When the storm rips you to pieces, you have to decide how to put yourself back together again.
Bryant McGill
It has been almost a year since Ida wrecked havoc on our hometown of Somerville, NJ. Heavy rain, winds, and flooding took a toll on our neighbors and their homes. Subsequent explosions and fires added to the destruction that was everywhere. Even though we were still only one year into our home business, we knew we had to do something to help get Somerville back on its feet. In early September 2021 we shared a post to our social media page offering to help a family in need. We received many unfortunate stories, but one really hit home for us… a couple who took such pride in their home, living on Green Street.
After meeting with Lindsey & Bob we could feel the sadness they were experiencing. Lindsey, an avid gardener took such pride in creating a beautiful home and we needed to bring that back! After surveying the property, we knew that the water damage was intensive and the first level of the home would require total remediation. We wanted ensure that not only was the home going to be aesthetically pleasing & inhabitable again, but that it was going to be safe & healthy to live in. Removing all moisture and providing a waterproofed dry foundation to refinish this home was our utmost priority. We are happy to say that I think we accomplished all that & more! We had some fun bringing the kitchen up to date with new cabinetry and installed gorgeous quartz countertops. The outside even got a little glow up with a shed clean up, some fencing, and repaired windows. Although sad that our new neighbors will be relocating after enduring this difficult year, we look forward to a new family joining our community who will hopefully fall in love with this home as much as we did!
“We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there.”
Decades ago, as a small girl, I would walk one block down the street and make the first left to get to my friend Emily’s house. In through the front door and up the wooden stair case led to the second floor. Down the hallway and into the first bedroom was where we opened the five panel door with a brass knob, leading to the secret stairway. A steep pitched roof with exposed beams, small nooks and crannies along the perimeter, and an awesome dollhouse in the center. Here was our secret hideaway in our own neighborhood! High up on the third floor, we were up in the trees of our small suburban New Jersey town. Peaking though the front dormer window we knew what every neighborhood kid was up to, and even more importantly when it was turning dusk and time for me to run home for dinner. A large 3 story, two family, American Foursquare home with a grand front porch, it still resides in my hometown today.
Needless to say there was a lot of inspiration for this attic project! Being in the attic of this three story American Foursquare home brought back so many memories. Lost of nostalgia pushed this project along from completely rough and unfinished to a cozy bonus room. The classic hipped roof gave us some serious angles to consider, but there was such great square footage and of course that front dormer window that gave us a bird’s eye view of our town!
With that said, the plans then started to develop for finishing the attic as a cozy bonus room that was both light and bright. Somewhere guests could stay or one could just curl up with a good book or sketch pad and pencil. Clean up of this one hundred plus year old attic commenced. The windows were replaced but kept in the original 4 over 1 style, typical in American Foursquare Architecture. Formal walls and insulation were installed to ensure this room could be utilized throughout the four seasons here in the Northeast. The back of the attic was divided by a partition wall so that the house could still ventilate itself via a side vent and roof fan. A salvaged door was mounted on barn door hardware so that it can slide open when too warm. Angles framing the dormers were left exposed to bring in a rustic look and break up some of the white. Additional lumber was added at the center of the ceiling pitches to give the look of beams and provide a flat surface for mounting light fixtures and an industrial caged fan. To keep with the rustic wood look Weaber Lumber wood paneling was used to carve out the daybed nook at the front of the attic and cover the chimney stack that was no longer functioning, but still running through the middle of the room. The wooden stair case was sanded down and refinished to match. Custom carpentry bookcases were constructed, framing the staircase. Attics with hipped roofs often have lots of wasted space around the perimeter due to the steep pitch, so cabinet storage was framed out around the room and finished with custom doors and salvaged antique pull handles. Further antique elements included reclaimed barn-wood shelves mounted on old cast iron brackets collected from trips to architectural salvage trips.
Although it is now thirty plus years later, I still feel like that same little girl looking out the front dormer window in the attic. I feel a sense of calmness and peace being in this quiet space, (I think the fur babies do too!). It’s a place for reflection, reading, and having fun with my watercolors. Old books, mementos, and memorabilia no longer need to be packed away in boxes, but instead are on display. It is both our personal history that we bring and that of the house, that contributes to the space being oh so charming and warm. Wait, did I mention the old pink dress, antique matchbox cars, and old paperback books found randomly in the walls? You know we kept those too! So, what better a space to spend time in, then one that reminds us of where we came from and who we are?
They say “best things come to those who wait”. Well, this kitchen was 5 years in the making, almost to the exact day (just off by 1 week) for the owners of this American Foursquare home. Just in time for the holidays!
Kitchens being the most expensive to renovate, can also be the most daunting to DIY-ers and homeowners alike. But that comes with its own blessing; getting to know your home over time. Live in you kitchen, work in your kitchen, get to know your kitchen. What do you like? What do you not like? What is most important to you and your family? Yes, you will have to prioritize your list of must-have’s. Most likely you will not get ALL of them. Most likely you will find as you work your way through the project, you no longer want ALL of them! That is part of the process.
With this kitchen, the homeowners absolutely knew they had to bring the refrigerator back into the main configuration of the kitchen to make room for a half bathroom/powder room. Or as they like to call it, the water closet. With that being said, demolition was almost simultaneous for both spaces. Plaster walls had to come down all around to make way for insulation, new electrical (yes, there was still old knob and tube!), and plumbing. Some finds included old wallpaper, original hardwood floors (yay!), and a baby fork (plain old creepy!). The water closet finished up relatively quickly before the kitchen. Classic black and white tile was laid down to coordinate with a whimsical black and white wallpaper along with white wainscoting. Some funky vintage inspired fixtures were chosen as finishes. The owners had kept the original back door of the home and were interested in repurposing it for the bathroom. A little elbow grease and a DIY frosted plexiglass window turned out to be the perfect finishing touch!
Now, because this is technically a galley style kitchen, the goal was to keep the space feeling open & bright. The fear was that the refrigerator and all the appliances would cramp the space. So, two side by side windows were replaced with a beautiful wood bay window. Clean, classic white shaker style cabinets also keep the feel ‘light’ along with white appliances. However, to stay true to the traditional feel of the home, we had an idea to create a floor to ceiling cabinet pantry in a natural soft pine finish. Talk about storage with 9foot ceilings! Floors were also kept natural to tie into the theme that shaped up to be ‘wood & white’. All original trim was saved during the demo, cleaned up and reused. Further interest was added with shiplapped walls and a classic white subway back splash. Copper finishes top off the look with a feminine, yet modern look. How can you not love that massive copper hood?! At the end, the room was cozy-ed up with some antique framed paintings and a vintage inspired runner.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.
— Izaak Walton
So, here we are! It feels like it has taken a lifetime to get here. Coffee talks, family functions, endless chatter during projects, but I always thought we were not ready. However, some recent career contemplations, travel, and life events have all stirred up the once steadfast perspective. Which makes me ask the ever-popular question; are we ever truly ready?
Welcome to our little site in progress! We have been living in our 1920’s American Foursquare home restoration for the last 3 years in central New Jersey. It wasn’t until we moved here that we became inspired for our love of old(er) homes, decorating, and all things from yester-year. It has been our curiosity that has lead us to multiple DIY projects which have come to shape our home. So, we thought, why not share that and more with a growing community of family, friends, and strangers!
Although still in the early stages of development, I hope to share our stories, inspiration, and learned lessons (some harder than others) all related to our lovely dwelling, we get to call home. I hope our little community here, helps inspire others in owning their very own old home making the constant cycle of “work” seem all the more enjoyable. Getting to live in a little part of history is so worth it!
Happy New Year! I hope you join us on our new journey into 2019!
wholeheartedhomenj.com 