Couple Builds Dream Farmhouse in Oregon After 5-Year Design Process

The 50-acre site required extensive planning and sourcing to create a home that fits seamlessly into the landscape.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Interior designer Jessica Helgerson and architect Yianni Doulis spent five years planning and designing a new family compound outside Portland, Oregon. The 50-acre forested site offered no obvious clearing for a house, so the team used drone surveys to map the forest canopy and carefully select a location that felt deliberate and deferential to the land. The resulting three-structure compound was designed to age quietly into its site.

Why it matters

This project highlights the growing trend of homeowners taking a thoughtful, long-term approach to building their dream homes, rather than opting for a fast-track renovation or turnkey new build. The extensive planning process allowed the designers to deeply consider the site and create a home that integrates harmoniously with the natural landscape.

The details

To determine the ideal location for the house, the design team used drone surveys to map the 50-acre forest canopy and test how views might shift if certain trees were felled. After inching towards a location that felt both deliberate and deferential to the land, the resulting three-structure compound was designed to age quietly into the site. The interiors feature a mix of vintage and custom furnishings, including a centuries-old butcher-block table in the entryway.

  • The 50-acre site was logged just before World War II and untouched in the decades since.
  • The design process took five years to complete.

The players

Jessica Helgerson

An interior designer and the principal of AD PRO Directory firm Jessica Helgerson Interior Design.

Yianni Doulis

An architect who collaborated with Helgerson on the project.

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What they’re saying

“It took us a while to figure out where the house should go.”

— Yianni Doulis, Architect (Architectural Digest)

The takeaway

This project demonstrates the value of taking a thoughtful, long-term approach to building a home that is deeply integrated with its natural surroundings. By carefully considering the site and using innovative techniques like drone surveys, the designers were able to create a compound that will age gracefully and harmonize with the landscape over time.