Some communities actually celebrate the fact that they have a stash of smaller, older homes in prime neighborhoods-the kind of homes that get torn down elsewhere. In Minneapolis/St. Paul, the Twin Cities Bungalow Club is thriving, having grown from a charter membership of 15 homeowners in 1995 to a robust crowd of nearly 300.
The fall issue of Traditional Home Renovation Style offers a nice piece on the club, a grass-roots organization of neighbors who share a couple of things in common: an affection for small homes and the desire to preserve them.
Club members tend to own bungalows, although the club “also embraces foursquare and Dutch Colonial houses because they were built in the same neighborhoods during the same era and have similar square footages.” The club publishes a quarterly, small-home newsletter; sponsors lectures and home tours; and dispenses valuable information about restoration.
If I had a hammer: Renovation is the big news in the magazines this month. Metropolitan Home devotes its September/October issue to the topic and features seven homes that underwent significant makeovers.
John Saladino performed a magic act for a client with a two-bedroom, basically boring, white-box apartment in Trump Tower. The New York designer turned the modern space into a miniature Versailles, complete with antiques, traditional upholstery and traditional luxe. Saladino did cut some corners, however, and is not shy to reveal how he saved his client a few bucks.
The beautiful interior panel door shown on Page 174 looks antique, but it’s one of Saladino’s tricks: A series of wood moldings that are mitered and nailed together were applied to the original doors. Everything was then painted, stained and glazed to create the effect of a handmade door. The crown molding in the living room is similarly elegant and budget conscious. Instead of having it milled, Saladino designed it himself by stacking smaller stock moldings.
Great details are at the heart of all great renovations–some details are just bigger than others. The fall issue of Traditional Home Renovation Style carries the story of the makeover of a once homely log dwelling on Bainbridge Island, outside Seattle, paying careful attention to the creation of a 35-foot-tall fireplace. Homeowner Dan Klaue and architect Priscilla Zimmerman designed the $12,000 detail, specifying river-rock for the face of the fireplace, which also features a double hearth. One hearth warms the inside of the red-painted house; the other serves the outdoor patio.
