By now, we’ve checked out quite a few Rummers here at Property Watch, from this modest and unchanged listing in 2021 to a larger, light and airy version earlier this year. This one on SW Bonnie Brae Court in Beaverton is special in its own right. Not only is it the first courtyard model that we’ve looked inside, but its most recent owner is a principal at interiors firm Vida Design.

Since purchasing the home in 2009, they’ve completed a thorough remodel, from the primary’s Roman shower to a brand-new ADU out front, and we get to see how a professional makes these classic midcentury homes, well, more modern.

As a courtyard model—that’s number OC-041 to be exact—the home was originally fronted by a two-car garage and block wall spanning the lot, with an entry door in between those. The idea was to walk through that door into a private open-air courtyard. A roof typically extended out from the garage to cover the walkway that lead to the front door.

Now, that privacy wall has essentially been replaced with a 209-square-foot detached office/ADU, and quite a well-appointed one at that. To start, it’s clad in a lovely, sandy-colored 12-inch stacked brick, then trimmed in Schoolhouse sconces and a sliding glass door that opens to the interior courtyard. Inside the studio, there’s radiant heat under the white oak flooring, a skylight, noise-canceling insulation, custom cabinetry and built-in desk, and a tongue-and-groove wood ceiling that mimics the main house.

Equally impressive is how the exterior entry sequence was changed with the addition of the ADU. There, the designer added a cedar slat screen for privacy from the street, behind which is a custom iron and tempered glass pivot door leading to the courtyard and front door. 

Inside the original home, built in 1967, expect many of the Rummer features we know and love, like a natural cedar feature wall running from the entry to the living room, exposed beams and tongue-and-groove at the ceilings, and oh-so-much floor-to-ceiling glass. The layout is the same overall, though the remodel collapsed the original tiny galley kitchen and family room into one super-functional kitchen.

There, find a 12-foot-long peninsula with a 48-inch Viking professional gas range, a plethora of prep/serving space via quartz counters, and enough room for five seats. Full-height custom cabinets with cool, wood-detailed finger pulls bank one wall, incorporating bonus storage that’s in addition to the kitchen runs and walk-in pantry. A glass wall with a sliding glass door to the courtyard is the finishing touch.

The living and dining rooms are more cozy. In the latter, a custom white oak cabinet with sliding tambour doors runs the length of the wall, providing both storage and plenty of seating. The original fireplace was wrapped with a custom wood mantel, and a second custom cabinet that matches the dining room’s sits to the side of that.

Each of the three bedrooms has had the original sliding glass doors updated to Milgard models, and both bathrooms have also been completely redone. In the hall bathroom, a standout wall of concrete tile backs a cast concrete sink, and there are brass sconces and Brizo fixtures. In the primary, there’s a custom vanity with white oak tambour front, paired with natural slate floor tile, and full-height Carrara marble on the walls, extending all the way into the preserved sunken Roman shower (a common Rummer feature).

This being a designer’s home means nothing went unconsidered, including the yard, which now has a raised planter bed with rosemary and sage running along the side yard, as well as a built-in concrete firepit outside the living room, and a hot tub just steps away from the primary suite.

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 13855 SW Bonnie Brae Ct, Beaverton, OR 97005
• Size: 1,662 square feet/3 bedrooms/2 baths 
• List Date: 9/21/2023 
• List Price: $1,150,000
• Listing Agent: Marisa Swenson, Modern Homes Collective
• Design: Vida Design

Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer who has focused on Pacific Northwest design and lifestyle since 2008. She is based in Portland, Oregon. Contact Dalton here. 

Editor’s Note: Portland Monthly’s “Property Watch” column takes a weekly look at an interesting home in Portland’s real estate market (with periodic ventures to the burbs and points beyond, for good measure). Got a home you think would work for this column? Get in touch at [email protected].