Historic Adobe - This building and its interiors exemplify the green building principles we are interested in following. The building is built of locally made adobe bricks. The reeds for the underside of the eves and the wood timbers are both harvested locally. The cabinet in the second photo is made from antique Indian wood doors and recycled wood. The chair is upholstered in hemp and the pillows are covered in vintage sari strips taken from the base of the native garment worn by women in India. The chaise is upholstered in a vintage Kilim rug. The other pieces of furniture are made from recycled wood. El Bosque Road Residence - Our clients for this project were a young couple. It was important for them that the project have a natural and organic feel. They were very interested in being as green as possible. We used hemp fabrics, antiques, and furniture made from either wicker or reclaimed wood. Two locally-made pieces have interesting histories. The dining table is made of walnut from a local orchard which was cut down in the 1940's. The coffee table is made of oak that originally served as a foundation under the city of London and is over 2000 years old. London was essentially a bog in the days of the Roman Empire. Huge oak timbers were used to support any new infrastructure. To allow for modern construction, this near-petrified wood is now being removed and sold to privileged woodworkers like the one we commissioned to built this table. Burgundy House - During a sabbatical year in France, Jessica and her husband, architect Yianni Doulis, helped plan the restoration of her great-grandmother's 16th century house in Burgundy. They drew plans for a new sleeping loft, a kitchen remodel, and a new glass-enclosed dining room which will project out above an immense open space of thick wooden beams and old stone walls - work now in progress. They also refinished a number of the interior walls in tadelakt, a traditional Moroccan finishing method involving the burnishing of naturally pigmented lime plaster until it reaches a high level of polish and water resistance. Butterfly Lane Residence - When these clients came to JHID they said they wanted a "Swedish Cottage by the Sea." Their site was just steps away from the beach, but they were beginning construction on a house that was much more of a Mediterranean villa. We designed the interior - fireplaces, ceilings, floors, moldings, cabinetry, and tile - to reflect the style they described. We used a light, fresh, color palette of pale yellows, blues, and whites that are typical of Swedish design. The floors are wide-plank hickory. We also successfully integrated their impressive collection of modern art that includes works by Toulouse Lautrec, David Hockney, George Baselitz and Alexander Calder. In the kitchen, we used a vintage 50's range with bright red knobs. We designed the fireplace in the master bedroom to be reminiscent of a Swedish cylindrical tile stove. In one of the guest baths, a plexi chair offers a playful contrast to the white tiles found in many cottages. Featured: Home Magazine, June 2006. El Cielito Residence - This residence is the family home of Elmer Bernstein, a well-known music composer for the film industry. The Spanish revival house was built in the 1920's and is situated on a beautifully landscaped mountaintop. One of the highlights of this project was the built-in cabinetry, which we designed to house the client's large film collection. The cabinetry blends well with the existing architecture. We designed leaded glass doors and had them fabricated locally. The small squares of colored glass echo the color palette of the fabrics. We also concealed a roll-down screen behind the beams, so the ample living room can double as a theater. Faria Beach Residence - This project is an interior remodel of a 1950's three bedroom beachfront bungalow. Our clients wanted a casual, natural feeling. We chose a color palette of pale golden sand and celadon green to set off the ocean views. The pale backdrop is set off by chocolate brown accessories: a woven metal mirror, spun wire French lamps and stools, and French metal chairs with raffia upholstered seat cushions. We used seagrass and bamboo flooring throughout. Hand printed hemp bedding was used in the bedrooms as well as natural fiber roman shades. The dining table and living room end tables are made from reclaimed teak. An antique Middle Eastern tapestry hanging on a bamboo pole helps to warm-up a reading nook in the study. The kitchen backsplashes are tiled with pale celadon recycled glass mosaics. In the master bedroom a mirror framed in bamboo and mother of pearl brightens the wall. A skylight lets natural light floods the limestone and walnut bathroom with natural light. Hill House - Located on the beachfront Rancho San Augustine, the Hill House is the smallest of three houses on the property. Our project was an extensive renovation of two of the three houses. The Hill House is basically a studio, with a living/dining room, a kitchen, an alcoved bedroom, and a bath. Our clients wanted the house to serve as their private retreat when they are entertaining large groups at the ranch. Our clients wanted a simple, natural, earthy feel. For this we chose a color palette which would relate to the native chaparral and coastline which surround the property: sandy yellows and sagey blue-greens. The walls are finished in natural pigmented plaster and the bathroom is finished in tadelakt with imbedded decorative pebbles and a pebble floor. The clients are deeply committed to environmental sustainability. Green features include high performance windows, on demand water heaters, certified lumber, recycled wood siding, reclaimed wood beams, floors, and cabinetry, non-toxic interior finishes, and a new solar-electric photovoltaic system. Maison de Village, Forcalquier, France - While living in the French village of Forcalquier Jessica and husband, architect Yianni Doulis, helped restore two 17th century stone village houses. The owner wanted the adjacent houses to open to each other. With the stone walls sometimes reaching up to a yard in thickness, and the varying floor elevations of the two buildings, the project was quite complex. Yianni and Jessica were involved in both design and building, helping with everything from architectural drawings and permit processing to applying special lime plaster finishes in the bathrooms. While in France, Yianni studied tadelakt, a traditional Moroccan finishing method, involving the burnishment of naturally pigmented lime plasters until they reach a high level of polish and water resistance. The project was still under construction when they left, so no finished interior photographs are available. Mango Restaurant- The owners of this restaurant wanted a colorful design that complemented their tropical menu. A Paul Gaugin painting was the inspiration for our color palette. By painting the walls in deeply pigmented contrasting colors we created a space that is warm, inviting and full of visual interest. We commissioned a local artist to create paintings that combined the color palette and flavor of the restaurant with the Spanish revival architecture of the adobe building. The material palette is simple, natural, and restrained. We used sea grass carpeting. Bamboo fencing covers the vertical surfaces of the bar and service area. We sand-blasted the paint off the original brick walls and waxed and finished the terra cotta floor tiles. Portland Home - Jessica and husband Yianni bought this fixer in Southeast Portland with the goal of restoring the house to its original charm, while creating a comfortable home for their growing family. Yianni and Jessica did much of the work themselves: performing major wall repair; setting tile; adding moldings - which should have been original; installing doors and windows; painting; and building an exterior retaining wall. Did we mention that Jessica was six months pregnant when they started this project? On their first night in the house, Jessica finally relaxed and promptly went into labor with their second child, Penelope. Green features in the house include: non-toxic paints and finishes; improved insulation; reclaimed doors and hardware; an antique range; salvaged tile, lighting, and plumbing fixtures; locally-sourced stone retaining wall; recycled glass tile floor in bathroom; and new Oregon native plantings. The furnishings are nearly all vintage or antique. Featured: Portland Monthly, March 2006. Portland Office - The Portland offices of Jessica Helgerson Interior Design are a showcase of green building materials. Desks were fabricated from slabs of locally salvaged wood. Light fixtures are recycled. Much of the furniture is vintage from the 1950's. Library shelves are made from recycled concrete form-boards and hold an extensive collection of green building material resources. To make the the children's play room a bit more intimate, a modern light fixture hangs low from the otherwise daunting 12-foot ceiling, Jessica further embellished the lower portion of the walls with designs inspired by Indian mehndi. The restroom walls are covered in mosaics made from recycled mirrors. Yianni and Jessica fabricated and designed nearly all the pieces in their office. Featured: Daily Journal of Commerce, May 2006. Picacho Lane Residence - This project is the home Steve Humphrey and mystery writer Sue Grafton. While working with Warner and Gray Architects, Jessica Helgerson and Jack Warner designed the interiors of the main house. When Jessica opened her office she was called back to design the guest suite. The smoking porch has an accordion door system that opens it up to the outside. Over-scale rattan chairs surround a table topped with an antique Japanese hibachi. The room got its name when we plumbed the hibachi for gas so that the owner could light his cigars with a dramatic flourish. The library walls are upholstered in chocolate brown velvet with thick walnut shelves to set off Steve's collection of antique astronomical instruments. The guest bath has curly maple cabinets and flagstone floors that are reflected by mirrored walls. Featured: Architectural Digest, May 2000. Reiter Brothers Corporate Headquarters - For this commercial remodel we chose a material palette that compliments the industrial interior with its high ceilings and large open spaces. We created a balance of warm & cool colors, rustic & modern elements. The result is a comfortable yet dynamic space with a warm organic feel. Walls are colorfully plastered. The steel beams lie exposed. The atriums are well-planted. Seagrass covers the floor. Modern furniture populates the entire space. All of the task chairs are from Herman Miller's line of recycled and recyclable content products. The paints used are non-toxic and low-VOC. An old-fashioned lime-wash paint and natural pigmented plaster were used for the accent walls. We chose seagrass carpeting for the offices, and natural linoleum for the copy and exercise rooms, because in addition to being environmentally-friendly, they also look fantastic. We intentionally chose not to cover the concrete in most of the space to minimize the impact on the environment. The reception desk, conference table, executive desks, and various shelving units are all made from reclaimed walnut. Zaca Creek Ranch - Zaca Creek Ranch is set on 1600 acres of oak-covered land in the Santa Ynez Valley. Our client wanted a comfortable, casual feeling that reflected the barn-like nature of the structure without feeling theme-oriented. We used reclaimed tobacco-barn oak for the floors and cabinets. For our color palette we took a cue from the surrounding land, and selected warm off-whites, browns, and sage greens and complemented with red accents. The kitchen cabinets are painted red, with an earth-toned glaze to mellow the color. In the bathrooms we selected neutral or sage green tiles to set off the warm tones of the reclaimed wood as well as the unique mirrors and light fixtures. In the bedrooms, we designed sliding closet doors that echo the exterior barn doors. Nearly all of the furnishings are antiques, from the old tractor seats we converted to bar stools to the reclaimed wrought iron gate we used as headboard and the antique Indian cart which serves as a coffee table in the living room. Clients Residential - Steve Abbey, Eric Abercrombie, Everard & Brooke Ashworth, Tom & Laura Baldwin, Glen Berger, Elmer & Eve Bernstein, Mike & Janice Brown, The Bruce Family, Buki Burke, Kevin & Mary Carralejo, Don & Britt Chadwick, Famille Coiffet-Peronne, Brad and Susan Coulon, Andy & Adriane Davis, Owen Dell and Melanie Yankee, Mary Dominguez, Steve Ducker and Connie Hoag, Jasper Eiler, Paddy Fumerton and Allan Liu, Robin Furness and Russ Simmons, Lamar Gable, Maria de la Luz Garcia, Lisa Goodman, Sue Grafton and Steve Humphrey, Liz & Harold Green, Gus Gurley, Lad Handelman, Barbara Hebda, Richard & Christine Helgerson, Jason & Sharon Hughes, Jon & Sarah Ives, Randy Jaffe, Winand & Erika Jeschke, Bob & Mary Holmstrom, John & Ellen Kelley, Anne Kernan, Kim & Terrie Kimbell, Bernice Ludwig, Helene Marsh, David Marshall and Candace Waid, Renee Martin & Leif Pietila, Charles McClintock and Carol Wilburn, Scott McCosker, Elaine McKaba, Dan Meisel, Laura Menahan, Ginger Miller, Mitch Morehart, Hughes Morton, Andreas & Franz Muller, Janet Nancarrow-French, Northwest Friendly Homes, Dennis & Paula Patrick, David & Sandra Patterson, Eileen Pritikin, Ben & Shayna Rockwell, The Rosenbaum Family, Dave & Sarah Schrott, Dick & Jasminka Shaikewitz, Andrew & Fran Swart, Susan Tai and David Wong, Bill & Lizzie Warner, Joe & Vibeke Weiland, David & Ann Welborn, Joan Wells, The Winters Family, Wanda Wright, Pia Zadora. Clients Commercial - Caesar & Seider Insurance Services, Child Abuse Listening and Mediation, Inc., El Capitain Canyon, Bialosky-Peikert Architects, Christ the King Episcopal Church, La Playa Pilates & Wellness Center, Law Offices of Lascher & Lascher, M.C. Swan Boutique, Mango Restaurant, Opsis Architecture, Reiter Brothers, Inc., Reicker Pfau, Pyle, McRoy & Herman, Russ Jones Metalworks, San Ysidro Ranch, Sedgwick Reserve, University of California, Santa Barbara.