Houzz Tour: Classic Features Are Reinstated in a Victorian Gem
A designer revives a period house for her family in Washington, DC, blending old and new in their elegant 1900s home
By the time interior designer Sara Swabb purchased this semi-detached house in Washington, DC’s historic Georgetown neighbourhood, insensitive renovations had stripped the home of many of its original details and, with them, much of its character.
Sara, her husband and their two young girls had completely outgrown their smaller home on nearby Capitol Hill. The house was conveniently located near Sara’s design studio, Storie Collective, so while the Victorian property was bigger than they anticipated and full of leaks and mould, it was in the right place at the right time at the right price — and in the right shape for a major makeover in Sara’s signature classic-meets-modern style.
Sara, her husband and their two young girls had completely outgrown their smaller home on nearby Capitol Hill. The house was conveniently located near Sara’s design studio, Storie Collective, so while the Victorian property was bigger than they anticipated and full of leaks and mould, it was in the right place at the right time at the right price — and in the right shape for a major makeover in Sara’s signature classic-meets-modern style.
This is a wider view of the hallway as it looked when Sara purchased the house. As you can see, the original details largely stopped at the entrance.
Among other 1950s- and 1970s-era changes, the coving had been stripped and ductwork for high-velocity forced-air cooling system had been installed without removing the radiators.
Among other 1950s- and 1970s-era changes, the coving had been stripped and ductwork for high-velocity forced-air cooling system had been installed without removing the radiators.
Contractor Glen Macieski and his team removed the unsightly support beams and soffits, which required hiding new steel support beams in the ceiling. They also upgraded all of the home’s electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems.
Once those nuts and bolts were taken care of, they turned to adding architectural details that adhered to the geographic region and the architectural style of the home. This living room shows the visual impact of new white oak flooring and extensive plaster mouldings and panelling.
“It didn’t have an identity,” Sara says of the house. “We tried to give that back.”
Walls throughout painted in Simply White, Benjamin Moore.
Once those nuts and bolts were taken care of, they turned to adding architectural details that adhered to the geographic region and the architectural style of the home. This living room shows the visual impact of new white oak flooring and extensive plaster mouldings and panelling.
“It didn’t have an identity,” Sara says of the house. “We tried to give that back.”
Walls throughout painted in Simply White, Benjamin Moore.
Fortunately, the living room’s marble fireplace surround had survived earlier renovations. Sara hired a stone expert, who treated the marble with a poultice to draw out imperfections, then lightly sanded and polished it to restore it to its former glory. The fireplace now runs on gas, but the marble still shows some original wood burns, which Sara embraces.
While these new architectural details intentionally look consistent with what would have been there in a 1900s Victorian terraced house, Sara’s goal was to make the home an urban retreat built for modern living, not a museum. There’s a whole-house sound system, for example. And the furnishings range from antiques and midcentury modern classics to contemporary pieces – some designer, some purchased off the shelf and from Etsy.
While these new architectural details intentionally look consistent with what would have been there in a 1900s Victorian terraced house, Sara’s goal was to make the home an urban retreat built for modern living, not a museum. There’s a whole-house sound system, for example. And the furnishings range from antiques and midcentury modern classics to contemporary pieces – some designer, some purchased off the shelf and from Etsy.
In the living room, for example, the furniture is all new, the rug is antique and the colourful pieces on the wall are custom commissions by contemporary artist Scott Runkel.
The original plaster ceiling medallion unfortunately broke when they removed the old fixture, so Sara had it replaced with a similar design. Now it accentuates a midcentury chandelier by Stilnovo, an Italian lighting company that also made the vintage sconces that flank the fireplace.
The original plaster ceiling medallion unfortunately broke when they removed the old fixture, so Sara had it replaced with a similar design. Now it accentuates a midcentury chandelier by Stilnovo, an Italian lighting company that also made the vintage sconces that flank the fireplace.
In the window, a Milo chaise designed by Amber Lewis sits alongside a modern marble side table from Menu.
Thinking of renovating? Find everyone you need, from interior designers to builders, carpenters and decorators, on Houzz.
Thinking of renovating? Find everyone you need, from interior designers to builders, carpenters and decorators, on Houzz.
The living and dining rooms used to be one meandering space, with an awkwardly placed pillar between them.
Where the bookcase once stood is now a reading corner with a vintage Bruno Mathsson chair. Above it, a Samsung Frame television is camouflaged amid a collection of antique French artwork.
Sara and her family lived in the house for six months before renovations began. That time gave her the opportunity to refine her vision, which included adding an arch between the living and dining rooms to demarcate the spaces without closing them off.
Sara and her family lived in the house for six months before renovations began. That time gave her the opportunity to refine her vision, which included adding an arch between the living and dining rooms to demarcate the spaces without closing them off.
In the dining room, 1950s rush-and-oak chairs surround a reclaimed wood table. Sara found the metal pendant light and the marble-disc sconces on Etsy.
If you compare the “before” and “after” plans for the first floor below, you’ll see how this narrow kitchen was next to the living room with two doors between them. A small cloakroom sat at the end of the dining room, perpendicular to the kitchen.
Here’s a zoomed-in view that shows where the kitchen transitioned to a breakfast nook at the back of the house.
Sara relocated the kitchen to that breakfast nook and the cloakroom to where the kitchen once stood. Knocking down the old cloakroom opened a sightline from the dining room through the kitchen and new metal doors, as you can see a couple of photos back. It also helped to bring light into the interior from both the front and back of the house.
Sara designed the cabinets with Tanya Smith-Shiflett of Unique Kitchens and Baths, with whom Storie Collective has a cabinet collection and shares a shop-showroom.
Along the back wall, Sara opted for all lower drawers and a slim marble shelf and splashback in lieu of wall units. Above the shelf is the house’s exposed brick party wall, painted creamy white. A panelled Sub-Zero fridge-freezer is set into the wall on the right.
Above the range cooker is an extractor fan designed to be installed at ceiling height (here, 2.9m). It has an exterior exhaust fan, which is quieter than one with interior venting.
Perimeter cabinets painted in Skimming Stone; island painted in Off-Black, both Farrow & Ball.
Along the back wall, Sara opted for all lower drawers and a slim marble shelf and splashback in lieu of wall units. Above the shelf is the house’s exposed brick party wall, painted creamy white. A panelled Sub-Zero fridge-freezer is set into the wall on the right.
Above the range cooker is an extractor fan designed to be installed at ceiling height (here, 2.9m). It has an exterior exhaust fan, which is quieter than one with interior venting.
Perimeter cabinets painted in Skimming Stone; island painted in Off-Black, both Farrow & Ball.
The choice of discreet extractor fan was inspired by the sculptural brass Onos 55 double pendant lamp by Florian Schulz that hangs above the island.
“I really wanted the simplicity of the room to speak for itself, and I loved this Florian Schulz light fixture made in Germany. My parents bought it for me as a gift when we got the house,” Sara says. “‘I thought, ‘There’s no better way to do this than to let this light showcase itself and not have a hood in the backdrop.’”
Small alabaster flush-mount lights provide additional illumination. Sara avoided recessed lighting, both because a Victorian house wouldn’t have had it and because the flush mounts are so pretty, she says.
“I really wanted the simplicity of the room to speak for itself, and I loved this Florian Schulz light fixture made in Germany. My parents bought it for me as a gift when we got the house,” Sara says. “‘I thought, ‘There’s no better way to do this than to let this light showcase itself and not have a hood in the backdrop.’”
Small alabaster flush-mount lights provide additional illumination. Sara avoided recessed lighting, both because a Victorian house wouldn’t have had it and because the flush mounts are so pretty, she says.
This picture gives you a glimpse of the courtyard, which Sara designed with the contractor.
“We keep the back doors open,” she says. “That indoor-outdoor transitional space between the kitchen and that backyard is just so comforting and makes me feel as if I’m not living inside the city.”
“We keep the back doors open,” she says. “That indoor-outdoor transitional space between the kitchen and that backyard is just so comforting and makes me feel as if I’m not living inside the city.”
Opposite the cooking area, Sara removed an old corner fireplace that wasn’t original to the house. Now more built-in cabinets flank a brass bistro table paired with Chiavari chairs, a vintage rug, a little milking stool and a Mullan Lighting globe pendant light.
In the former kitchen area, skylights bathe the new cloakroom in sunshine. Sara paired a modern-looking bespoke vanity unit and wall-mounted Henry by Waterworks fixtures with an antique Stilnovo sconce.
Upstairs, at the front of the house, the primary bedroom has a king-size bed and a variety of antiques and vintage pieces, including a pair of 1950s chairs by Czech furniture designer Jindrich Halabala.
A Hozuki pendant by Ay Illuminate hangs above the bed. Designed and manufactured in the Philippines, its flower-like shade is handmade from recycled paper.
A Hozuki pendant by Ay Illuminate hangs above the bed. Designed and manufactured in the Philippines, its flower-like shade is handmade from recycled paper.
The original main bathroom was small relative to the primary bedroom, with a shower-bath combination and a single console basin. Many of the vintage features were intact, including a slot for used razors inside the medicine cabinet.
More: How to Plan for a Bathroom Renovation
More: How to Plan for a Bathroom Renovation
Minor layout changes, including slightly reducing the size of the main bedroom, allowed for a much more spacious en suite with a large walk-in shower, a toilet, a 1.8m-wide vanity unit and a petite cast-iron claw-foot bath. “Even though [the bath] is small, I’m the only one who uses it, so it’s perfect for me,” Sara says.
She found the antique light fixtures on 1stDibs, and the antique rug is from District Loom, which sources many of the rugs for Storie Collective’s projects.
She found the antique light fixtures on 1stDibs, and the antique rug is from District Loom, which sources many of the rugs for Storie Collective’s projects.
The vanity unit is painted in the same colour as the kitchen’s perimeter cabinets – Farrow & Ball’s Skimming Stone – though here its red undertones look more pronounced.
The interior of the shower is covered in marble to match the vanity unit’s worktop and splashback.
“I’m a big fan of a hot, dark shower some days,” Sara says. “We always design to what our clients need, and I like an enclosed shower.”
“I’m a big fan of a hot, dark shower some days,” Sara says. “We always design to what our clients need, and I like an enclosed shower.”
The centre bedroom is Minna’s. The antique rug has terracotta, sage and blue tones against a brown field. It fits the long, narrow room perfectly and established the colour palette of the bedding, which here and in the other bedrooms is from Parachute and Filling Spaces. Ethnicraft side tables and crackled ceramic disc pendant lights from Mullan finish the room.
The pinkish tones carry into Minna’s en suite bathroom, which has a vanity unit painted in Farrow & Ball’s Dead Salmon. Hexagonal marble tiles on the floor mirror the countertop, which has a pretty detail on the splashback. Scalloped light fixtures from Nickey Kehoe flank the mirror.
“It’s not a medicine cabinet,” Sara points out. “I’m not a big proponent of any stuff. Whatever you need, you fit in your vanity unit or in your cupboard.”
“It’s not a medicine cabinet,” Sara points out. “I’m not a big proponent of any stuff. Whatever you need, you fit in your vanity unit or in your cupboard.”
The back bedroom belongs to Tippi.
“I tell my daughter, ‘You have the best room in the house!’” Sara says. “Look at those doors. But don’t tell the other daughter,” she adds with a laugh.
The bed, bedside tables and rug are antique, and the sconces are by Mullan, with a bespoke shade and coordinating bespoke cushion.
The handmade pendant light, from Georges in France, is made of fabric stretched over bent rattan.
“I tell my daughter, ‘You have the best room in the house!’” Sara says. “Look at those doors. But don’t tell the other daughter,” she adds with a laugh.
The bed, bedside tables and rug are antique, and the sconces are by Mullan, with a bespoke shade and coordinating bespoke cushion.
The handmade pendant light, from Georges in France, is made of fabric stretched over bent rattan.
Tippi’s vanity unit is painted Paean Black by Farrow & Ball, which has a slight reddish-purple undertone.
Mullan’s Ren brass sconces coordinate with the Ludlow tap from Waterworks.
Mullan’s Ren brass sconces coordinate with the Ludlow tap from Waterworks.
Two levels down is the space marked “cellar” on the plans. Sara reimagined it as a family entertainment zone, installing cabinetry with a built-in beverage fridge and a large-screen TV.
She’s putting some final touches on the house, such as curtains in a few rooms, over time. It’s a luxury she has, being her own client – an experience that’s also given her new insight.
“I think anyone who’s doing this work should have to do this on their own one time,” she says. “You have to be the client one time – go through a full home gut of this style home to really understand what it’s like to be on the other side of it. Because it’s not easy. [But] it’s really rewarding.”
She’s putting some final touches on the house, such as curtains in a few rooms, over time. It’s a luxury she has, being her own client – an experience that’s also given her new insight.
“I think anyone who’s doing this work should have to do this on their own one time,” she says. “You have to be the client one time – go through a full home gut of this style home to really understand what it’s like to be on the other side of it. Because it’s not easy. [But] it’s really rewarding.”
Before Photo
These are the cellar and first-floor plans prior to the renovation. On the first floor, notice the location of the kitchen and cloakroom, the latter of which blocked flow, sightlines and sunlight.
In the new layout, the kitchen is at the rear of the house and open to the dining room, and the cloakroom, a small vestibule and a coat cupboard are where the kitchen used to be.
Before Photo
The original layout of the second floor required a step up to access a double-basin bathroom between the second and third bedrooms.
The renovation expanded the laundry room and gave each bedroom an en suite.
Not pictured are the third floor’s fourth bedroom (which Sara uses as an office), a bonus room shared by the girls, and another bathroom.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature of this period house transformation? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Not pictured are the third floor’s fourth bedroom (which Sara uses as an office), a bonus room shared by the girls, and another bathroom.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature of this period house transformation? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Sponsored
Reload the page to not see this specific ad anymore
Who lives here? Designer Sara Swabb, husband Erik and daughters Tippi, 9, and Minna, 6
Location Washington, DC, USA
Size Four bedrooms and five bathrooms (358 sq m)
Designer Sara Swabb of Storie Collective
Architect District Architecture Studio
Contractor CMX Construction Group
Photos by Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Today, the home’s entrance looks similar to how it may have looked 120 years ago. The front door, the interior vestibule door and the staircase and its beautiful turned balusters are all original.
Although the light fixture in the hallway looks as if it could be original, too, it actually used to hang above Sara’s childhood dining table and belonged to her grandmother. Sara had the former oil lamp rewired and removed its dangling crystals.