BEFORE AND AFTER : BOULEVARD PARK

I can't help but fall a little bit in love with every house I have the privilege to work on, but this house has a special place in my heart. It is located in the Boulevard Park area of Midtown Sacramento known for its Historical Preservation Victorian Era houses. When I got a call from a client who was investing in this house to resell it, I had to say yes. I was a bit apprehensive about what might become of a beautiful old house that was being fixed up to sell. I have seen too many unfortunate flips in my own neighborhood to feel good about what might happen. Budgets are not large for this sort of thing, so I was tasked with giving this house a lot of bang for the buck! I think we were able to make that happen.

The old girl had plenty of things that needed saving, and I was able to work with the owner to make sure that they were indeed preserved. The Kitchen was not one of those things that was worth saving however. Its condition was ....shall we say....not good. There were no salvageable original floors or fixtures. So we opened up some cramped spaces to make a larger Kitchen and eat-in area and also opened it up to what was once a bedroom now a TV space. Because the budget was very limited, we found a great solution to a floor tile in this Montauk Black Slate in a herringbone pattern, dontcha think?

Victorian era style lighting in brass and oil rubbed bronze give a nod to the past while the modern cabinet hardware brings this kitchen up to date.

I was also able to convince the owner to spring for the v-groove paneling on the window walls to add a little architectural detail to the space. It was a slam dunk tie-in with the existing v-groove in the original bookcase.

I was also able to convince the owner to keep the wood paneling and built-ins in their original, yet restored condition. It is my feeling that many buyers who opt for an historic preservation house are interested in the real deal and would appreciate the original intent. We had restoration craftsmen come in to completely refinish the built-ins and the original parquet floors with the Greek Key borders. They did an amazing job....

I never turn down an opportunity to pick the exterior color scheme and when I have carte blanche, it is a blast! Freshly white with a fun red door and black window trim brought this beauty back to life! Such a fun project!

There is something about imperfect things that appeals to me. There is a story there and I find a nostalgic comfort in that. And when I can help save anything that, while perhaps a bit imperfect, has so much charm and history still to share, it makes me very happy!

We have a couple of bathrooms to share from this project, so stay tuned!