Women builders are breaking new ground at the 50th NW Natural Street of Dreams
FEATURED PRESS · DESIGNER BUILT HOMES
For 50 years, the NW Natural Street of Dreams luxury home show has opened the doors to custom houses spotlighting the latest building techniques, top-of-the-line appliances and popular wellness and entertainment trends inside and out.
This year’s show runs July 30-Aug. 23, with people able to tour seven high-end residences in a range of architectural styles at the main venue in the Serres Farms development in Oregon City.
Ticket holders can also visit 15 additional new homes in Portland, Lake Oswego and Cannon Beach Thursdays-Sundays during the three-week-long event.
The self-paced tour allows people interested in buying or remodeling a home to study clever storage solutions, linger in an inviting backyard with a low-maintenance landscape and find local sources for everything from energy-efficient cooling systems to cold plunges.
For the first time, women builders will have a home showcased at the main venue’s “street.”
Devin Dougherty and The Atelier
Devin Dougherty, owner of Designer Built Homes, designed and built a 3,875-square-foot modern-organic styled house named The Atelier to reflect its craftsmanship and carefully considered details.
Family-oriented features start with the long driveway to accommodate cars for a multigenerational household.
Inside, the two-story house has durable wood floors and extra soundproofing in the walls and ceilings. The L-shaped floor plan creates a private primary suite wing on the main level.
The open kitchen features a 5-foot-long workstation sink with two faucets, allowing home cooks to work side-by-side. When cutting boards cover the sink, the space transforms into a serving area. Dougherty envisions casual taco bars or party charcuterie spreads.
The modern-organic aesthetic is extended to multiple outdoor living spaces with designer light fixtures and high-quality furniture.
A putting green is incorporated into the lawn, and a barrel sauna sits just beyond the sliding glass doors in the primary suite. Tranquil water features in the front and back yards can be heard by people sitting at the dining table or the patio couch.
“It’s just all about making life a little bit easier for families to get things accomplished and just feel relaxed in their home. I wanted to take the inside outside, but still be practical.”
— Devin Dougherty
She said an outdoor fireplace needs to put off heat, not just be decorative, for year-round use. The all-weather cabinets she had installed can resist rain, UV rays and extreme temperature shifts.
The home exterior’s Hardie fiber cement siding mimics the warm, textured look of traditional stucco. Additional Hardie planks were painted to match the oak front door as well as the two garage doors.
“This will be a great house for someone. Having a house on the Street of Dreams has always been a wish of mine. I was just waiting for the right time and right neighborhood.”
— Devin Dougherty
Tour information
The 2026 NW Natural Street of Dreams home tour, produced by the Home Building Association of Greater Portland, is open July 30-Aug. 23.
Hours
Thursdays-Saturdays: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sundays: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tickets are $29. Each ticket includes one-time entry into all 22 homes on the tour and may be used at any time during the event.
Original reporting: Janet Eastman, The Oregonian/OregonLive. This press-feature reproduction is presented with attribution to the original author and publisher.
Read the original OregonLive article