Renovating 1920s house
Before and After: 1920 Bungalow Remodel with Beautiful Built-ins
BEFORE | Fading Facade
The heart has its reasons, as they say, so best not to overthink another home buyer’s surprising infatuation. In Teresa Dau and Amanda McMillan’s case, it started with a certain neighborhood in Decatur, Georgia—steps from schools, public transit, the library, the playground, and old-timey Decatur Square—and culminated in a rash gamble on a carved-up bungalow that had idled on the market for months.
Shown: The unrenovated house, complete with a sun-blocking metal awning attached to the front porch.
BEFORE | Rear Facade
Let’s just say they had the imagination to envision it looking like the smart little award-winning house-tour favorite you see here.
Shown: The prerenovation house’s dilapidated rear exterior.
AFTER | Restored Facade
Gridley + GravesVivid imaginations—and sheer will. Rival house hunters had backed off after getting a close look at the crumbling plaster and aging infrastructure of the ad hoc duplex with an extra kitchen to deal with. Historic-preservation and lot-coverage rules in this 1920s garden district would make adding on close to impossible. Curb appeal? Not really. “We called it the Green Hulk,” Teresa says, unfondly recalling the siding’s unfortunate paint color.
Shown: The restored facade of the 1920 house shows no sign of the square footage added upstairs.
Paint: Sherwin-Williams’s Aviary Blue (siding), Shoji White (trim), and Inkwell (windows)
Defined Kitchen
Photo by Gridley + GravesFormer owners had clamped a full-width aluminum awning on the front porch, giving the facade the look of a card shark with an eyeshade. Alas, the artifact was pure postwar, making it a candidate for protective historic status.
So, along with maintaining the footprint and salvaging the rotting exterior, new owners might have to acquire a soft spot for a shifty sun-blocker that had overstayed its welcome.
“We did have to work that through,” Teresa says.
Shown: The open kitchen boasts reclaimed heart-pine flooring, crisply defined windows, and a 48-inch pro-style range.
Windows: Jeld-Wen
Range: Wolf
Sinks and faucets: Kohler
Tile: Ann Sacks
Island pendants: Restoration Hardware
Paint: Sherwin-Williams’s Iron Ore (windows), Passive (walls), Pure White (cabinets and trim), Gray Matters (island)
Island Table
Photo by Gridley + GravesShown: A limba-wood top and turned legs give the kitchen island a furniture feel.
Custom cabinets: Timberland Cabinets
Glass subway tile: Ann Sacks
Dining in the Open
Photo by Gridley + GravesNot that either of them knew from period awnings—only that they had been looking for a family-size house for a long time, and this one’s location and price were right.
Neither homeowner is a DIYer—Amanda is a psychiatrist, lawyer Teresa runs a family business—so they cast about for a construction pro to do a walk-through. “It was pretty spooky,” says Peter Michelson, the fourth-generation contractor who agreed to tour the place before the closing.
Shown: An enlarged opening crowned with a transom now joins the dining room with the living room.
Dining chairs and table: Restoration Hardware
Chandelier: Zia Priven
Paint: Sherwin-Williams’s Passive (walls), Pure White (cabinets and trim)
Meet the Family
Photo by Gridley + GravesSpooky but salvageable. “It was going to be a lot of work but also our shot to have what we want,” says Teresa. Gradually a game plan shaped up: Return the house to a single-family dwelling. Open up much of the first floor. Finish the second with a full bath plus—somehow—a master suite, and squeeze in a pool (who needs a garage?).
All while updating the plumbing, wiring, and HVAC, replacing the roof, rebuilding a fireplace, and gut-renovating the kitchen and a downstairs bath.
Shown: Homeowners Amanda McMillan (left) and Teresa Dau on the restored front porch with their kids, Jameson, now 6, and Ryan, now 4.
Living Room Hearth
Photo by Gridley + Graves“I tell people, you have to have a gut of steel,” Michelson says, when folks seek his advice in transforming their home. “We have to wait for the architect and get the design approved and the whole thing priced, but real estate doesn’t wait and offers can’t be subject to six months of permitting. And I can’t guarantee what the historic commission will approve.”
Shown: The living room fireplace gained a raised hearth and a surround made from subtly shaded, extra-wide bricks.
Shutters: Acadia Shutters
Claw-Foot Tub
Photo by Gridley + GravesMichelson did think his firm, Alair Homes Decatur (then known as Renewal Design Build), could turn the house around and even clear the way for that pool.
The reno would take about a year and cost more than the house. But it would end up the way the couple wanted—open, upbeat, updated, and kid-friendly. Jameson, now 6, arrived that year, and her sister, Ryan, three years later.
Shown: An original claw-foot tub was reinstalled in the renovated downstairs bath, alongside a vanity fashioned from a vintage industrial cart.
Wall tile: Daltile
Floor tile: Orion
Flooring. Sink and toilet: Kohler
Faucet: Santec
Paint: Sherwin-Williams’s Filmy Green (walls)
Built-in Bar
Photo by Gridley + GravesThe design-build team was pleased to learn that what the couple lacked in construction know-how they owned in decisiveness and good natures. (“If our whole business was built on people like Amanda and Teresa, my life would be a picnic,” says Michelson.) They steered clear six days out of seven, meanwhile consulting updates posted online by the firm.
They knew they wanted walls to come down, even if it required, as Michelson says, “new load points.” As for finishes, they agreeably honed a shared aesthetic after Googling “historic bungalow,” “modern farmhouse,” and “lots of light.”
Shown: A built-in bar taps space under the second-floor stair landing.
Wine fridge: Sub-Zero
Safer Stairs
Photo by Gridley + GravesHistorical value notwithstanding, the place was half-baked, with stairs that went straight up to a half story with two small rooms, a plywood floor, no bath, and a front-facing dormer illuminating dusty attic space. Downstairs, twin front doors opened to separate apartments, with a second bath and second kitchen in bumpouts that may have been added when the house was duplexed. A knack for deferred maintenance hung in the air. “It’s amazing anyone was able to live there,” says Michelson, recalling broken windows and a wobbly foundation. Local builders, he says half-seriously, “used to turn bricks on their sides and call them footings.
”
Shown: The rebuilt staircase has a period-style newel post and balustrade, but its newness is revealed by the landing two steps up from the dining room—much safer than the kite winder stairs of yore.
Artwork: Justin Gaffrey Gallery
Master Suite
Photo by Gridley + Graves“There was a lot of rot,” he says of the exterior walls, “so we had to do it piece by piece. Some framing was not okay, and there was no sheathing behind the siding.” To insulate, the crew used what he calls the burrito technique: The plaster comes off and the stud cavities are lined with moisture-resistant house wrap, then filled with insulation from the inside.
Shown: The master suite sits discreetly in a second-floor addition that can’t be seen from the street.
Windows: Jeld-Wen
Paint: Sherwin-Williams’s Dovetail (walls)
Luxury Spa
Photo by Gridley + GravesThe design-build team aimed to not only open up the house but also flood it with light and connect it more strongly to the outdoors.
A near-blank slate after demolition allowed them to conceive a kitchen from scratch and a screened back porch in the old kitchen bumpout. Crews tore out the stairs, one of the fireplaces, and several interior walls. New load points were introduced in the form of fresh footings and piers and an abundance of LVL beams and headers. The team rebuilt the crawl space, restored wood siding, and repaired the front porch. A high-efficiency HVAC system offsets energy lost through single-pane windows painstakingly restored by a local window wizard, Sandy Crowe.
Shown: The master bath gets its luxury-spa look from a sculptural soaker, a skylight, and a curbless, frameless-glass-enclosed shower, all behind sliding glass doors.
Skylights: Velux
Glass doors: Sliding Door Company
Shower doors: Atlanta Glass Concepts
Tub and tub fittings: MTI. Shower
Wall tile: Daltile
Porch for All Seasons
Photo by Gridley + Graves“It was a herculean task, for sure, but a marquee project for us,” says Michelson—landing two awards for historic renovation and a spot on a Junior League kitchen tour.
The team’s genius move was annexing air space above existing one-story back extensions for a 400-square-foot master suite upstairs that can’t be seen from the street. Two upstairs bedrooms were refurbished, a hall bath added, and attic space under the front-facing dormer became an exercise room.
Shown: In Georgia’s mild climate, the wood-burning fireplace means the skylighted screened porch can be enjoyed nearly year-round.
Fireplace: Malm Fireplaces
Sofas: Restoration Hardware
Ottomans: Tracery Interiors
Back Porches
Photo by Gridley + GravesThey punctured the new roof with five skylights, including one over the rebuilt stairs. To keep light moving, the team put in four glass panels that slide open between the kitchen seating area and screened porch. “It’s amazing for parties,” Teresa says. “And it makes the house gigantic.” Glass sliders similarly set off the master suite’s spa-like, light-filled bath.
Shown: The back porches overlook the new pool and manicured yard. New rooflines in back made room for an upstairs master suite over previously tacked-on single-story extensions.
Sliding Doors
Photo by Gridley + GravesTo unite the first floor, which includes an office and a guest bedroom, the team put down heart-pine floorboards salvaged from 100-year-old beams. Sounds straightforward enough, but the endeavor involved a three-month wait while the beams were snagged, milled, and kiln-dried. After installation, the crew filled holes by malleting in wood plugs, and applied a stain nicknamed Old Dirty Goat.
Shown: Glass panels slide to one side on a triple track, opening up the kitchen seating area to the screened porch, once the site of a second kitchen.
Sliding doors: Western Window Systems
Pocket Doors
Photo by Gridley + GravesIt probably goes without saying that the centerpiece is the open kitchen, with its modern-farmhouse island, pro-style appliances, and a play space within sight but not underfoot.
Also warming things up are two fireplaces, one on the screened porch, the other a wood-burning survivor in the living room. “That fireplace was really important to us,” says Teresa. “We had the whole thing undone by a mason and built back up.”
In the end, she says, the house is “exactly what we wanted—we love it.”
The mason repaired the chimney with brick salvaged from the back of the house. “They were going to paint it gray,” Teresa says, “but we said no, we love it just the way it is.” Flecks of green give the chimney character, and, absent that awning, provide a reminder of what the house used to be—and, in time, what it became.
Shown: Raised-panel pocket doors close off the office. The built-ins are new, the transom window original.
Pocket doors: Atlanta Specialty Millwork
Chandelier: Bling Convertible by Robert Abbey
Library ladder: Bartels Doors
Floor Plans
Floor plan by Ian WorpoleThe now 2,955-square-foot house was converted back to a single-family home and 485 square feet added upstairs.
The first floor was opened up and got a back porch, a new kitchen, and a screened porch; the rebuilt staircase is now accessed from the dining room.
Dilapidated 1920s house transformed to a luxury family home |
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
It's always sad to hear of an historic building being allowed to fall into disrepair before eventually having to be demolished. Here's a good news story, with a very happy ending.
This imposing 1920s Edwin H. Clark home on Chicago's North Shore in Winnetka, Illinois, was being marketed for sale as a tear-down. Inside it was dated, unloved and in a bad state of repair. On the exterior, the home’s original Mediterranean style was hidden by a post-modern addition that didn’t fit the aesthetic.
Luckily for this old house, one young couple who were looking for a North Shore family home recognized its potential. They started to look into how the property could be restored and updated. The results are impressive: a luxurious home that honors Clark's original architecture and moves the house on into its second century with a smile on its face and a spring in its step.
The sensitive reimagining of this important architectural gem means it is now one of the world's best homes, and a testament to thinking around a problem rather than choosing the easy 'tear down' option.
A major renovation
The couple enlisted Morgante Wilson Architects early on, to help them determine the home's renovation potential. The firm's team worked with the clients to restore the home’s original style and add new spaces through a two-storey addition. Morgante Wilson managed both the renovation and the interior design for the project. The goal was to keep the interiors modern and clean against a strong architectural backdrop and also infuse the home with its new owners’ personal style.
The design team removed the poorly executed elevations and a landscaped wall, extending the panorama of the home and highlighting its original Mediterranean Revival details. Old windows were replaced, and new sections of roof and stucco were matched to the original for a seamless transition between old and new.
The interiors were updated throughout with features and a design that matched the homeowners’ more modern aesthetic, but with nods to the home’s elegant and traditional style. The kitchen and bathrooms are detailed so they look like they could have been part of the original, but all furnishings are more contemporary.
Kitchen in keeping with the original architecture
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
The home’s original kitchen had been through multiple renovations, resulting in an awkward layout and circulation.
Morgante Wilson opened up the space and anyone looking for kitchen ideas will find inspiration in the reworked kitchen. Graceful arches, kinetic light fixtures and a colorful painted ceramic backdrop were all added to echo the home's original aesthetic. Anchoring the room is a dramatic island.
'The clients wanted to preserve and embrace the home’s original architecture and style, but ultimately they also wanted to meld the home’s unique original elements with the latest features and conveniences that go into a modern family home,' explains Fred Wilson, co-founding partner of Morgante Wilson Architects.
The dome pendants are Catellani & Smith via Lightology.
The breakfast nook
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
The kitchen opens to the breakfast room, with windows on three sides letting the views of the yard into the center of the home. The breakfast room table is by Oly and is paired with Janus et Cie outdoor chairs. An Arturo Alvarez pendant offers a sculptural light source.
Hallway with classical style
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
A somewhat dingy front service service corridor between the kitchen, dining room and front entry has been remodeled – classical style. 'This is one of the transformations the team was most proud of,' says Fred Wilson. 'We reworked the space to create a dynamic loggia and focal entry point. The original soaring groin vaults were obscured by retro-fitted louvered doors. We restored the groin vaults and extended them, ultimately doubling the length of the hallway.'
Other hallway ideas include increasing the floorspace by replacing badly sited radiators with hydronic underfloor heat, and restoring the original terrazzo floor to its original luster, with restored Art Deco baseboard profiles.
One particularly clever design element of the new hallway was turning a pair of existing closets into double-sided wine cabinets, which can also be accessed from the home's formal dining room.
Study with traditional library styling
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
A dark study was re-imagined as a sophisticated library, The fireplace was given a contemporary feel with a mosaic tile surround. Bright swivel chairs flank the fireplace and sconces by Christopher Guy offer gentle light.
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
As the clients considered their home office ideas, one factor – good lighting – emerged as more important than anything else. It was decided to replace existing windows with French doors to increase the natural light. The room's original paneling was restored and painted a saturated blue. The room is completed with an antique brass desk from Julian Chichester and Visual Comfort lamp.
Paneled living room gets a refresh
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
In the formal living room, the look is calm, sophisticated and uncluttered.
One of the brightest (literally) living room ideas here, was to paint over the room's original oak paneling. This gave the living room a brighter, more contemporary feel. Some might consider this a step too far, but if your home's period features seem dark and dated, and don't suit your style refreshing them with paint is a good compromise.
A rich grey and ruby Organic Looms rug anchors a leather Ochre chair and George Smith sofa in Kravet fabrics. The furthest sofa was reupholstered in a mink Rodolph velvet, and the room is finished with Barovier & Toso sculptural glass fixtures.
Dining room mixes old and new
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
If you're looking for dining room ideas, this space cleverly showcases how to combine old and new. At the heart is a vintage Baker dining table, head chairs that belonged to the homeowner’s grandmother, and reupholstered side chairs by Eurocraft Furniture in Holly Hunt fabric to give a modern edge. The space is completed with restored plaster cove molding, new panel molding, restored fireplace and a striking contemporary chandelier.
Primary bedroom
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
When you're considering bedroom ideas, take a good look at the room's architecture as your starting point as this could help steer the scheme. The arched ceiling here in the primary bedroom adds drama to the room, which is anchored by a Bernhardt bed. Custom burl nightstands are by I2I Design.
Primary bathroom
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
Set in another magnificent window is an elegant freestanding bath, its proportions and position exactly on point with the arched ceiling. The room features two vanity units on either side of the arch, and bespoke lighting by HelenBilt .
Exterior updates
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
Since this site is almost two acres, the outdoor spaces were very important, says Fred Wilson: 'There were two very large elm trees that were important to maintain during construction, around which were planned exterior sun terraces with access to the study, dining room, billiards room and breakfast room.
'
Backyard landscaping ideas that helped to bring more character and functionality to the generous plot include an outdoor kitchen with a pergola that was placed in the yard away from the house to create an intimate dining area, and another pergola to connect the house to the garage with an obscured glass canopy, to match the front door canopy, for weather protection.
(Image credit: Michael Robinson)
Between the house and garage, the landscape designers also planned a kitchen garden and dog run. The bulk of the back yard though was left for soccer and lacrosse practice for the couple’s two children.
Now that it's fully renovated and updated to suit the needs of the next generation of custodians, we can't help thinking this historic home has had a very lucky escape from demolition.
Karen is the houses editor for homesandgardens.com and homes editor for the brand’s sister titles, Period Living and Country Homes & Interiors, and an experienced writer on interiors and gardens.
She loves visiting historic houses for Period Living and writing about rural properties for Country Homes & Interiors, and working with photographers to capture all shapes and sizes of properties. Karen began her career as a sub editor at Hi-Fi News and Record Review magazine. Her move to women’s magazines came soon after, in the shape of Living magazine, which covered cookery, fashion, beauty, homes and gardening. From Living Karen moved to Ideal Home magazine, where as deputy chief sub, then chief sub, she started to really take an interest in properties, architecture, interior design and gardening.
how workers' settlements of the constructivist era are being repaired in the capital / News of the city / Moscow City Web Site
Construction and reconstruction in different ways and where to find a movie star house in Moscow — in mos.ru.
Many monuments of constructivism have been preserved in Moscow. And these are not only the world-famous Shukhov Tower, the House of Narkomfin, or the work of the avant-garde architect Konstantin Melnikov.
There are more than 40 residential blocks in Moscow built at the end of 1920s - early 1930s. They are characterized by rigor, utility, geometric and concise forms - the architects focused on expressive volumes.
Over the past decades, the houses have fallen into disrepair, some of them have not had major repairs for many years. We tell how the Moscow Capital Repair Fund is updating the heritage of constructivism and what can be preserved in houses that were built using the most unexpected materials.
For quality of life and impact work
Residential quarters of the era of constructivism are conventionally called "workers' settlements". The explanation is simple: in the first half of the 20th century, industry was developing rapidly and factory workers needed housing. Thus, the idea was born to create settlements for workers next to the production. The architects approached the task seriously - it was not a typical building, but full-fledged quarters created according to an individual project.
Practically each had its own infrastructure: a canteen, a kindergarten, a club, a laundry - everything you need for a comfortable life, which means shock work.
However, at the end of the 1920s and the beginning of the 1930s, there was a shortage of building materials and workers. This was the reason why reeds, a mixture of reeds and concrete, were periodically used for walls. Due to the fault of this fragile and short-lived material, many houses of that time are in danger of destruction.
“Among the most famous quarters of the era of constructivism are Dangauerovka, Khavsko-Shabolovsky, Budyonnovsky, Usachyovka and Dubrovsky. In total, this is almost 300 apartment buildings. And the task of the Moscow Capital Repair Fund is not only to put these buildings in order and make them comfortable for life again, but also to bring them as close as possible to the historical portrait,” said Artur Keskinov, Director General of the Moscow Capital Repair Fund.
Over the decades, workers' settlements have noticeably changed their appearance.
Some houses had superstructures and the number of floors increased. Some of the houses, unfortunately, could not be saved, and some were included in the list of cultural heritage sites. Today, major repairs are underway in almost all workers' settlements.
The house from the movie
Among the workers' settlements there are real movie stars. We are talking about the residential microdistrict Dangauerovka , which was named after the German entrepreneur Heinrich-Karl Dangauer. In 1869-m, he founded a boiler and foundry production nearby (today it is the Kompressor plant).
In 1928, Dangauerovka was conceived as a workers' settlement for 45,000 people. After the October Revolution, it was one of the very first large-scale construction projects. Of the more than 40 houses that were designed by architects led by Mikhail Motylev, only 24 were built. Half of them are now recognized as cultural heritage sites. If the plan had been fully implemented then, the village would have become the largest in the country.
It is in Dangauerovka on Prud-Klyuchiki Street that house 3 is located, where Sergey Zhuravlev lived — the main character of Marlen Khutsiev's painting “I'm 20 years old” (“Ilyich's Outpost”).
Capital repairs in a residential building - a monument of constructivism were done only in 1956, so the building was in a deplorable state. And in 2021, the house was overhauled. Specialists repaired facades, replaced windows and doors, communications. They also repaired the stairs, basements, put the entrances in order.
By the way, during the work, the builders found in the basement instead of a channel (supporting part, lintel. - Note ed. ) railway rails. The unusual find is explained by the shortage of metal, which was during the construction of the house in the 1920-1930s.
The facade of the house from the movie “I'm Twenty Years Old” has been renovated
For officers of the Red Army
This year the facade of the house in Budyonnovsky town (Bolshaya Pochtovaya street, 18/20, building 3) has also been transformed.
On the walls of a four-story apartment building built in 1926, according to an individual project, there were cracks and chips, and the brickwork was dilapidated.
The facades of the house are decorated with window sills and cornices, the entrance groups are marked with risalits. These decorative elements protrude beyond the main part of the building and run along its entire length.
The settlement in Budennovsky town was intended for officers of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. The team of authors of the project developers was headed by the same Mikhail Motylev. An original feature of the layout was a curved internal passage crossing courtyards of various shapes. This gave better insolation to the houses, and passers-by got the opportunity to perceive the architecture inside the residential area in dynamics. Depending on the angle of view, the same house is perceived differently.
With pilasters and arched vault
In Vostochny settlement this year the overhaul was completed at two sites.
In the 1930s, housing was built here for the workers of the waterworks, which was launched in 1937 and provided the capital with water from the Volga. The house at the address: Vostochny village, Main street, house 5 was built at the same time, in 1937. There are 28 apartments in a three-storey building. You can get into them through four entrances, decorated with columns. But the main attention is drawn to the terraces - there are nine of them in the house, they are decorated with an arched vault and pilasters. And the outer walls of the first floor are highlighted with roughly hewn stones.
For almost 85 years of operation, the physical deterioration of the facade amounted to 60 percent, the plinth plaster cracked, the brickwork dilapidated. Specialists carefully cleaned and updated all surfaces, put in order structural, engineering and decorative elements.
A three-story house at 3 Main Street was also built in 1937. It has an unusual broken shape. Three entrances lead to the building, the side entrance groups are decorated with a row of columns.
Here, too, the facade was repaired and all communications were replaced.
Avant-garde style
By the end of 2021, the overhaul of building 31, building 1 on Bolshaya Serpukhovskaya Street will be completed. The six-story building, built in 1926, is part of the ensemble "Zamoskvoretsky worker" . Some of the houses have not survived to this day, and for the rest it is recommended to issue a conservation status.
Architect Valentin Bibikov designed the ensemble in an avant-garde style. The buildings are distinguished by strictness and conciseness of forms; on some of them one can distinguish small triangular risalits with miniature windows. They are also located near building 1 of house 31. Bay windows are also located on the main facade. The first floor from the side of the street is decorated with rustication, along the perimeter there is a crowning cornice and interfloor belts. The windows are decorated with platbands. Brick facades are painted white and yellow.
Under the overhaul program, the heating, water supply and sanitation systems have already been replaced in the house, and a new power supply network has been installed. Specialists cleaned the facades of old plaster, treated them with antiseptics and painted them. Completion of work in the entrances of the house.
The adjacent second and third blocks of house 31 are waiting for their turn, project documentation is being developed now. And work in the fifth building will begin in 2022.
ZIL, Shukhov Tower and Khlebozavod: Discover Moscow will tell about constructivist monuments0003
The program of the Capital Repair Fund for Moscow apartment buildings includes 383 cultural heritage sites. The task of specialists is to preserve the original beauty and architectural features of such buildings as much as possible. Now work is underway in 114 monumental residential buildings, 14 of them are being restored.
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Blue bathroom with white tiles: design project photo
This bathroom was like a time machine, transporting you back to the 1920s, but the ceiling flooded with neighbors prompted the owners to a large-scale alteration. “This facility has been repaired as needed over the years, keeping it in working order. But all of a sudden, the owners of the apartment realized that it was time to take a radical look at the issue, as too much was already out of order,” says Matt Capitolo, owner of design firm Whitefield & Co. The designer, together with the owners, tried to reproduce the atmosphere of 1920s, which dates back to the construction of the building itself, retaining the original lamps and selecting authentic decor elements.
Whitefield & Co, LLC
About the project
Location: Abington, PA
Size: area - 5.5 sq.m; approx. ) Photo: Lauren Davis
At first glance, this blue bathroom with white tiles looks like it was built in the 1920s when the house was built. Despite the fact that the photos "before the alteration" show that much needed repair, the room retained its retro charm.
“Customers were very fond of the white boar tile, the look of the sink and the fixtures,” says Matt, who, along with the owners, tried to replicate the old style while using new tiles, fixtures and other details. The floor was laid out with tiles corresponding to that period in the form of small hexagons.
The new countertop washbasin looks quite traditional thanks to the cross-shaped faucet handles. Silver grout gives the tile depth and is much easier to care for than white grout.
Mixer: Kingston Brass; countertop washbasin: Restoration Hardware; silver grout : Mapei
Before photo
Before
Upstairs neighbors flooded the owners of the apartment, so they jointly hired Matt to clean up both apartments. In addition to the ceiling, the sink on cantilever legs was also damaged. And as a result of previous repairs, there were patches from different tiles.
To increase the space in the bathroom, Matt removed the radiator from under the window sill and replaced it with underfloor heating, laying a layer of reflective insulation (so that all the heat stays in the room, rather than escaping through the ceiling to the lower floor).
“Before” photo
Before
The layout of the house itself resembles colonial-style houses, with a large central hall. However, it was built in the 1920s, when the Victorian style in America was supplanted by Art Deco.
Whitefield & Co, LLC
Whitefield & Co, LLC
After
, Mutt restored the original Art Deco wall lights and ceiling lamp. The refurbished medicine cabinet from Restoration Hardware looks vintage and is a worthy replacement for the mirror cabinet that was here before.
The designer made a lot of effort to save the old tiles, but unfortunately it was not possible. She found a similar replacement: a boar tile from Daltile.
Matt replaced the windows with a tilting mechanism with two-leaf lifting frames with simulated deglazing. “This is a window model with wooden cladding on the inside and reinforced plastic on the outside.
This means that it combines all the qualities of natural warm wood with the hardiness and all-weather resistance of today's plastic,” he says.
Wall paint: Fantasy Blue, Benjamin Moore; first aid kit : Restoration Hardware; wall tiles : Arctic White semi-gloss, Daltile; flooring: matt tiles Powerline Imports; double sash wooden windows I ntegrity Wood-Ultrex, Marvin Windows & Doors
Whitefield & Co, LLC
Whitefield & Co, LLC
.
Toilet: Promenade, Toto
“Before” photo
Before
Tiled areas around the faucet mask the repair of previous leaks. “With a curtain like that, a lot of water splashed around the bathroom during the wash,” says Matt. It is also worth noting how close to the shower the light switch used to be. During the alteration, it was moved to the outer wall in the corridor.
