Inside a Portland Farmhouse Renovation: An update on working with HGTV Design Star and Instagram Influencer Emily Henderson

When interior designer and Instagram influencer Emily Henderson, @em_henderson, found a vintage farmhouse on three secluded in the middle of an incredible old suburb 15 minutes from Downtown Portland and 5 minutes from cute  restaurants, she just knew it was meant to be—and, she also knew she would need help tackling the renovation. Emily’s blog announcing their search for local help caught our eye, and we threw our hat in the ring, along with many Portland area designers, architects and general contractors. After meeting Emily and husband Brian remotely, and each of us carefully vetting the other, well—you know what they say, the rest is history! Follow the journey below.

The property has two farmhouses—one in serious need of repair from 1860 and the main house from 1910, which hadn’t been updated much over the years. There are many outbuildings (a barn, multiple sheds, and huge garage), a large sports court, and countless trees. The main house was the focus of our work on this Oregon farmhouse, and the list of projects was extensive! It needed a new foundation, all new plumbing and electrical, a sewer line, had mold, water damage and asbestos, all the windows needed repair or replacing, and, after all of that, designing the house to suit the Henderson family’s needs. 

With a goal to renovate once, and for the long haul, Anne, Stephyn, Emily and Brian began researching, planning, and designing, with input from many experts. This renovation project truly was a puzzle, made more engaging with our design software of choice, Chief Architect. The four held three hour Zoom calls every week to try out different layouts in Chief, so we could virtually walk from room to room and all around the exterior.   



Changes big and small occurred all throughout the design process (and even during demo). One example: the kitchen moved to maximize natural light and connection to the yard. This required input from our engineer. Tile layout and details were adjusted. Soon after approval, our carpenters started demolition, restoring salvaged items and building again.

The whole team visits the site with Emily and Brian. The Arciform crew at a pivotal moment.

Two Designers, Two Different Approaches

So, how do two designers collaborate to remodel a 120-year-old farmhouse to be comfortable, welcoming, timeless, modern and respectful of its roots, as well as engaging? 

Anne says, “It’s not often that I get to work with another designer on her future home, so I’ve embraced this experience to work out farmhouse renovation ideas with Emily to the fullest.” She had so much fun working with Emily and Brian on their family home, from the challenges to the victories. Their countless hours exploring design ideas together were mostly done remotely. They looked at every trend, listened to friend's and family members’ opinions, considering them all. While this wasn’t an efficient way to design by any stretch, the three of them enjoyed the process and learned so much, like just how much Emily loves windows and skylights, and how to find the most logical spot for the mudroom (where there was room for a dog washing station, washer, dryer and library ladder)!

Arciform’s 25-plus years of experience has taught us that, if we do not have most of our ducks in a row before we start with a remodel, we all hustle to make final decisions on the fly, financial predictions are harder to make, and the result might not be quite as thought-out. So, working with a social media influencer/blogger who goes at rapid speed and loves to consider many different ideas (we have this very much in common) meant we approached this project from all sides. We were still designing windows, door sizes and layouts while the engineer was doing structural calculations, and the demo phase had begun. This was both exciting and often very nerve-wracking.

“This lady, Mrs. Mudroom, is quite possibly my favorite room in the house (rivaled by the kitchen, sunroom, and our bathroom, TBH). I’m not joking that every single time I walk into it I feel joy and happiness through the sense of light, space, and sheer ease of function. All the design elements came together just as they did in my mind—NO, even better.”

Anne was incredibly impressed by how hard Emily and her team work to promote and support all of her partners. She is loyal to a fault, and our team had to be sure she made decisions that were best for her and her family in the end. Emily asked our team to keep her in check so she didn’t design solely for a photo op, as she looks at a space through the lens of a camera. While this was a new approach for Anne, it balances the practical with composition and the element of the story Emily wants to tell, as someone whose designs have a worldwide audience. 

Arciform is very diligent about the project development process, including navigation of our clients’ expectations. Every client is different. We all like to splurge on some things but not on others. Renovation is not necessarily the most glamorous work, as so much effort is invested in fixing what is already there.

Emily’s Pretty and Practical Dream Kitchen

We’re known for our kitchen remodels, designed and built with longevity in mind. Over the last 100 or so years, kitchens have become many people’s favorite space for communal and creative pursuits, so we feel this is a room worthy of a splurge. We took our time together, pulling in so many special elements that were not only pleasing to the eye, but also made sense for this family’s daily life. This farmhouse kitchen remodel is full of thoughtfully considered features that would wear well, be user-friendly, look beautiful and feel just right for the Hendersons.

“Jamie, the project lead, really killed it with the execution and installation of all the carpentry, details, cabinet and appliance install, with the help of Taylor, Alex, Taurin and Steve. We love you Jamie!!!”

“As you know, we wanted a vintage island to bring in age and soul, but finding the right one proved to be very difficult…until one day it wasn’t. It seems to be an old store counter, because its sheer size means that it must have been in something commercial (it’s more than 9” long). The six drawers on the front side function pretty well—heavier and harder to open/close than new drawers, but they are actually really deep, so we store our colanders, Tupperware, and random cooking tools in there. It’s white oak with an old reddish stain that we actually love.”

“We tried extremely hard to choose materials that were timeless, hardworking, high quality, and felt very “us” but appropriate for a farmhouse. It feels really pared back and casual, with some utilitarian elements against simply beautiful materials. Nothing too glam, nothing too traditional, nothing too unexpected or hyper-modern, and hopefully beautiful enough to never need changing (GOOD GOD I HOPE). It really does feel very, very “me” and while it’s not this crazy mix of patterns and trends, I hope that you can see how appropriate it is for our family and this property.”

Level Plane tile-wrapped the window jambs — with MASSIVE help from Stephyn, who figured out the math for all tile take-offs.

“We really should just call the kitchen the “glass sunroom.” We were desperate for natural light in the previously very dark west-facing living room (now with a covered porch), and y’all, we got it by bringing it in through the kitchen. The kitchen has a full wall of windows (white oak, double-hung, from Sierra Pacific Windows), and we didn’t stop there—we added three Velux skylights that flood it with natural light overhead, even on the darkest days. On super sunny days, there is some harsh side light in the kitchen, but only for a couple of hours (around 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), and only if you are sitting at the island (it’s fine when you are cooking). It does not bother us at all, since it’s something we predicted and planned around. It’s just wonderful.”