Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Classic Is Reborn in Vermont
See how longtime collaborators brought a 1782 Federal home back to life
When an interior designer befriends a couple with a passion for taking on major remodels, great things can happen. For their seventh collaboration, designer Ann Shriver Sargent and her clients tackled a Federal-style home built in 1782. Whether it was using exterior shutters to panel the master bathroom walls or the front porch’s beadboard ceiling to line the new butler’s pantry, they incorporated as many original materials as possible to bring new life to this painstakingly remodeled home.
A bathroom under the front stairs features a vintage marble vessel sink atop cast iron legs. For the floor, Sargent employed a classic painting technique called “finger grain.” First, the floor was painted yellow and allowed to dry. Next, a coat of green paint was layered on top of the yellow, but before it could dry, the painter used his fingers to make streaks in the green — allowing the yellow underneath to show through.
The original living room fireplace mantel and surround had to be completely rebuilt. The glazed ceramic tiles covering the surround came from Trikeenan Tileworks. The interior walls and ceilings in the house sport historical colors from Benjamin Moore. “We wanted the walls, ceilings and the floors to bring life to the space through paint since we chose furniture in neutral tones,” Sargent says.
When the homeowners want to host a large dinner party, the living room converts into a formal dining room. The sofa is pushed against the wall, and an antique dining table (that typically lives in a corner of the room) takes center stage with the addition of two leaves, up to eight side chairs covered in a windowpane check and two host chairs covered in damask.
The kitchen is an eclectic mix of materials and patterns: Reclaimed wood floors painted in an overscale checkerboard pattern replaced the original linoleum flooring, a custom island features legs painted Caribbean blue, and the double refrigerator is covered in chalkboard paint. “It’s my take on a classic country kitchen, with lots of warmth and character,” Sargent says.
Sargent added an antique windowpane to showcase the original gears of the dumbwaiter in the butler’s pantry. The painted green beadboard on the walls was salvaged from the ceiling of the home’s former front porch.
The second-floor hallway includes an antique corner dresser, a vintage runner and a linen closet door that features chicken wire over a floral-patterned fabric. “Using fabric to cover a door is a great way to lighten up a space. Using a solid wood door here would have made the space feel very heavy and dark,” Sargent says.
A former closet in one of the guest bedrooms became an alcove that now holds a twin mattress. With its wall-mounted task lamp and built-in shelf, the cozy space makes for a great reading nook or overflow guest quarters.
The master bedroom is the one room in the house with wall-to-wall carpeting. “We ran out of wood floors that we could salvage from the house,” Sargent says. “The homeowners also thought the carpet might feel good under their feet during the winter months.”
The wood paneling on the master bathroom walls was pieced together from the home’s original exterior shutters. A wallpaper picturing swans lends an elegant touch. “I like to use wallpaper in small rooms such as bathrooms, pantries and offices. It adds a big impact without feeling overwhelming,” Sargent says.
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Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: A couple who are serial remodelers
Location: Woodstock, Vermont
Size: 5,900 square feet (548 square meters); five bedrooms, four bathrooms
Designer: Ann Shriver Sargent of Sargent Design Company
The house’s original floors were a mix of different woods in various stains, and many were in less than stellar condition. To add cohesion, Sargent painted many of the worse-for-wear floors throughout the house. An antique green covers the entryway floor and stair treads.