Skip to content

Northwest Home with a Mountain View

Driving through the narrow, coastal roads of Lake Oswego, Oregon, you might miss this magnificent French country-style home along with Iron Mountain. The conventional home sits on top of a ridge, providing owners Joan and Nick Johnson a magnificent view of Mt. Hood and Oswego Lake. “We get up every morning, and we sit out and we see that the sun rise,” says Joan.

Designed by architect Rod Graham, Nick and Joan had their dream house built five years ago this month. The house sits along with iron plantations dating back into the 19th century. The plantations are now covered with boulders, but remnants of Lake Oswego’s historic mining times encircle their property.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Nick and Joan Johnson
Location: Lake Oswego, Oregon
Size: 7,000 sq. ft., three-story detached house with 4 bedrooms

See more Tours

Whitney Lyons

Joan and Nick like the feeling of community they feel in Lake Oswego. Joan says she feels as though she is on holiday in her home — 365 days of blissful vacation.

Whitney Lyons

The grand entry welcomes guests with lovely, radiant heated hardwood flooring that continues throughout the house. Walking through the entry to the rear patio provides a commanding panoramic view.

Whitney Lyons

The easy blue-and-white colour scheme found in the dining area is found throughout Joan’s house. She has always appreciated this colour combination, along with red as an accent colour. The furniture comes mostly from antique stores in Palm Springs, Calif. and on the East Coast.

Whitney Lyons

Nick and Joan’s house is the best balance of masculine and feminine. Joan has done all the decorating herself, with the exception of a couple of helpful hints on paint colour. Joan mixes the old with the newest and states, “I really don’t like to buy new generally, but sometimes it is hard to find what you’re searching for. Nowadays I wait until I find exactly what I want.”

Whitney Lyons

Twenty years ago Joan bought her first expensive item of furniture. “I’ve loved that red couch forever. It is getting tired and has to be recovered, but I can’t make myself do it. I really don’t know whether I have the courage to really go red again,” she states.

Whitney Lyons

The kitchen is Joan and Nick’s preferred area. From behind the kitchen island they can take in a beautiful panoramic view of character. The flush-mounted fridge is disguised as cabinetry with molding and hardware. A few of the drawers in the kitchen also have this exceptional feature. One provides freezer space, another a small second fridge, and a third a heating system. In addition, the kitchen features a pasta faucet above the stove and two dishwashers.

Whitney Lyons

A second dining table has leaves that extend to make lots of room for visiting family members and friends to take in the view.

Whitney Lyons

The kitchen pantry features a collection of Spode Italian blue classic transfer glassware. Joan was delighted to have her collection exhibited with built-in closets, not just for its beauty, but because it is now readily accessible when she needs it.

Nick’s mother collected candy molds that inspired Joan to accumulate them too.

Whitney Lyons

The spacious, open-concept area is the best place in the house for entertainment or a lazy Sunday afternoon. Whoever is the chef can interact with guests while cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

Whitney Lyons

The guest area has a cozy seating area to get a fantastic book and a cup of tea. Each of the four bedrooms has a similar place for sitting and relaxing.

Whitney Lyons

This painting is an important piece for both Nick and Joan. Nick’s great grandfather was the captain of a Swedish boat called Molodez. An artist in England was able to sit on the pier and paint ships since they came in. He would then sell his paintings into the captains. The painting came into Nick and Joan in the mail from Sweden one day after the last of the Swedish heirs had expired.

Whitney Lyons

Joan found this apothecary medicine cabinet at an antique store when visiting her daughter Kristi at school in Santa Clara, Calif.. Joan has been collecting demitasse tea cups for so long as she can recall and the cabinet became the best display case for her collection.

Whitney Lyons

Kristi will have a home away from home at her parents’ house in this vibrant, spacious bedroom.

Whitney Lyons

On a beautiful, clear Northwest day, you can view Mt. Hood and Oswego Lake from Joan and Nick’s patio. It’s here that they spend most of their leisure time, simply taking in the view.

Whitney Lyons

The only thing left in their house design to-do-list is some landscaping. Joan was inspired by an image of a house in British Columbia, and wishes to landscape down the mountain using sedum ground cover and a lot of narrow paths. Until they do, Joan and Nick will continue to appreciate their daily cups of coffee on the rear patio (occasionally with heaters), overlooking the view.

More:
Between Sea and Sky on Raft Island
Comfort and Elegance for 5
Victorial Style, Built for Fun
See more Tours

See related