The Baums have lived in Eastmoreland for decades. It was time to bid their 80’s remodel adieu in favor of a timeless approach!
We have worked with some of Portland’s most notable families over the years, and people that reaffirm the joy of designing for people because our clients are so interesting.
Some of our clients have graduated from the world’s top schools, climbed to the top of corporate ladders, and asked us to make their dreams come true in the form of ideal living spaces. These brilliant clients share their insights on how to live life and what they want in a space to continue to optimize health, happiness and success through the combination of beauty and function. We are so fortunate to spend our lives learning from so many wise people and spreading their insights on how to live well.
We have now touched one out of every twenty-five homes in Portland (vintage, single-family, owner-occupied), and a much higher percentage of the really beautiful homes of Portland.
The Baums are not famous but are deeply interesting to design for. Imagine this family: The author of the OZ books was a relation of theirs, and the founder of the Baum School of Art was an artist and family member. And the father of the clan was both an innovative surgeon and U.S. Olympic wrestling alternate. One of the sons was a strongman contest winner and could be found having breakfast daily on 18 eggs before carrying two 3’ diameter concrete spheres with rebar handles around the backyard to keep up his prodigious strength.
Lorrie Baum shared ideas from King Gustav III of Sweden, a 1700’s monarch, and had us use an amazing stone in the kitchen called Van Gogh Granite, which boasts the vibrancy of Van Gogh’s paintings. Geoff Baum bought some large antique, distressed, acanthus leaf corbels from our house parts collection to decorate their stair hall.
All were a joy to design with, as we shared exciting ideas and pursued the creative process together, and maintained a friendship across many years.