Portland, Oregon-based interior designer Jessica Helgerson has been living, for the past year, “rather experimentally in a 540-square-foot cottage on five acres of farmland.” She and her family raise chickens, turkeys, bees, and grow their own food.
Her five-acre property on Sauvie Island, an agricultural island on the Columbia River 15 minutes north of Portland, is “an interesting experiment in reduction and reuse,” Helgerson says. She remodeled the house using nearly exclusively reclaimed materials; added a green roof for insulation, and a chicken coop where she raises chickens. Paradise found? Martha Stewart thinks so; she featured the house in her March 2012 issue; go to Martha Stewart to read more.
To read more about the project, go to Jessica Helgerson Design. Photos by Lincoln Barbour.
Above: A collection of brightly colored Fermob French cafe chairs add a cheery note to the outdoor dining table.
![700 jessica helgerson cottage entry 10](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/07-2012/700_jessica-helgerson-cottage-entry-10.jpg)
Above: As part of the remodel, Helgerson added a green roof planted with moss and ferns gathered along the Columbia River Gorge.
![700 jessica helgerson cottage kitchen](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/07-2012/700_jessica-helgerson-cottage-kitchen.jpg)
Above: Helgerson redesigned the interior for maximum space efficiency with an open-plan kitchen, dining room, and living room.
![700 jessica helgerson built in bookshelf](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/07-2012/700_jessica-helgerson-built-in-bookshelf.jpg)
Above: Built-in bookshelves and daybeds with drawers that hold children’s toys provide additional storage. The ladder leads to a sleeping loft.
![700 jessica helgerson childrens room](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/07-2012/700_jessica-helgerson-childrens-room.jpg)
Above: Built-in bunks in the children’s room.
![A Scandinavian Cottagein Portlandia portrait 8](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/07-2012/700_jessica-helgerson-whitewashed-bath.jpg)
Above: Helgerson managed to squeeze a soaking tub into the tiny bath.
![700 jessica helgerson cottage exterior night](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/07-2012/700_jessica-helgerson-cottage-exterior-night.jpg)
Above: The cottage glows from within at night.
![700 jessica helgerson split rail fence](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/img/sub/uimg/07-2012/700_jessica-helgerson-split-rail-fence.jpg)
Above: The house sits on a five-acre property on Sauvie Island, an agricultural island on the Columbia River 15 minutes north of Portland. To look at 250 other images of cottages and cabins visit our Gallery.
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