Portland, Oregon
Lead Architect Trevor William Lewis along with design team Daniel Kaven, Mike Perso, Katy Krider, Joel Dickson and Max Taschek of William Kaven Architecture created Royal residence at the end of a long, sinuous road elevated high above the city in Portland’s beloved Forest Park.
The project has been awarded a 2021 International Architecture Award from The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
Enter through a dramatic foyer with clerestory windows into the main living area, which features white oak floors with dark walnut inlay borders, a substantial wood-burning hearth, and a kitchen lined with custom-designed, handcrafted oak cabinetry.
Floor-to-ceiling glass and wall-to-wall sliding doors seamlessly extend living into the forest scape, giving way to expansive terraces and unobstructed views of the natural flora cascading down to the valley floor.
Royal is a rare gem set into forested acreage less than 500 feet from the renowned Wildwood Trail, boasting sweeping exterior terraces and balconies overlooking a lush wooded expanse.
The home, which was both designed and developed by the architect, sits on one of nine parcels owned by the studio and associated partners.
The design includes four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, common areas with open floor plans, and an oversized garage.
Located within minutes of downtown Portland, this intelligently designed modern dwelling cantilevers far above the forest floor among reaches of Douglas fir and vine maple. The property is encircled by a vast network of hiking trails.
Morning rays reach into all bedrooms, which are carefully oriented to optimize eastern exposure. Throughout the day, kitchen and living areas are flooded with southern light, while the deciduous canopy perennially exposes the diffuse winter sky and tempers the hot summer sun.
On warm nights, slide open the 13’ pocketed wall off the kitchen and dine beside a Juliet balcony overlooking dense greenery and deep ravines. Or, on winter nights, huddle
beside the central hearth.
Project: Royal
Architects: William Kaven Architecture
Lead Architect: Trevor William Lewis
Design Team: Daniel Kaven, Trevor William Lewis, Mike Perso, Katy Krider, Joel Dickson and Max Taschek
Client: WKL Development
Contractor: Metcalf Design and Construction
Photographers: Jeremy Bittermann