Photography by Kris LeBoeuf, courtesy of Sarah Van Raden.
We’ve been fans of Portland, Oregon-based Notary Ceramics—the project of ceramicist Sarah Van Raden—ever since she exhibited at our Portland Market a few years back. Since then, her vessels and artful flower frogs have popped up everywhere, well beyond the Pacific Northwest.
“Our house is an old farmhouse built in 1914,” says Van Raden.
The living area leads into the newly refinished kitchen. Both rooms are painted in Just About White by Miller Paint.
“We updated the kitchen this fall with the help of some friends, and hired Bruce Designs, also friends, to create all of our custom cabinetry,” says Van Raden.
The kitchen, in the center of the house, gets plenty of light, thanks to the sun room behind.
Van Raden’s own ceramics appear throughout the house, and oak cabinetry and shelves provide plenty of space for display.
Van Raden’s ceramics mix with her collection of antique glassware, in shades of grey and green. Part of the space is a shop with Van Raden’s own wares, and a few select goods she loves.
Van Raden in her kitchen, with her own ceramic pendant light.
We ended up having to shore that up, which was time consuming and expensive,” says Van Raden.
The sun room/dining room in the back of the house, with mix-and-match dining chairs.
The sun room gets use year-round.
On a built-in cabinet near the kitchen: the Akeno Table Lamp from Urban Outfitters and a hanging Mexican birdhouse, a thrifted find.
The couple’s quiet bedroom is fitted with an Ikea bed frame and linens from Parachute Home.
A cart serves as a mobile bedside table.
Van Raden keeps the palette spare and earthy throughout the house, mixing antique wooden furniture with shades of white and grey, natural-fiber baskets, glassware, and ceramics. Not pictured are the couple’s other recent projects: a walk-in closet and an attic playroom.
“We remodeled our bathroom when I was pregnant with our first daughter,” says Van Raden. My husband offered the contractor some cash for the tub and surprised me with it for Valentine’s Day.
The bath, with one of Van Raden’s own candle holders.