For Jolyn Chen and Louis Lin, debuting their Portland, Oregon, restaurant Xiao Ye in 2023 was a significant milestone. “It was Jolyn’s first commercial project and a chance for her to show who she was as a designer,” says Lin. “And for me, as a chef, to show how I cook and how I feed people.” The Hollywood District venue serves what they describe as first-generation American food—an interpretation of their experiences growing up outside of Los Angeles with immigrant parents from Taiwan.
Once the scalloped floating shelves, sage beadboard walls with forest green trim, artfully mismatched chairs, and every last code-compliant detail at Xiao Ye (which means “midnight snack” in Mandarin) were in place, Chen’s skills were called on again—this time in the world of residential design. But instead of answering to clients as she had when working for Ginny MacDonald in LA and AD PRO directory member Jessica Helgerson in Portland, her next project would be personal.
Chen and Lin’s paths have long run in parallel—first as childhood friends, later as a couple, and eventually as creative partners, too. Both cut their teeth in restaurants like Rose’s Luxury in Washington, DC, before life nudged them in slightly different directions. Chen followed a growing pull toward interiors and enrolled in UCLA Extension’s interior architecture program, while Lin kept sharpening his skills in acclaimed kitchens, including chef Evan Funke’s Felix in Venice.
By the time the pair chose to settle in Portland, Chen had built a clear design point of view and the confidence to take on a full remodel. So in early 2024, while still running operations at Xiao Ye, she dove into reimagining the Dutch Colonial Revival home they bought in Northeast Portland—drawn to its “amazing bones,” its charm, and its proximity to the restaurant.
