Artful Victorian

Tucked away in an industrial area of Northwest Portland is a block of appealing, well-kept Victorian homes. The block’s charm and proximity to downtown attracted Pamela Lloyd and Renny Gleeson when they moved from New York City to Portland in 2007. “We’re urban people, and we like to get out and walk around,” says Lloyd.

However, the 1890 home they purchased was dark with an awkward floorplan. They wanted a family-friendly home for their sons and a venue to display their art collection. “Our goal was to reconnect the spaces, open up the living areas spatially and allow more light to easily flow through the house,” says Gleeson. They hired architect Gary Hartill, the principal at OrangeWallStudios in Portland, to transform the downstairs. “We needed to connect the home’s front and back and create a space for the art where you could also get down on the floor and play with the kids,” says Hartill.

The open living space is full of color and texture. Click on images to view larger.	Works by Portland artist Arnold Kemp and Victor Vasarely hang above an antique Chinese chest found at flea market.	An ink-and-pencil drawing on gessoes cardboard depicting a water scene by Gleeson provides a counterpoint to a red Tolix stool. // Photos by Fred and Holly Stickley