How They Pulled It Off: Playful Custom Wood Shutters Open Up a Historic Home

Welcome to How They Pulled It Off, where we take a close look at one particularly challenging aspect of a home design and get the nitty-gritty details about how it became a reality.

It was nearly 30 years ago that Sarah Hefte, the former owner of a local (and beloved) record store, Everyday Music, in Portland, Oregon, bought a 1929 Tudor-style house with her husband. The four-bedroom, two-bathroom home was charming, with details like leaded glass windows, hardwood floors, and a woodburning fireplace. But after 25 years, and the death of her husband a few years ago, Sarah was ready for a fresh start—but without moving out of her home.

She reached out to Erica Leader of the Portland-based design firm The Northwest Home to update a few key spaces, including the living room. By that point, "the home hadn’t really been touched in the twenty-five years they owned it," says Leader. The living room in particular felt dated and dark, and "the paint was now a grimy, taupe-y beige showing wear and tear over the years." What’s more, it wasn’t optimized for flow or storage.

Leader guided Sarah through the design process, finding inspiration in Sarah’s Norwegian heritage and her interest in spaces that are clean and modern, but with a casual and funky twist. (She’s the owner of a record store, after all!) "We wanted to add some fun, unexpected elements that would bring some joy into the space," says Leader. Items like new checkerboard tile at the fireplace, a punchy blue couch, practical storage, and new wood shutters on the large picture window at the front of the living room gave it the right balance of practicality and personality.