6 min readRenovating a custom home for a client is one thing—it takes months of planning and sourcing, and requires great attention to detail—but taking on a fixer upper for a seven-foot-tall client is a task unlike any other. Holly Freres, principal of JHL Design, knew when former professional basketball player Channing Frye and his wife, Lauren Lisoski, hired her to take on their quintessential 1990s home in West Linn, Oregon, that she was taking on a big challenge in more ways than one (pun intended).
Their 4,294-square-foot space was built in 1992 and really looked the part. Built-in mirror details, heavy casework, a sandblasted etching of Mt. Hood on the bathroom window, metal mesh cabinetry, a fully beige color palette—the place would’ve been completely outdated for anyone, but especially so for the family of six (plus their dog, Topher), who love to entertain and host friends, family, and coworkers.
“The home needed far more than cosmetic updates,” Freres tells House Beautiful. “The redesign focused on creating a space that felt both elevated and easy to live in.” Much of the layout had to be reworked to feel more intuitive and less awkward, and part of that meant ensuring Frye could comfortably live in his own house. Along with contractor Owen Gabbert and experts from her team—David Horning, Laural Kreis, and Alicia McCord—Freres began working on the custom architectural details thoughtfully tailored to accommodate her client’s seven-foot frame.
Door headings and passageways were raised to seven feet, four inches tall, and door handles were mounted six inches higher than standard. Freres installed the shower heads, which have a standard height of 80 inches, at staggered heights, the tallest hitting the eight-foot mark. The closet rods were also raised and spaced farther apart to accommodate larger, longer garments, but even with her modifications, the existing closets couldn’t handle Frye’s size-18 sneaker collection. “He has over 100 pairs of shoes, and they’re so large that there was literally no space to put them inside the house, so the contractor had to custom-build shoe shelving in the garage to store all of them,” Freres explains.
For the more cosmetic upgrades, Freres wanted each room to have its own identity and color focus without feeling out of place. Bold wallpaper in the entryway and primary bathroom’s water closet invites a touch of intrigue, while a palette of vibrant yet soothing hues in the rest of the house brings “energy and personality to the interiors, creating a sense of cohesion and calm from room to room,” she adds.
Updated cabinetry and plumbing, as well as statement light fixtures (including a $30,000 chandelier in the dining room) and rich finishes dot the interior, creating a moment of beauty no matter where your eye lands. With four kids running around the house, Freres had to make sure the pieces would actually last, so she chose durable fabrics and materials while still focusing on their everyday routines and creating smart storage solutions.
Even with everything she changed, Freres was able to incorporate much of the family’s existing furniture into the interior, so it still felt like home—just a lot more stylish. “From architectural modifications designed around Channing’s height to durable furnishings and fabrics that can withstand everyday family life, every detail was curated for how they live,” she says. “This home proves that highly customized design can be both beautiful and incredibly functional.”
FAST FACTS
Designer: Holly Freres of JHL Design
Location: West Linn, Oregon
The Space: A 4-bed, 3.5-bath fixer upper that got a custom revamp.
LIVING ROOM
A fluted marble mantel softens the room’s strong architectural lines.
Heavy columns, built-in mirrors, wall-to-wall carpeting, and a beige color palette used to dominate this space, creating a bland ‘90s time capsule that Freres knew she had to upgrade. The room was visually heavy until Freres “simplified the architecture and focused on creating a stronger focal point around the fireplace.” The designer replaced the heavy, dated casework with modern, white oak built-ins and painted the fireplace wall in a custom plaster finish that matches Spiced Cider by Sherwin-Williams for warmth, depth, and personality.
The true focal point is the marble fireplace mantel and surround. It’s eye-catching, sculptural, and rather unexpected. “Paired with sculptural sconces, the fireplace wall became one of the home’s more memorable design moments,” Freres says.
DINING ROOM
The statement chandelier was worth the splurge.
Moody yet completely sun-drenched, this dining room was transformed into a place where the family would actually want to spend time. Freres painted the walls a dark taupe and accentuated the ceiling height by layering white, gauzy curtains that span from floor to ceiling. The dramatic chandelier by Trueing was the biggest single splurge in the house, coming in at $30,000—and it was worth every penny.
FAMILY ROOM
Textural grasscloth wallpaper wraps the space in warmth.
The family room serves as the “heart of everyday life in the home,” Freres says. It’s connected to the kitchen while maintaining its own unique identity, making it the perfect spot for movie nights and chill family gatherings.
Freres’s clients already had this chocolate brown sectional, but the designer gave it a playful upgrade by adding custom Pierre Frey throw pillows in fun, character-filled colors. She brought even more personality to the space through the sculptural sconces, which emit a soft, ambient glow. “Layered with comfortable seating and rich materials, the space balances functionality with personality,” she adds.
KITCHEN
The Patagonia granite countertop features natural crystal formations.
While the original kitchen was awkward and disconnected, it’s now the heart of the home, ready to host large gatherings at a moment’s notice. Freres reconfigured the space to center around the range and the sink, removing an oddly shaped island to create a more intuitive flow and replacing it with a 12-foot version that the family uses for prepping food, eating casual meals, doing homework, and chatting with friends and each other.
There’s significantly more storage now—ideal for a kitchen servicing a family of six who loves to entertain family, friends, and other athletes—but the true masterpiece of the room is the Patagonia granite countertops and countersplash. “The slab features natural crystal formations, which the client especially loved because of her appreciation for gems and crystals.”
BREAKFAST NOOK
A custom banquette and round table ensure everyone can dine comfortably.
This sunny breakfast nook used to be an underutilized corner of the old kitchen, but Freres customized it as another spot for the close-knit family to share a meal, do homework, play board games, and occasionally even nap. She designed the curved banquette and selected a large round table to maximize the seating without blocking the natural light and lush backyard views.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
A lot of the clients’ existing furniture shaped this retreat.
“We reimagined the materials in this room to feel calm, cozy, and a bit more subdued in comparison to the rest of the home and shared spaces,” Freres explains. The grasscloth wallcovering by Cowtan & Tout provides a subtle, neutral backdrop for the couple’s existing furniture and artwork.
PRIMARY BATHROOM
Cheeky wallpaper separates the water closet from the rest of the space.
The gorgeous, terracotta floor tile is the main focus of the primary bathroom, as both Freres and her clients absolutely fell in love with it when they saw it. She picked out the rest of the features to be subtle so they wouldn’t steal the spotlight from the tiles and opted for a neutral yet cheeky wallpaper depicting nude women in the water closet, leaning into her clients’ fun sense of humor.
The designer customized double mirrors from Four Hands to open into medicine cabinets, putting a special touch on even the smallest details.
DAUGHTER’S BEDROOM
Little refreshes make the room feel older.
The clients’ eldest daughter just entered high school, so Freres designed her room “to feel more elevated and reflective of this new stage in her life.” While the designer used the daughter’s existing bed frame and rug, a fresh coat of paint, brand-new bedding, and some new decor gave the room a fresh, more mature air.
KIDS’ BATHROOM
Terracotta tile nods to the home’s Mediterranean character.
Since the two youngest daughters share this bathroom, Freres knew it needed to still feel youthful while being timeless in order to grow with them. Terracotta floor tiles tie back to the primary ensuite, while the vanity color, drawer pulls, and teal shower tile add personality.
About the Designer
JHL Design was founded in 1999, and Holly Freres took over the helm as principal in 2003. While Freres originally worked in corporate advertising, she left that world to design beautiful, inspired interiors and create a community of talented craftspeople. With over 20 years of experience and creativity from her travels around the world, Freres and her team provide full-service design solutions in Oregon and Arizona, where they’re based, as well as nationwide.
