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Modern Function and Vintage Flair in a 19th-Century Home
A bathroom flood partway through a remodel drives an imaginative transformation of a California Victorian
When interior designer Jennifer Messina of Dreamlife Design was brought in to help renovate a large Victorian home in Northern California for a family of six, the clients wanted just a few updates. As work got underway on the 19th-century house, however, the homeowners noticed more areas they wanted to revamp. The scope soon expanded again but not by choice. A vendor had accidentally left a third-floor bathroom sink running all weekend.
“Three floors of beautiful home had water just pouring through them,” Messina says. “It was at a time where suddenly that happened and there had to be more work to open up the walls and deal with all of the wet wood and insulation and ceilings. It was pretty devastating, but then we made lemonade, definitely, by getting to redo a couple other bathrooms.”
Ultimately, Messina and her team, along with their go-to general contractor, Steven Moore, completed the first phase of an eclectic whole-house upgrade. Their work replaced the home’s 1980s and ’90s style finishes with unique pieces — many from the wife’s collection of vintage finds — that better reflected its historic charm while still incorporating a fresh, transitional feel.
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Ultimately, Messina and her team, along with their go-to general contractor, Steven Moore, completed the first phase of an eclectic whole-house upgrade. Their work replaced the home’s 1980s and ’90s style finishes with unique pieces — many from the wife’s collection of vintage finds — that better reflected its historic charm while still incorporating a fresh, transitional feel.
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Before: The house was dark and dated, having not been worked on since at least the 1990s. The main entrance, shown here, featured beat-up wood floors and a Craftsman-style chandelier.
After: Messina and her team gave the interiors and exteriors a refreshing coat of white paint. The exterior entryway’s wood floors were replaced with bluestone. The light fixture was replaced with a more statement-making Moravian star pendant. The team kept the original door and painted it a country blue as a way to soften the black-and-white palette and as a nod to the client’s love of gardening. These kinds of personalized details appear throughout the house.
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Find an interior designer near you
Creating Cohesive Character
Despite the house’s charming 19th-century bones, half-baked updates from the 1980s and ’90s dominated the sprawling space when the homeowners moved in. Messina worked to create a unified look throughout that showcased both the house’s historic details and the wife’s collection of vintage lights and decor. Though the family’s previous home had been more traditional, the clients were ready to step outside their comfort zone with the new house and add a more current edge.
In the foyer, seen here, a semisolid ebony stain on the century-old oak floors adds a bold look without hiding the wood’s texture. “The effect of doing the dark floor with the light walls and ceilings just opened everything up,” Messina says. “It was very dramatic.” On top, one of several natural hides used throughout the house adds a warm, organic element.
Despite the house’s charming 19th-century bones, half-baked updates from the 1980s and ’90s dominated the sprawling space when the homeowners moved in. Messina worked to create a unified look throughout that showcased both the house’s historic details and the wife’s collection of vintage lights and decor. Though the family’s previous home had been more traditional, the clients were ready to step outside their comfort zone with the new house and add a more current edge.
In the foyer, seen here, a semisolid ebony stain on the century-old oak floors adds a bold look without hiding the wood’s texture. “The effect of doing the dark floor with the light walls and ceilings just opened everything up,” Messina says. “It was very dramatic.” On top, one of several natural hides used throughout the house adds a warm, organic element.
In the living room, a built-in buffet created by a local cabinetmaker provides much-needed storage and charm. The piece, like many others in the project, fits with the homeowner’s previous Shabby Chic aesthetic but elevates it with a cleaner, less cluttered look.
Likewise in the TV room, period-appropriate built-ins by the redone fireplace offer storage for the family’s four daughters. The fireplace here and in the living room got a new marble hearth and interior paint.
The first-floor powder room is one of Messina’s favorite spaces. The existing powder room was probably a 1980s add-on, with its plywood details and none of the rest of the house’s architectural appeal. To make the new one stand out, Messina and her team incorporated wainscoting, industrial-style pendant lights, a sheepskin rug for texture, a vintage-style trough sink with vintage faucets and wallpaper on the ceiling.
“You get to just play a little bit more in spaces like that,” Messina says.
Other moves aimed at playing up the charm included swapping out the mismatched doorknobs throughout the house for oil-rubbed bronze versions with glass knobs.
“That was a big deal, replacing the doorknobs, because every door was different,” Messina says. “I just look at them and I go, ‘Oh, I’m so glad we did that,’ because at the time it feels like, ‘Oh my gosh, another thing,’ and it’s more expensive than getting something standard, but it’s just a piece of the puzzle that all comes together and makes a feeling.”
Browse bathroom sinks on Houzz
“You get to just play a little bit more in spaces like that,” Messina says.
Other moves aimed at playing up the charm included swapping out the mismatched doorknobs throughout the house for oil-rubbed bronze versions with glass knobs.
“That was a big deal, replacing the doorknobs, because every door was different,” Messina says. “I just look at them and I go, ‘Oh, I’m so glad we did that,’ because at the time it feels like, ‘Oh my gosh, another thing,’ and it’s more expensive than getting something standard, but it’s just a piece of the puzzle that all comes together and makes a feeling.”
Browse bathroom sinks on Houzz
Before: The old third-floor bathroom that would eventually flood during renovation was covered in outdated tile and featured a small, built-in tub.
After: The remodeled bathroom features a marble-topped vanity, vintage-style sconces and a freestanding claw-foot soaking tub.
See more bathtub inspiration photos
See more bathtub inspiration photos
One-of-a-Kind Details
Vintage French light fixtures from the homeowner’s collection were incorporated throughout the house, perhaps most dramatically in the dining room with the chandelier seen here.
Vintage French light fixtures from the homeowner’s collection were incorporated throughout the house, perhaps most dramatically in the dining room with the chandelier seen here.
Messina and her team used wallpaper to add whimsical visual interest in several areas of the house, especially areas devoted to the daughters. This papered staircase leads to the attic, which is divided into a playroom for the younger girls and a teen-friendly hideaway bedroom for the eldest daughter.
Browse wallpaper
Browse wallpaper
Before: The full-height A-frame attic room was a blank canvas.
After: Messina highlighted the room’s unique shape with wallpaper. A playful geometric rug and old-fashioned furniture round out the teen’s bedroom.
Before: Wallpaper used in the attic’s previous bathroom design looked dingy and dated.
After: Messina refinished the claw-foot tub in a watery blue, added new vintage-look hardware and used a more modern, bohemian wallpaper to highlight the window’s striking angles.
These Bathrooms Play All The Angles
These Bathrooms Play All The Angles
A Flexible Mindset
Downstairs, the large basement was transformed into a one-bedroom apartment complete with a bed area, small kitchen, bathroom, living space and separate entrance. Wallpaper again adds personality.
Downstairs, the large basement was transformed into a one-bedroom apartment complete with a bed area, small kitchen, bathroom, living space and separate entrance. Wallpaper again adds personality.
On the other side of the basement apartment, a built-in sink and prep counter anchor the space.
A basement closet was converted into a sleeping nook for additional guests or children. The decorative corbel overhead is another piece from the homeowner’s collection.
Outside, Messina refinished the house’s sizable deck so the family could enjoy the wooded hillside setting.
She and the homeowners plan to tackle the house’s large kitchen and master suite in the next renovation phase next year. Not taking on those two major areas during this part of the project was intentional.
“They just needed a break from spending the money and also having the experience in their home,” Messina says. “It’s a lot.”
Taking on the house in layers, Messina says, not only gives the homeowners a break, but it also allows her and her team to flex their design muscles in a different, more deliberate way.
“There are a lot of little fun things we get to do as we go and not have to feel rushed,” she says. “And I think that that made a really big difference for [the homeowners’] experience too, and it just gives room for more creativity.”
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She and the homeowners plan to tackle the house’s large kitchen and master suite in the next renovation phase next year. Not taking on those two major areas during this part of the project was intentional.
“They just needed a break from spending the money and also having the experience in their home,” Messina says. “It’s a lot.”
Taking on the house in layers, Messina says, not only gives the homeowners a break, but it also allows her and her team to flex their design muscles in a different, more deliberate way.
“There are a lot of little fun things we get to do as we go and not have to feel rushed,” she says. “And I think that that made a really big difference for [the homeowners’] experience too, and it just gives room for more creativity.”
More on Houzz
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their four daughters
Location: Mill Valley, California
Size: More than 5,000 square feet (465 square meters); five bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms
Designer: Jennifer Messina of Dreamlife Design
General contractor: Steven Moore