In 2007, after much of the work was done, they welcomed the arrival of their son Owen, now 14. A few years later, they added a Victorian bulldog, Watson, to the mix. And as they started entertaining more, the 1,800-square-foot home they lovingly renovated started to feel a little small.
So in 2016, when they saw a listing for a three-story, 4,000-square-foot shingle house dating from 1891, with a 1,200-square-foot guesthouse in the background, they decided to buy it and ultimately bought it. sell their first home. The price of the new home, after a bidding war, was $600,000.
Their new old home has been restored by previous owners and much of the original woodwork is still intact. The couple love historical details, but the interior is a Victorian time capsule – with a floor plan broken down by small and dark rooms – and feels out of place for their family. That’s certainly true of Mr. Berman, whose company is known for designing clean modernist spaces.
To renovate it, they planned to preserve as much of the original details as possible, while opening the house to create a relaxed, fun atmosphere with playful, unexpected endings. “For us, it was an opportunity to celebrate a lot of classic details, but give them a chance to be perfect,” Mr. Berman said. “We wanted this house to be really fun.”
In the front part of the house, they kept much of the architecture intact, but changed its personality with new finishes, fixtures and colors. Now, a painted yellow ribbon leads up the front steps, up along the front door and wraps back to the porch ceiling. In a games room just off the foyer, they bleached the wooden floors and added similar wallpaper as the wood paneling and a woven bamboo chandelier above the walnut Ping-Pong table with leather mesh.
