Updates at the Coast
The Salishan community along the Central Oregon coast is a quaint oasis complete with a lovely view of the Pacific Ocean. For Dennis and Cheryl Denton, their 1966 Salishan beach house has been a pleasant getaway for the past four years. As the Dentons anticipate retirement, they decided now was the time to preserve the house as they plan to spend more time relaxing, entertaining and enjoying life at the coast.
Built in the classic Salishan beach look, including local stone, long pieces of cedar siding, an old stone fireplace and wooden beams throughout, they weren't looking for an overhaul so much as they wanted to update and modernize things throughout the inside.
"We initially fell in love with the feel of the house," Cheryl Denton says. "For us, it always felt like a beach house is supposed to feel." With the remodel, they wanted to make sure any changes accentuated the home's cozy, nesty feel.
Working with LB Fisher, the couple zeroed in on key areas throughout the main floor, including the kitchen, living room, dining room, guest bathroom and bar. In addition, they decided to redo the flooring throughout, replacing carpet and cork floor with red oak hardwoods.
"Putting hardwood flooring in was an important part of the process." Denton. "We wanted a cleaner look throughout."
In the kitchen, they added cabinets designed and built by an Oregon cabinetmaker, choosing an exotic, light colored wood with plenty of movement in the grain. For their new bar they chose a richer, dark African wood with sea-colored glass for its round doors.
In the bathroom the couple opted for tiles throughout, along with a large walk-in shower and custom cabinetry.
"The results are very pretty," Denton says. "Everything has a contemporary feel now, which is what it needed. It's cleaner and easier to maintain. At the same time, it still has its cozy, lodge-like feeling that we first fell in love with."
While Cheryl Denton served as the design lead throughout the process – the couple had previously done a remodel of their home in Lake Oswego, and she was used to the process – LB Fisher made sure all the pieces were in place.
"Lance is really good to work with because of his communication," Denton says. "He emails you with any changes, stays in touch on the phone, and wants to make sure you're 100% certain about your choices. I know that it's difficult to coordinate a number of people, but this job went pretty smoothly."
With the remodel successfully completed, the Dentons have retained LB Fisher to work on the master bedroom. Meanwhile, they've enjoyed sharing their updated home with friends and family.
"Everybody loves it," Denton says. "People come in and say that the house looks like it could have always been this way. The changes don't detract at all from the house's original style. Everything melds nicely."
