The College Hill project was more than just a kitchen remodel, it was a complete re-do of the house. “We bought the house knowing it would require a major renovation,” says Tera James. “It was hard to imagine how to fix it, with its low ceilings and chopped-up floor plan. It had been added on to poorly and just needed reworking in so many places. It had lost whatever original style it had.” Enter Richard Shugar, principal of 2fORM Architecture in Eugene. The Jameses wanted their new house to function well for their family and to reflect a contemporary, yet timeless, style. When they brought Shugar to the house, he immediately saw the possibilities. In the new kitchen/dining room — the center of James family life — Shugar vaulted the ceiling into an unused attic to gain headroom and light. Then, working with a tight budget, he designed the kitchen using ready-made IKEA cabinets for the kitchen and other areas. Shugar also helped the couple reduce their appliances price tag from $16,000 to $6,000 by finding comparable models, and found solid quartz countertop remnants for next to nothing.