Portland-based design firm, Jessica Helgerson Interior Design, has designed some large-scale commercial projects as well as stunning residential transformations. The firm works with a full architecture team to create stunning spaces throughout the United States and internationally.

Jessica has described herself as a “dreamer and schemer,” which is part of what makes her so successful as a designer. As a child, Jessica split her time between Southern California and France, where she found an appreciation and love for both cultures, and their influences can be seen in her work. She opened her design studio in 2000 after briefly working in an architecture firm and has grown the firm into something more significant than she could have imagined.

Not only is Jessica a world-class designer, but she is also active in the community and cares deeply about human rights and equality. She is also a loving mom to two creative kids, Max and Penelope, and is married to architect Yianni Doulis.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design Firm is based in Portland, Oregon, and has a second location in Paris, France. Jessica started the firm over twenty years ago, and it has grown immensely to include several designers, each from different creative backgrounds, that bring a unique set of skills and knowledge to the team.

Principal and Design Director: Jessica Helgerson, the legend herself!

Studio Director: Sarah Macdonald

Finance Director: Kelly Jones

Procurement Lead: Lauren Vitti

Senior Designers: Em Shephard, Andra Padilla, Mira Eng-Goetz

Design Team: Charlotte Bravo, Kahli Daul, Natalie Nicholson, Kayla Carlson, Julien Rossignol

In an interview with Business of Home, Helgerson described her philosophy behind leading her team:

(Check out the full interview here — It’s worth the read!)

I say, there is nothing as telling about a design firm then their mission statement, and the JHID’s statement takes the cake! Their mission is to “create thoughtful, beautiful interiors that meet our clients’ aesthetic, functional, and economic goals while honoring and celebrating the buildings that contain them. Our perspective is informed by a respect for historical architecture coupled with an appreciation of the playfulness and brightness of modern design.”

The Path Home provides a permanent shelter space for unhoused families and provides them with direct access to services, classes, and supplies while they work toward securing long-term housing, and it is the first of its kind in Oregon.

 The team used concepts from trauma-informed design and focused on creating a space with safety, health, and healing, amongst other critical features. Since this renovation was to create shared spaces, the team added floor-to-ceiling windows to allow natural light into the previously dark room. They used soft blues, greens, and cream colors to create a calm, peaceful setting.

Pearl loft was a fun project where the client allowed Jessica Helgerson Design Firm to more or less have free reign. The client was considering moving out of the apartment but decided to stay and renovate after seeing the firm’s work on a similar apartment in her building.

The designers created a bright, happy yet calm space with plenty of storage to allow minimal clutter. To create optimal storage opportunities, the firm installed storage behind the bedroom walls and included open nooks on a display wall.

The Library House was originally the public library in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland. After the library was moved, it was repurposed into a church meeting hall. Jessica Helgerson’s clients bought the property and wanted to turn it into their home.

The firm wanted to keep the big open library space and turn it into a great room with a kitchen, living area, and dining room. The front porch was enclosed to create an entry and powder room, plus two small bedrooms were added. The finished product is full of character and usable space that their clients love.

The Winter Park Lake House was a different sort of project for the Jessica Helgerson Interior Design Firm. Their projects usually included interior architecture, but this project was furniture only. They aimed to create a livable and comfortable space for their clients with furniture that would maintain the beautiful architecture of the home and the incredible lake views that can be seen from the living spaces.

Browse these beautiful homes I had the honor to personally sell! One of which was designed by Saul Zaik, an idol in Northwest Regional architecture.

I had the pleasure of representing the buyers on the homes shown above. For the William Fletcher home (above top) our clients were artists themselves, with their own strong aesthetic which brought another element into the design process for a stunning result. For the 1950’s Saul Zaik on the bottom, there was a lot of poor past remodeling that needed to be fixed and Helgerson masterfully reworked the entire interior floor plan.

One of the best known Zaik designs, this 1956 home took a dramatic twist on classic features: floor-to-ceiling windows, towering ceilings in the bathroom, and exposed beams in the living room. With a budget of $35,000 ($338,000 today), Zaik’s objective was to create a comfortable oasis for the Feldman family, a Jewish couple who had moved from Germany at the end of the war and were looking for a home to start fresh.

“Though the house had some beautiful features, most notably a sunken living room with expansive corner windows, the house had been poorly remodeled over the years. A later expansion had added on three bedrooms with aluminum windows and flat ceilings, which did not match the details and style of the original house. We thoroughly reworked the interior floor plan, relocating the master bedroom and bathroom to the rear of the house”— JHID

Surrounded by rolling, vine-covered hills of Yamhill, Oregon, is Saffron Fields. Saffron Fields is a wine-tasting room surrounded by a meditation garden. Jessica Helgerson’s team was brought on to select interior finish materials and furnishings.

The goal was to bring the very modern and simple palette of concrete blocks, glass, and steel together with the warmth that is evoked by the name “saffron fields.” Warm orange tones made the otherwise cold space feel warm and inviting. They included custom glass lighting made in collaboration with Esque Studio to create an interesting focal point for the space.

When the Halgerson team first saw the Hi-Lo Hotel, it was an empty, gutted space with raw columns and concrete floors. The team preserved the rough, chalky shell and brought in soft and elegant furnishings to create the perfect balance between high and low.

One of the goals of this project was to create a space that would encourage hotel guests to interact with one another and linger in the shared space. To do this, the team created seating arrangements that would allow large and small groups to gather. They also added more intimate and playful seating options for those who may want a little more privacy.

Parachute Linens is located in a historic storefront on 23rd Avenue in Portland. The space allows clients to get a close-up feeling for the fabrics in a crisp, clean environment. Parachute has a soft and welcoming palette and a giant sofa upholstered in various Parachute linens to allow customers to feel the fabrics for themselves.

The Jessica Helgerson Design Firm is proud to partner with the 1% project. They incorporate 1% into the cost of home improvement work to go toward vetted non-profits that provide critical services to those without housing. Their goal is to “build a durable base of funding for non-profits so they can concentrate on the important work they are doing, knowing that their communities support and appreciate them.”

The Jessica Helgerson Design Firm feels it is their duty to fight for shelter for everyone. When donations are pooled together as an industry, it can make a huge impact on the non-profits who are working so hard for the local community.

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