Ten homes around the region open their doors to showcase the region's best modern domestic architecture this weekend, during the third-annual Portland Modern Home Tour. This year’s self-guided tour, curated by Portland Architecture’s Brian Libby, showcases sustainability and masterful use of light and open space.

Libby's selection features a notable pair of uber-contemporary, sharp-angled homes: the four-story Tower House, designed by Ben Waechter; and Skylab Design’s hillside home, set in a stacked T-formation with an expansive view. Meanwhile, a Japanese-inspired midcentury home, owned and designed by Tyler Stone and Patrick Hind, otherwise known together as the electronic pop band Sutro, most efficiently showcases the modernist affectation for glass—lots and lots of glass. 

Meanwhile, other homes on tour show exquisite choice in material, using wood to warm up rooms that could otherwise be cold in their minimalism, such as the recently renovated 1955 MOA Architecture home in Lake Oswego. Many homes offer extensive examples of green construction, like Paul Koehler’s and Jinx Faulkner’s 1953 Mt. Tabor home, redesigned by Matt Raphael, to include green roofs, permeable paving, and a high-efficiency furnace, while the compact, two-story urban dwelling by DAO Architecture was built with sustainability in mind from the start. 

Swing by the Sawyer’s Row apartment complex, designed by highly acclaimed Holst Architecture firm, explore open floor plans, large windows, and slightly shifted floors that impart the illusion of movement. Finally, marvel at the 1919 home in Portland’s Concordia neighborhood, by SERA Architects, that was fully deconstructed then resurrected utilizing the same materials, as well as reclaimed Doug Fir from a 60-year-old warehouse deck. These homes represent the epitome in functionality, beauty, and design.  

MODERN HOME TOUR PORTLAND
WHEN: Saturday, March 29 11 am - 5 pm
HOW MUCH: Advance tickets are $30, or $40 on Saturday. Kids under 12 are free.
An interactive map of the home locations and tickets are available online.