A New Carriage House Built to Look Historic
Two artists reimagine the original Victorian-era structure that once stood on their property and bring it to life
When artists Wayne Hughes and Danny Hills bought a crumbling 120-year-old Queen Anne house in Portland, Oregon, 35 years ago, it had been stripped of its beautiful details and condemned. It was slated for demolition and redevelopment when they purchased it. “We were a couple of broke hippie artists and we thought, ‘This is cool, we don’t care, we’ll fix it up,’ ” Hughes says. For decades they labored over the renovation with care, installing moldings and details that suited the historic house.
Once the main house was in good shape, they turned their attention to an outbuilding on the property. It was half of a carriage house — the other half had burned down in the 1920s. “When we bought the property, we didn’t care that it was dilapidated. We decided to use it as our studio and shop,” Hughes says. But after working in it for years, they realized it was leaning over so much that it would soon fall to the ground. They decided to build a new two-story carriage house, use the ground floor for their commercial pottery business and studio space, and build an apartment upstairs to rent out for income. Their careers and lifestyle have since evolved, and so has the way they use the carriage house.
“These guys are incredible artists and craftsmen,” says contractor Joe Robertson, who worked on the project. “Everything you see inside this structure was handcrafted by these amazing men.”
Once the main house was in good shape, they turned their attention to an outbuilding on the property. It was half of a carriage house — the other half had burned down in the 1920s. “When we bought the property, we didn’t care that it was dilapidated. We decided to use it as our studio and shop,” Hughes says. But after working in it for years, they realized it was leaning over so much that it would soon fall to the ground. They decided to build a new two-story carriage house, use the ground floor for their commercial pottery business and studio space, and build an apartment upstairs to rent out for income. Their careers and lifestyle have since evolved, and so has the way they use the carriage house.
“These guys are incredible artists and craftsmen,” says contractor Joe Robertson, who worked on the project. “Everything you see inside this structure was handcrafted by these amazing men.”
After: Though they had the photo of the original carriage house, the couple took some liberties with the style of the new building. “The original carriage house was pretty plain,” Hughes says. “Because the original building didn’t have a lot of details, we imagined what it would have looked like in a perfect world. I am not a fan of the lacier, frillier Victorian details, so we went with some heavier, more dramatic details. But the goal was to make people think that it had always been there.” The result of their years of hard work is a carriage house that has a Victorian shape with Arts and Crafts details.
Before: Hughes and Hills are only the third owners of the home, and they feel lucky that they’ve been able to learn about its long history from their neighbors. In the 1930s, the then-owners used lumber salvaged from the carriage house fire to build a smaller structure. This photo shows the back side of that structure. Hughes and Hills learned from neighbors that the building had served as a foundry. And it served as the couple’s pottery studio until it was about to fall down in 2014.
When demolishing it, Hughes and Hills salvaged every piece of lumber, including posts and beams, and reused them all in the project. It’s been a labor of love ever since.
When demolishing it, Hughes and Hills salvaged every piece of lumber, including posts and beams, and reused them all in the project. It’s been a labor of love ever since.
After: This is the back of the new structure. The couple incorporated materials from the original carriage house that had been reused in the foundry building. This infused it with some history, but using the salvaged materials was trickier than they expected.
“I thought, ‘I’ll just use the existing siding that we have on the front, wrap it around the corner and then buy new siding for the rest,’ ” Hughes says. “Well, that was stupid, because then I discovered that new siding doesn’t come in the same dimensions as this old siding.” Ever industrious and ready to learn how to craft in ways he’d never tried before, Hughes sourced reclaimed siding salvaged from historic buildings. Then he bought a shaper, learned how to use it, and shaped the siding to match the original boards.
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“I thought, ‘I’ll just use the existing siding that we have on the front, wrap it around the corner and then buy new siding for the rest,’ ” Hughes says. “Well, that was stupid, because then I discovered that new siding doesn’t come in the same dimensions as this old siding.” Ever industrious and ready to learn how to craft in ways he’d never tried before, Hughes sourced reclaimed siding salvaged from historic buildings. Then he bought a shaper, learned how to use it, and shaped the siding to match the original boards.
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Here’s a view of the front of the new carriage house.
Because the project took eight years to complete, photos were taken at different times as things came together. This is one of the most recent photos, so it shows some of the extensive garden the couple have planted on their property over the years.
The large tree on the left is a black walnut that harks back to the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. “At the 1905 World’s Fair in Portland, the [World] Forestry Center was either giving away or selling starts of black walnut trees,” Hughes says. “Our neighbor who knew the original owners of the house told us that’s where they got our black walnut.”
The large tree on the left is a black walnut that harks back to the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. “At the 1905 World’s Fair in Portland, the [World] Forestry Center was either giving away or selling starts of black walnut trees,” Hughes says. “Our neighbor who knew the original owners of the house told us that’s where they got our black walnut.”
When the project began, the couple had a commercial pottery business, Hughes made furniture and Hills painted and drew. So they designed the first level to accommodate the business and their other projects. They also wanted a living space upstairs that they planned to rent out. Steps up the back of the structure provide direct access to the apartment. The couple crafted the railings with the leaf cutouts themselves.
They purchased vintage windows that were damaged and replaced the glass with stained glass. Hughes made the Adirondack chairs with the acorn cutouts. They repeated leaf, acorn and other natural motifs throughout the structure, both on the exterior and inside.
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They purchased vintage windows that were damaged and replaced the glass with stained glass. Hughes made the Adirondack chairs with the acorn cutouts. They repeated leaf, acorn and other natural motifs throughout the structure, both on the exterior and inside.
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This is how the first floor of the carriage house looked soon after construction was complete. It measures 988 square feet. At the time, it was a dedicated space for the pottery business, for building furniture and built-ins and for other art projects.
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Once Robertson was done with the structure of the building, the couple completed the finishes themselves. This included crafting all the cabinetry seen here — note the leaf cutouts on the cabinet doors.
However, much like the main house, this building is ever-evolving, as are the couple’s careers. “After we built the carriage house, our home design business took off, so we got rid of the pottery business,” Hughes says. Now their design-build business keeps them busy full time. Accordingly, they have since changed the first floor to suit their evolving lifestyle. More on that later.
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However, much like the main house, this building is ever-evolving, as are the couple’s careers. “After we built the carriage house, our home design business took off, so we got rid of the pottery business,” Hughes says. Now their design-build business keeps them busy full time. Accordingly, they have since changed the first floor to suit their evolving lifestyle. More on that later.
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The new carriage house also changed the couple’s lifestyle. This is the 550-square-foot apartment upstairs. “As we worked on the second story, we fell in love with the idea of living in a small space. Everything is exactly where you need it,” Hughes says. “So we moved out here and now we rent out the main house on Airbnb.”
It’s easy to see why the upstairs living space enticed the couple to move in to the one-bedroom, one-bathroom space. It’s chock-full of special details and warm textures. The ceilings are knotty pine, and the posts and beams were salvaged from the original outbuilding. “Those are just for looks, they aren’t structural,” Hughes says.
It’s easy to see why the upstairs living space enticed the couple to move in to the one-bedroom, one-bathroom space. It’s chock-full of special details and warm textures. The ceilings are knotty pine, and the posts and beams were salvaged from the original outbuilding. “Those are just for looks, they aren’t structural,” Hughes says.
The vintage oven inspired the tile on the counter and backsplash. “Danny loves to comb Craigslist, and that’s where he found this stove. We wanted something simple,” Hughes says.
Open shelves provide space to display china and pottery in the kitchen. The couple pared down what they’d need to live up here. The stained-glass window adds beautiful light to the kitchen.
Open shelves provide space to display china and pottery in the kitchen. The couple pared down what they’d need to live up here. The stained-glass window adds beautiful light to the kitchen.
“We didn’t want to do anything to make the space feel smaller,” Hughes says. He crafted all the furniture himself. And the couple were very strict about clutter and what they added.
For example, the light fixture is made from a repurposed vintage hay trolley. “We wanted to remind people that this was a barn-carriage house,” Hughes says. But he made sure to install it in a way that didn’t take up too much visual space — the bulk of the fixture is seen only from this angle.
For example, the light fixture is made from a repurposed vintage hay trolley. “We wanted to remind people that this was a barn-carriage house,” Hughes says. But he made sure to install it in a way that didn’t take up too much visual space — the bulk of the fixture is seen only from this angle.
From this angle, the hay trolley has an unobtrusive and sleeker look. Hughes kept the furniture design long and slim for a good fit. The high-top dining table can be made wider by extending its leaves.
The balcony seen here is part of the hayloft-like feature on the front of the carriage house. The couple refashioned its vintage glass doors with colorful stained glass. Look closely at the trim work around the doors to see more leaf cutouts.
The balcony seen here is part of the hayloft-like feature on the front of the carriage house. The couple refashioned its vintage glass doors with colorful stained glass. Look closely at the trim work around the doors to see more leaf cutouts.
“The loft is small,” Hughes says. “We wanted some privacy, but we wanted to be able to open up the walls, because otherwise it would feel super small.” This large sliding barn door can close off the bedroom. Note that it has a hinged door within it.
This photo was taken before the couple painted the barn door.
The hinged door within the sliding door is fully functional. “That’s an old detail I’ve seen on East Coast barns built in the 1800s,” Hughes says. “It’s there because when you need to get up in the middle of the night, you don’t want to have to push a large sliding door over just to get to the bathroom.”
The hinged door within the sliding door is fully functional. “That’s an old detail I’ve seen on East Coast barns built in the 1800s,” Hughes says. “It’s there because when you need to get up in the middle of the night, you don’t want to have to push a large sliding door over just to get to the bathroom.”
The living room space doubles as a guest room, so the couple gave it a matching barn door. It also has a hinged door in the center.
In the living room, the focal point is the fireplace with a stunning Arts and Crafts-inspired ceramic surround created by Hills. The tiles have a botanical relief pattern. The surround is something the couple show their clients, and many of them have Hills fashion something similar for their own homes.
This photo was taken early on in the design of the fireplace surround. “Danny does a paper drawing to the exact size of the surround,” Hughes says. “Then he breaks it up into the size of the tiles we’ll need, makes them out of clay, marks them with numbers and installs them on the surround.”
Here’s a look at Hills at work on the surround, meticulously carving his design into a clay tile.
Hughes designed and built all the furniture in the room, and the couple worked on the built-ins together. The painting over the fireplace is by Hills.
The sofa is also a full-size bed. The half not visible is slid under the eave; the base pulls out to reveal the bed for overnight guests.
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The sofa is also a full-size bed. The half not visible is slid under the eave; the base pulls out to reveal the bed for overnight guests.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
The nature motifs continue on the armchairs, the TV table and the stenciling on the floor. The floor stencils grew out of a construction miscommunication that resulted in lots of nail hole damage in the flooring. “We needed something to cover those up, so we went with stenciling,” Hughes says. The result is a lovely detail that helps delineate the spaces within the open plan.
As mentioned, the carriage house has evolved over the years. After the couple closed their pottery business, they had a whole new vision for the first floor of the building. They went from living in a small one-bedroom apartment to living in a small one-bedroom apartment plus a big open space.
“I’ve always dreamt of living in a big SoHo studio loft in New York City, so we decided to create that here,” Hughes says. “We thought, ‘Well sure, let’s just ground down the floor, have stencils for it made in New York City, buff the entire thing and then turn it into that kind of space,’ ” Hughes says. “Danny has room for his painting, and I have room for building my furniture and other projects.” They also added hangout spaces to the reimagined first floor.
In addition to the polished and stenciled concrete aggregate floors, the couple finished the space more completely for living. Note how they dressed up the support posts, painted the knotty pine and added new trim around the windows. Hughes crafted most of the furniture seen here himself.
“I’ve always dreamt of living in a big SoHo studio loft in New York City, so we decided to create that here,” Hughes says. “We thought, ‘Well sure, let’s just ground down the floor, have stencils for it made in New York City, buff the entire thing and then turn it into that kind of space,’ ” Hughes says. “Danny has room for his painting, and I have room for building my furniture and other projects.” They also added hangout spaces to the reimagined first floor.
In addition to the polished and stenciled concrete aggregate floors, the couple finished the space more completely for living. Note how they dressed up the support posts, painted the knotty pine and added new trim around the windows. Hughes crafted most of the furniture seen here himself.
Here’s a closer look at the flooring and stencils. “The stencils were one-time-use stencils. They were put on and then mason stains were airbrushed onto the concrete before the floor was polished,” Hughes says.
The couple love living in the carriage house and the fact that their passion for renovating blossomed into a full-time design-build and garden design business.
From start to finish, it took the couple eight years to complete the carriage house. “In fairness, we had to work it in between real design work that actually paid,” Hughes says. “Besides, the main house took 30 years, so we did much better!”
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The couple love living in the carriage house and the fact that their passion for renovating blossomed into a full-time design-build and garden design business.
From start to finish, it took the couple eight years to complete the carriage house. “In fairness, we had to work it in between real design work that actually paid,” Hughes says. “Besides, the main house took 30 years, so we did much better!”
More on Houzz
Tour guesthouses
Hire a local design pro
Shop for your home
Studio at a Glance
Who lives here: Artists Wayne Hughes and Danny Hills
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: 1,538 square feet (143 square meters)
Designers: Wayne Hughes and Danny Hills of Lonesomeville Studio
Contractor: Joe Robertson of Shelter Solutions
Before: Working from this photo taken in 1902, the only photo they had of the original carriage house structure, Hughes and Hills drew up plans themselves. Then they handed them off to a structural engineer to create plans for permitting and construction. They hired Robertson to complete the site work, framing and roofing.
With the raw structure in place, the couple took over, using salvaged materials from the original structure, crafting incredible cabinets and railings with cutout details, designing and tiling the fireplace surround, building their own furniture and more. They worked on the carriage house project for eight years, and it has evolved to suit the changes in their careers and lifestyle.