Living Dunthorpe
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Neighborhood · The Season
Autumn on the Hill
As the maples turn along Military Road, a few quiet reasons this is Dunthorpe's finest hour.
There is a week or two, usually right about now, when the hill seems to hold its breath. The big-leaf maples along Military Road and Riverwood go to gold almost overnight, the light softens to amber, and the whole slope above the Willamette turns the color of a good bourbon. It is, without much argument, the neighborhood's finest hour.
Much of what makes this pocket of Portland special is quiet by design. The lots are generous, the canopy is old, and the river is never far. On a clear October morning you can walk the lanes below Palatine Hill and hear almost nothing but leaves underfoot.
The season has its rituals. Friday nights belong to Riverdale, where the whole community turns out under the lights. Weekends drift toward the farmstands and a fire by late afternoon, toward soup on the stove and the first real rains.
It is also, quietly, a wonderful time to be in a home here — to watch the garden turn, to host before the holidays, to appreciate the shelter of a place built for exactly these months. However you spend it, I hope this autumn treats you and your family well. — M.S.
The Recipe · Autumn
French Onion Soup Worth the Wait
The first cold evening calls for exactly this — deeply caramelized onions, good stock, and a molten lid of Gruyère. The only secret is patience.
Ingredients
Serves 6 · about 1 hr 15 min
- 6 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 8 cups good beef stock
- 2 bay leaves + 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Salt & black pepper
- 1 baguette, sliced & toasted
- 2 cups Gruyère, grated
Method
- Melt the butter and oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions with a pinch of sugar and cook slowly, stirring often, 40–50 minutes, until deep caramel brown.
- Stir in the garlic for one minute, then pour in the wine, scraping up every bit of the fond from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the stock, bay, and thyme. Simmer gently 30 minutes, then finish with the balsamic and season well.
- Ladle into oven-safe bowls. Top each with toasted baguette and a generous blanket of Gruyère.
- Broil until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Serve at once — carefully, it's molten.
The Featured Home
Where Light Learns to Linger
1545 S Mary Failing Ct · A 1960 mid-century, reimagined.
Just up the lane, one of Dunthorpe's 1960 mid-century homes has been reimagined inside and out by design studio House of Milo with Taylor Smith Construction. What began as a handsome but reserved post-and-beam is now warmer, bolder, and wholly its own — vaulted white-oak ceilings that draw the eye upward, new skylights that trace the sun across the grain, and walls of glass that dissolve the line between the living spaces and the gardens beyond. A look inside a neighbor's remarkable transformation.
Under Vaulted Oak
At the heart of the home, kitchen, dining and living flow together beneath continuous vaulted ceilings, newly clad in white-oak tongue-and-groove. New skylights pour daylight across the beams, and a sculptural, Mondrian-inspired built-in anchors the room in confident color. Where a dark masonry fireplace once interrupted the space, a clean linear hearth now floats against crisp plaster — opening the sightlines and letting the architecture finally breathe.
The Heart, Reconsidered
The kitchen keeps its generous footprint and gains an entirely new soul. Warm natural-wood cabinetry replaces the original dark millwork, and an expansive waterfall island grounds the space — as much a place to gather as to cook. Stacked sage tile, a sculptural range hood, open shelving and fully integrated appliances strike the rare balance between statement and restraint. Just beyond, folding glass doors open the room to the terrace and pool.
A Resort of Your Own
Beyond the walls of glass, the grounds unfold like a private retreat. A classic pool anchors a deep, level lawn framed by mature landscaping that lends both seclusion and a sense of permanence. Stone terraces step toward the water, garden rooms invite a morning coffee or an evening cocktail, and folding glass doors erase the line between the great room and the open air — a destination all its own.
The Jewel Box
Every room in this home has something to say, and none speaks more boldly than this. A jewel-box retreat wrapped in dramatic botanical wallpaper, crowned by a blue-painted tray ceiling, with the home's original walnut cabinetry preserved and quietly celebrated. It is intimate and theatrical at once — a space that captures the home's guiding philosophy: a deep respect for heritage, held in perfect balance with the courage to do something genuinely daring.
Quiet Luxury
Away from the home's gathering spaces, the private quarters offer a quieter kind of luxury. Bedrooms are calm and light-filled, each with its own considered color story and a genuine sense of retreat. Spa-inspired baths pair natural stone with clean, modern lines, while a cedar sauna adds a note of everyday indulgence — comfort considered down to the smallest detail.
The Dunthorpe Market Report
The Dunthorpe Market
A quick read on what's happening in the Dunthorpe and Birds Hill market — the kind of grounded, local insight I share with every client.
The $3-Million Lesson
Homes priced right sell fast — a median 15 days at 99% of asking. But above $3 million, overpricing is punished: those homes sat a median 216 days and closed around 90% of their original price. In this market, precision from day one beats testing a high number and grinding down.
Recent Dunthorpe Sales · Last 90 Days
| Address | Closed | Sold | $/SqFt | DOM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 245 SW Birdshill Rd | 10/2/26 | $1,250,000 | $532 | 15 |
| 11250 S Northgate Ave | 9/29/26 | $1,200,000 | $327 | 165 |
| 1610 S Mary Failing Dr | 9/28/26 | $2,240,000 | $545 | Off-Mkt |
| 958 S Vacuna St | 9/25/26 | $1,855,000 | $365 | 78 |
Recent Dunthorpe sales · source: Redfin · public record · deemed reliable, not guaranteed.
Meet Your Broker
Michael Smira
Smira Group · John L. Scott — serving Dunthorpe, Lake Oswego & Portland's finest homes since 2012.
For more than a decade, Michael Smira has helped Portland-area families buy and sell some of the region's most distinctive homes. Since 2012 he has guided clients through every kind of transaction — first homes and forever homes, graceful downsizes and multimillion-dollar estates — with the same calm, strategic hand.
His work spans the full spectrum of the market, including luxury and ultra-high-net-worth representation at price points above $5 million. That experience shows in how he works: discreet, prepared, and fluent in what today's most discerning buyers and sellers expect — from white-glove negotiation to marketing that genuinely moves the needle.
This very publication is an example. Rather than a single flyer, each featured home is given a full editorial campaign — professional photography, film, targeted digital advertising, and this magazine. It is the kind of marketing most often reserved for the very top of the market — and Michael brings it to every home he represents.
The Smira Group
Marketing That Sets a Home Apart
Smira Group is a Portland real-estate practice built on a simple belief: every home deserves to be presented at its very best.
Backed by the strength of John L. Scott, we pair deep local knowledge with marketing usually reserved for the luxury tier — and bring it to every listing we represent.
Editorial Marketing
Professional photography and film, custom property magazines, and story-driven listing pages that make buyers fall in love before they ever walk through the door.
Digital Reach
Targeted advertising across Google, Instagram and Facebook puts your home in front of qualified buyers locally and beyond — with clear reporting on exactly how it is performing.
Luxury & Estate Expertise
From mid-century gems to multimillion-dollar estates, we understand how high-end homes are bought and sold — and how to position yours to command its full value.
A Trusted Local Advisor
Pricing strategy, preparation, negotiation and a smooth path to closing — guided personally by Michael from first conversation to final signature.
Our Partners
In This Issue
Living Dunthorpe is made possible by the local businesses that serve the neighborhood's finest homes.
thermoloc.co
onpointdevelop.com
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Be Featured · Or List With Me
Want Your Home in Living Dunthorpe?
Each issue spotlights one remarkable Dunthorpe home. If you'd like yours considered for a future feature — or you're thinking of selling and want marketing like this working for you — I'd love to talk. A conversation costs nothing, and there's never any obligation.
Michael Smira · (503) 935-2560 · michael@smiragroup.com
Explore more: Lake Oswego Neighborhoods Guide · Portland Neighborhoods Guide