan with expansive glass admits ample but atmospheric natural light, enlivening a variety of natural textures and materials, from mohair-velvet chairs to a tree stump used as a coffee table.
Over several years, Carey has become Portland's top restaurateur, with establishments like Bluehour in the Brad Cloepfil-designed headquarters of top advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy; Saucebox, which Rogers oversees; and 23 Hoyt, their latest co-venture. "I've always told Bruce that the food tastes better to me when he's there," says local painter Storm Tharp, part of a small but regular group of friends who visit the Goat Ranch. "It just always feels special, and that's how he hosts at home too. There's an old-fashioned quality to the way he believes the home is a place to be creative."
The kitchen was the most extensive renovation, expanded into a wraparound space with the removal of a back hallway. In this portion of the house, Carey used a lighter color palette: white Italian ceramic tile floors and simple wood cabinetry from IKEA (dressed in new hardware) to provide contrast with the moodier feel of the dark paneling. The same cabinetry carries into the dining room, where a room-long "buffet" is both practical and attractive. Its granite top holds mirrored lamps bought on eBay, a Jonathan Adler ceramic horse and a photo of Sugar.
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