Transitional Lake Oswego Whole House Remodel | Neil Kelly
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A bright, airy kitchen with a large central island, skylights, white cabinetry, stainless appliances, and flowers on the counter.A remodeled kitchen with warm beige cabinets, two modern pendants over the island and a curved Taj Mahal Quartzite countertopWarm kitchen interior with arch doorway, island, hanging light, windows, and plants on the counter.A traditional bathroom vanity with light wood cabinets, a marble countertop, a framed mirror, two wall sconces, and a small decorative plant on the counter.A modern glass-enclosed shower with blue brick-pattern tile walls, a built-in niche holding toiletries, a handheld shower head, and a small wooden stool inside the shower.A bathroom with a white vanity and marble countertop, tropical palm wallpaper, two wall sconces, and a small mirror above the sink.A vertical indoor stairwell with a wooden handrail and black metal balusters.

Transitional Lake Oswego Whole House Remodel

Lake Oswego, OR

Project Overview

When a family new to the Pacific Northwest found a well-maintained 1980 home in Lake Oswego, they brought in Neil Kelly designer Robby John Barham to make it their own. The result: a full whole-house remodel with a custom kitchen, new staircase, added drop zone, and updated bathrooms on every level.

The Team

Key Facts

Scope Level
Reimagine
Service
Whole House Remodeling
Size
3,400 sq ft
Location
Lake Oswego, OR

The Challenge

The home had been well maintained since 1980, but the finishes were like a time capsule. It needed a whole-home remodel to work for new owners with an eye for style. Key priorities included updated bathrooms on every level, a practical drop zone near the entry from the garage, and a kitchen redesign complicated by a sloped ceiling that made standard cabinet layouts impossible. The staircase and railing needed new life, and the open loft space upstairs needed to become an enclosed home office.

A stairwell that leads into the kitchen space.
A bright, airy kitchen with a large central island, skylights, white cabinetry, stainless appliances, and flowers on the counter.A remodeled kitchen with warm beige cabinets, two modern pendants over the island and a curved Taj Mahal Quartzite countertopWarm kitchen interior with arch doorway, island, hanging light, windows, and plants on the counter.

The Solution

Robby John’s first decision was also one of the most practical: in the kitchen and both bathrooms, the plumbing stayed put and most of the framing did too. That discipline kept the budget in check and let the design energy go where it mattered most, into the materials, the finishes, and a few well-placed moves that give each space its character.

In the kitchen, a curved island countertop and an arched entry from the hall add softness and character. A custom plaster hood grounds the range wall. The sloped ceiling that made conventional upper cabinets impossible became a design constraint the team worked around, not against.

Across every space, Robby John built a material palette that is warm and layered, comfortable without being expected. The hall bath on the main floor has botanical wallpaper with real personality. The primary bath upstairs is sophisticated and calm, rebuilt to work better for a young couple.

The staircase was replaced with white oak handrails and satin black iron balusters, modernizing both floors in one move. The open loft upstairs was enclosed as a legal home office with new framing, a closet, and an egress window. And under the stairs, Robby found space for something the house never had: a finished drop zone with built-in hooks, organized and practical, sized right for a busy growing family.

  • Redesigned the kitchen with frameless cabinetry, a curved quartz peninsula countertop, custom plaster chimney hood, and a farmhouse sink, working around the sloped ceiling
  • Retiled, re-fixtured, and wallpapered the main-floor hall bath, including Zellige tile on the shower walls and a botanical wallpaper pattern that gives the room its personality
  • Rebuilt the primary bath upstairs with a new soaking tub, walk-in shower, quartzite countertops, and modern brass fixtures
  • Replaced the staircase with a white oak handrail and newel post system and satin black iron balusters, connecting both floors with a cleaner, more contemporary look
  • Enclosed the upstairs loft as a legal home office, adding new framing, a closet, and an egress window
  • Carved a drop zone for the family out of the under-stair alcove, finishing the space and adding built-in hooks where there was previously nothing
  • Installed engineered oak flooring throughout the main floor, staircase, and second floor, unifying the whole house under a single material
A remodeled primary bathroom with two sinks, oak cabinets, and four lamp sconces
A remodeled bathroom with botanical wallpaper, lamp sconces, and taj mahal quartz countertop
A warm kitchen or island area with a marble countertop, a hanging copper pendant light, a vase of greenery, and a small bundle of beets on the counter.

Materials & Features

Every material was selected for longevity, beauty, and fit with the home — here is what was used and why.

  1. 01

    Kitchen Cabinets

    Décor Cabinetry — Frameless construction, slim shaker door style. Peninsula cabinet faces are Rift Oak with "Loft" finish. Perimeter cabinets are Maple, painted "Joa's White" by Farrow & Ball.

  2. 02

    Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

    Emtek / Rejuvenation — Egg Knob and Ansel drawer pulls in "Polished Nickel"

  3. 03

    Kitchen Countertop

    Silestone/Elemar — Le Chic quartz in Parisien bleu for the perimeter, polished Taj Mahal quartzite on the island

  4. 04

    Kitchen Backsplash

    Pratt & Larson / Agora Surfaces — Palisades 6" x 6" ceramic tile in "Blanco Matte"

  5. 05

    Kitchen Faucet

    House of Rohl / Perrin & Rowe — Southbank collection pull-down in "Polished Nickel"

  6. 06

    Kitchen Range Hood

    Castlewood — Cascade Hood, 48" x 42", plastered and painted on site

  7. 07

    Primary Bathroom Cabinets

    Décor Cabinetry — Rift Oak face, Loft finish

  8. 08

    Primary Bathroom Cabinet Hardware

    Emtek — Egg Knob and Dane bar pulls in "Polished Nickel"

  9. 09

    Primary Bathroom Countertop

    Elemar — Taj Mahal quartzite, polished

  10. 10

    Primary Bathroom Faucets & Accessories

    Kohler / Studio McGee — Castia collection in "Polished Nickel"

  11. 11

    Primary Bathroom & Shower Floor

    United Tile — Vallelunga Foussana 24" x 24" porcelain field tile

  12. 12

    Primary Bathroom Shower Wall Tile

    Z Collection — Mohair series 2' x 10" porcelain in "Verde"

  13. 13

    Primary Bathroom Mirrors

    Rejuvenation — Rounded Rectangle 24" x 36" framed metal mirror in "Polished Nickel"

  14. 14

    Hall Bathroom Cabinets

    Décor Cabinetry — Maple, frameless construction, slim shaker door style, painted "Decorator's White"

  15. 15

    Hall Bathroom Cabinet Hardware

    Emtek — Hampton Cabinet Knob, Satin Brass

  16. 16

    Hall Bathroom Countertop

    Elemar — Taj Mahal natural quartzite remnant from kitchen peninsula, polished

  17. 17

    Hall Bathroom Shower Tile

    Marazzi / Dal Tile — Zellige Neo 4" x 4" ceramic tile in "Gesso," glossy finish

  18. 18

    Hall Bathroom Floor Tile

    Marazzi / Dal Tile — Moroccan Concrete 12" x 24" porcelain tile in "Taupe"

  19. 19

    Hall Bathroom Wallpaper

    Milton & King — Sunny Garden, Ivory

  20. 20

    Hall Bathroom Accessories

    Kohler — Purist towel bar, towel ring, TP holder, and robe hook in "Vibrant Brushed Moderne Brass"

  21. 21

    Stair Railing Handrail

    JMP Wood — White Oak, stained by painter; Handrail 5600, plain profile, Candlestick Newel Posts

  22. 22

    Stair Railing Balusters

    JMP Wood / Iron — Plain round 5/8" and Contemporary Split Oval 5/8", Satin Black finish

  23. 23

    Wood Flooring

    Reward Flooring — Costa Collection engineered European oak in "Conero"

  24. 24

    Mudroom Alcove Hooks

    Rejuvenation — Ladd Double Hook, Polished Nickel

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