The dream team of Karol Niemi Associates and Dennis Batke Architects have been collaborating on projects for decades. One of their most outstanding collaborations may be their own home, located in Northwest Portland. High above the city with spectacular views, the location spoke to Batke, heavily influencing his architecture. The steep site, located close to the road, splays out to the north and south. Walls of windows open onto multi-mountain views to the east, while the streetside is paralleled with a black Endicott brick façade punctuated by a cantilevered striped polished and flamed granite library wall. A clerestory runs along the full-length of the home behind the brick wall, bringing light from the east down into both floors, highlighting the collection of artwork below.
The West entry opens from the courtyard onto the foyer and powder room. “Because of the direction and level changes leading to the powder room,” explains Batke, “you are unaware once inside how close you are to the road.”
There is no mistaking, however, the power of Niemi’s design skills and the depth to which she can mesh spaces, layer colors, fabrics, patterns and art, as evidenced so strikingly throughout the entire home’s design, making the results feel like an embrace. In the foyer, she grounds the room combining Bedrosians tile flooring in Absolute Black, Inca Gold and Rouge, then contrasts it with Walker Zanger “Tribeca” mosaic accents. The latter pattern is repeated within fabrics found on an Edwardian settee, elements of a Taroudant Moroccan mirror as well as in the exquisitely inlaid Mike Manion chest. “The checkerboard design,” explains Niemi, “is a thread that connects the entire house.”
As for the chest, Manion fashioned it after an Italian piece originally done raw and unfinished for a client. “I saw the piece in his studio as bare wood with only a matte sealer. I thought the satin finish enhanced coloration with the stone floor is as good as it gets.”
More of Batke’s architectural curves await, presented this time as a formidable arc connecting the living areas. Handsome Jotoba Brazilian flooring unites the main rooms. “I saw the pattern initially as flooring at the Marco Polo airport in Venice,” recalls Niemi. “The patterning had an Asian simplicity. The intersecting boards and punctuated ebony dots extending the length of the house provide an added detail.”
The couple’s gregarious Persian cat, Ziggy Stardust, will be on hand to greet you. Often perched upon the granite counter, his honey coloring is reiterated in the James Boulton Hyper Cube artwork above. “Ziggy was born the year David Bowie died. We found him at a family rock band that happened to raise ‘rock star Persians,’” laughs Niemi. “He grew up around this musical environment, so he’s a real party guy. He has no fear at all, walks around as if he owns the place… which he does!”
Niemi also loves to cook and often invites friends for more casual dining in the garden room located off the kitchen. There, she turned a 19th century Chippendale sofa into a comfy multi-colored banquette that beckons guests to sit and enjoy the views Niemi-Batke wisely directed toward Mt. Hood.
Amidst the couple’s decades long collaborations, includes Niemi-Batke’s work in Cambridge, England’s new village and water treatment facility during the 1970s. Niemi’s job was to develop the interior design for an entire town, from the ground up for an entire year. “It was quite a project, and we both learned a lot,” she says.
The couple work together in a shared office, where they’ve learned the art of collaboration. “We have a pro relationship that has stayed consistent. We are in constant consultation with each other formally or informally and it works out great,” says Niemi.
Frequent trips to Morocco heightened Niemi’s passion for intense color, as well as a cultural appreciation of rich Fez/Taroudant craft. The stunning cloisonné mirror accompanying the Brueton Starfire glass crystal top dining table that stretches toward infinity between a pair of Saarinen chairs had a bumpy ride back to the States. “I told them at the shop, ‘Don’t send me the mirror, it will break!’” recalls Niemi. “They assured me it wouldn’t. I cleared the shipment through customs, noting the mirror had broken into a million pieces, so, a new mirror and hanger was completed by Katayama Framing.”
Coincidentally, Niemi, who is of Finnish descent like Saarinen, frequently gathers the ivory lacquered chairs he designed for his bedroom at Hvittrask together with chairs by Jack Lenor Larsen, placing both styles around the stunning dining room table. Larsen was the first American designer honored with a show in the Paris Decorative Arts Museum at the Louvre. The Niemi-Batkes were invited to the affair and gratefully attended.
Each one of the Niemi-Batke works of art tell a story. In some cases, the furnishings also tell a tale. Consider Niemi’s living room sofa as a homage to Peggy Guggenheim’s white vinyl sofa still gracing her Venetian home turned Grand Canal Museum. Affectionately called “Peggy,” Niemi upholsters hers in black, perhaps referencing the tragic burning of the La Fenice Opera House, while tying it to her handsome granite fireplace crowned with Lucinda Parker’s colorful artwork.
To avoid any view of the neighbor’s glassed-in living room, Batke wisely pushed the living room out far enough for mutual privacy. “The homes are only 20 feet apart, so that eliminates the feeling of living close to a neighbor,” he says.
Need a little quiet time? Head for the library, where the eyes are upon you in an early 20th century lounge chair upholstered in JAB art fabric. The herringbone floor constructed with concealed splines was exceedingly difficult to install. Its pattern is held together with biscuit wafers. A pair of red vinyl chairs add spice to the enveloping library.
The couple give kudos to their long-term contractor Don Young & Associates, who carefully constructed their home, replete with all its forms, levels and curves. According to Don Young, “Karol and Dennis’ home is a one-of-a-kind piece of architecture, it shines in every aspect of the finished design, details and beauty.”
“It’s a pleasure working with John and Rhonda McCutchen of Don Young & Associates, who are very professional,” adds Niemi. “They work as a team in their office, keeping each other in the loop, and consistently work with subs who know how discriminating and particular our taste is, which is why our clients hire us.”
“Opportunities to collaborate directly with Dennis and Karol building their own vision, are always a valuable experience for us,” add John and Rhonda. “They come with a unique knowledge bank of what they want to achieve, which adds levels of complexity by design creators who understand what is possible.”
Niemi illustrates that design wisdom in her kitchen, the heart of most homes. She, however, puts a unique twist on the stunning range backsplash, reiterating elements found in the foyer flooring in a very different, rockstar way. She adds texture via zebra wood cabinetry, and granite counters that glisten dramatically.
Intimate dining à deux can be enjoyed without leaving the kitchen. Red lacquer chairs from Andreu World in Barcelona along with the granite table at the end of the counter can be tucked beneath the counter’s recessed space or pushed against the railing overlooking the adjacent solarium. After a busy day spent designing homes, the Niemi-Batkes can enjoy relaxing and eventually retire to their primary bedroom suite, replete with a bath featuring a granite tub that gleams beneath a sparkling Venetian style mirror.
From the bedroom, they can step out onto the balcony and enjoy the city and mountain view to the East. Often, a pair of Carlo Moretti champagne flutes await them for the last toast of the day.
A platinum faux chinchilla throw whose texture Niemi describes as “the most shimmery fabric I’d ever seen,” adorns the bed. Pierre Frey and Fornasetti fabrics grace its bed pillows which, like the dining plates, feature another version of Lina Cavalieri, the Italian opera singer renowned for her beauty. Milano painter and graphic designer, Piero Fornasetti, created both items based on an image of Lina Cavalieri found in a 19th century French magazine.
Thoughts of Venice, the magical city to which the couple has traveled countless times, sparkles in their hearts as they extinguish the Archimede Seguso Venetian bedside lamps each night with a whispered, “Buona notte!”
PROJECT SOURCES
ARCHITECT
Dennis Batke Architects
INTERIOR DESIGN
Karol Niemi Associates Interior Planning & Design
karolniemiassociatesinteriorplanningdesign.site
CONTRACTOR
Don Young & Associates
dyaconstruction.com
FIREPLACE
Lisac’s Fireplaces and Stoves
lisacsfireplaces.com
Shoptalk - John McCutchen & Rhonda Freauff McCutchen
John McCutchen & Rhonda Freauff McCutchen, co-owners Don Young & Associates, Inc. | www.dyaconstruction.com
You each navigated to construction—one pulled in by the craft, the other by the process. What are major takeaways from your experience?
John: Being interested in several disciplines in college made it difficult to settle on a specific path. I found that construction grounded me, it allowed me to work with my hands and see creations come to fruition.
Rhonda: When creating a custom vision there are thousands of details and decisions. We’re handed outlines to bring to life, so navigating a myriad of weighted answers is a beautiful process.
How did working in construction from the ground up (John) and decades in operations and management systems (Rhonda) impact how you run the business?
John: Constructing a home or shelter seems basic and almost primal. Though, the more I dig, the complexities increase. Each trade and craft person brings a wealth of knowledge and endless possibilities.
Rhonda: Quality management is all about defining cycles, so when issues come up, it’s getting to the crux as swiftly as possible, so solutions can grow. Construction assembly lines just have different moving parts.
Why is it important to work alongside skilled craftspeople?
John: Our projects require unique skills. Having craftspeople proud of what they do, and good at what they do, motivates us all to become better.
Rhonda: Complicated situations are met with skilled trade experience, so decision making is sped up. People know what works, so end results meet our expectations.
Each project is different and provides unique challenges. How does your knowledge benefit your clients?
John: Decades of build experience helps calm our clients in a hectic industry. Knowing how sequencing works, when to push or pull, and having a wealth of resources taps us into solutions.
Rhonda: Driving a nearly half-a-century old Portland company means storing many stories and scenarios, evolving materials and workforce shifts. Our longevity also enables us to adapt to industry innovation and change. It is easier to bridge gaps when roots go deep.
You produce everything from retreats to spaces where one can create. Tell us about this.
John: We are fortunate to participate in assembling dreams. Often clients plan unique projects for years before we even break ground. We take the path seriously, having a good time living through their anticipation to realization.
Rhonda: The “behind-the-walls” craft creates those dream canvases. Hidden steel, molding layers, piping labyrinths. Executing that controlled infrastructure is a creative challenge that draws like-minded people to this industry. It’s tangible beauty.
What is the driving force behind your business?
John: Relationships. I didn’t go into this to be a business owner. It was a difficult decision after Don Young asked me to take over his life’s work. I’d built 25 years with great coworkers. My children had an interest, and when Rhonda decided to join, it made sense to jump.
Rhonda: I grew up in family-owned restaurants where benefits outweighed challenges. It’s a gift to work with family. Even our granddaughter comes to work!
Your main role is to collaborate with clients to pull diverse pieces together. How does one bridge the gap between concept and reality?
John: Humility. Patience. Communication. Sometimes plans work, sometimes pictures or mockups are the best way. The best collaborations evolve out of listening. Everyone’s needs are so unique.
Rhonda: Pulling the team together with expectations on the table. Scheduling is critical. Having long-standing relationships with our collaborators is essential because they know we’re going to do everything we can to accommodate them, and in turn, they deliver.
