William / Kaven Architecture Residential Portfolio

Heartwood’s client expressed a desire for a design that would accommodate extended visits from friends and family while still offering distinct zones of privacy. The resulting design recalls a scaled-down compound, complete with a detached casita for guests. Upon approach, visitors enter into a spacious courtyard, a feature inspired by the architects’ New Mexico origins. The glazed wall of the main house offers a direct sightline through the living area to the river. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow the courtyard to feel less like an enclosure than a liminal space that furnishes a dramatic reveal of the breathtaking views to the west.

The Heartwood Residence sits on the east bank of the Willamette River in Portland’s Oak Grove neighborhood. In addition to offering a sweeping panorama of the river and its wildlife, the home overlooks boat docks, freight barges, and an early 20th-century railroad bridge, recalling the city’s industrial roots. The design is oriented around a large maple tree that already existed on the site, allowing the entire home to continuously open up from the river to the courtyard.

Heartwood’s interior design showcases the owners’ substantial collection of Modern American and Italian furniture. The understated but sophisticated material palette includes rift-sawn white oak cabinetry, Corian countertops, exposed aggregate concrete floors, built-in fireplaces, chevron-patterned oak floors, and plaster walls.

Unfolding in bands of transparency down a steeply sloped hillside, Royal II opens onto staggering views of one of the largest forested urban reserves in the United States. Terraced levels give way to a forest floor punctuated by towering Douglas firs and Alder. A simple material palette of dark steel, concrete, glass, and custom bronze-black cladding grounds the house within the surrounding treescape, while an encircling green roof further blurs the distinction between architecture and forest.

El Capitola’s large, open-plan living room is divided into two seating areas: one abutting a dark brick fireplace and home office space, and the other oriented toward a media area flanked by handcrafted lighted display cases housing the owner’s extensive collection of 1:18 scale model cars.

Designed for a lifelong car enthusiast, El Capitola devotes more square footage to a museum-grade showroom housing the owner’s remarkable collection of restored custom classic cars than it does to the living quarters. Located in Washington State overlooking the Columbia River, El Capitola is an homage to the bravado, optimism, and grit of Jet Age car culture set within the clean and understated framework of a modern single-family home. On approach, a minimal material palette of board-formed concrete, steel, and dark brick form a low linear facade that opens onto a tranquil courtyard with a water feature and boulder garden.

A dramatic cantilever at El Capitola’s southwest corner forms a prominent carport, announcing the theme of the house while also serving as a visual gateway to the river beyond.

In addition to the architecture, all interior design and furniture selection was executed by the Architect, with an emphasis on leather, chrome, glass, concrete, and other materials often associated with cars and garages.

Royal II’s main level features a large, cantilevered living room with oak floors, kitchen and dining areas with built-in custom cabinetry, and the primary bedroom suite, which opens onto a private sun deck. Throughout this level, views of the lush forest floor, looming trees, and Mount Baker’s snow-covered peak are framed by generous glazing, evoking an experience of midair suspension. This room opens onto a terrace with an al fresco dining area and seating arranged around a substantial concrete fire table.

Situated on a narrow lot in Northwest Portland’s Alphabet District, the four-story Skyview residence maximizes panoramic views of Portland’s tallest buildings, five of the city’s bridges and several of the Cascade Mountains’ most iconic peaks. Inverting the typical residential program, Skyview’s primary living quarters, entertainment spaces and kitchen are located on the top floor, where unobstructed views become the backdrop for floor-to-ceiling glass walls that part at the corners.