This is the kind of home you can’t wait to show off to friends. Situated on a quiet street in the Mount Tabor neighborhood and replete with stunning midcentury features, it seems purpose-built for entertaining guests. So much so that they soon won’t require an invitation. 

“Our house has been the de facto gathering spot for our friends for almost a decade now,” says current owner Aaron Belchere. “In the summertime, people stop in to lay out on the deck and it inevitably morphs into a BBQ.” No need to be stingy with that guest list, either: the deck currently holds a sectional couch, multiple loungers, and a bed built for sunbathing, with plenty of room to spare. 

In colder weather, when the snowcapped Mount Hood beckons in the distance, the massive sandstone fireplace—a timeless midcentury living room centerpiece—serves as the gathering spot. Extending to the peak of the soaring, angled ceiling, it lends a very 1960s sense of grandeur to the space. “What can I say,” owner Taralyn Thuot says. “We go weak in the knees for wood vaulted ceilings and stone fireplaces.”

The duo’s appreciation for era charm shines through every room of the house. Warm wood paneling envelops the living room—and the entry, and the stairwell. A wall of cabinets adds ultrafunctional storage and architectural interest; it also facilitates a big reveal for the impressive view from the dining room’s floor-to-ceiling windows. 

“Midcenturies to me represent the moment in American history when pleasure and indulgence in your home life wasn’t only for the rich,” Belchere says. The pair’s renovations have managed to keep the place thoroughly authentic, but not at all dated.

At least one throwback feature might require an optimistic reframing, though. This millennium hasn’t looked as kindly upon the galley kitchen as the preceding one. But Belchere sees the separate, streamlined cooking area as another perk for frequent entertainers. “I love to cook for people, and I love to party. But I really don’t like when the party comes to the kitchen,” he says. The somewhat prohibitive design “keeps the riffraff out,” allowing the space to better serve its purpose: feeding said riffraff, of course.

Despite the home’s clear focus on accommodating visitors—or, perhaps, because of it—private spaces abound throughout. The downstairs has a separate entrance and a kitchen of its own, making it ideal for lengthy visits, multigenerational living, or especially large social gatherings. A hot tub and sitting area on the covered lower deck provide a smaller, more intimate option for partygoers. 

Wherever they choose to gather, they’re in decades’ worth of good company.

Listing Fast Facts 

• Address: 7221 SE Madison St, Portland, OR 97215
• Size: 2,638 square feet/4 bedroom/2 bath 
• List Date: 9/12/2024
• List Price: $850,000
• Listing Agent: Deb Kemp, Deb Kemp Realty

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].