The House
Tucked into Portland's Mt. Tabor neighborhood, The Eyebrow House began as a modest 1941 Cape Cod bungalow before Yale-trained architect Edgar Papazian transformed it into one of the city's most distinctive homes. He installed the sweeping arched steel dormers that are its namesake, traded hard angles for sloped ceilings and curved walls, and reoriented the home toward its deep, tree-lined backyard. Its unmistakable silhouette has made it a local icon and recurring filming location for IFC's Portlandia.
Inside, walls bend rather than meet at hard angles; ceilings slope and arch overhead instead of sitting flat. A custom double-sided bookcase wraps the stairs and acts as a sculptural centerpiece, while a wood-burning fireplace with an elliptical mantel surround anchors the living room - both designed by the architect, echoing the same soft geometry found throughout the house.
The heart of the home is the expansive kitchen and dining space, flipped on its axis to transform the private backyard into a living backdrop. A wall of floor-to-ceiling, double-glazed glass washes the room’s warm Douglas fir cabinetry in natural light, while a Wolf range and Franke hood complement frosted, glass-backed cabinets that filter ambient light from the windows behind them.
Ascending the staircase reveals a remarkably private, sculptural sanctuary on the second level. What was once a narrow tube of space beneath the eaves now soars, thanks to dramatic arched steel dormers that wrap the space and fill it with reflected light. Exposed bolts and fasteners along the ribbed metal ceiling lend an industrial edge, set against rich oak floors, radiant-heated for quiet comfort. Triple-glazed arched windows frame the treetop canopy of the backyard below, creating the distinct feeling of living in an elegant, elevated treehouse.
For all its architectural ambition, this is a house built to be lived in. A flexible layout includes a generous basement level with a family room, two bedrooms, and full bath, with an additional office/bedroom and full bath on the main level.
Comfort is not an afterthought: radiant hydronic heat warms both levels underfoot, twin tankless water heaters keep hot water flowing on demand, and brushed steel towel warmers turn ordinary mornings into something a little more indulgent.
