A few years ago, Isabel and David had a regular weekend routine. “We’d check out a coffee shop and go to some open houses,” recalls Isabel. It was through their weekly excursions that they learned about Pacific Northwest modernism and the wealth of midcentury homes throughout Portland. “Anytime a midcentury house would come up for sale, we would go check it out. We’d go listen to talks, and go on tours featuring midcentury architects,” Isabel continues. “I think we got a little addicted.” The beginning of Pacific Northwest modernism starts with the work of Pietro Belluschi and John Yeon in the 1930s, and the second generation, who worked from the 1950s onward, included an architect named Saul Zaik, who designed until his passing in 2020. In a 2009 interview, the architect summed up his approach: “I think it has to do with a Northwest lifestyle. Our clients were outdoor people who appreciated the landscape and wanted to be connected to it and to preserve it.” Isabel and David’s dream wa...