A Focus on Detail

The homes on Lake of the Isles Parkway are certainly worthy of attention. Stately and classic, the houses elicit oohs and aahs from passersby. However, an 1885 Tudor-style home on the 2600 block of the parkway garnered attention for a different reason. Water damage had left a porch in poor shape and numerous remodels to the home’s interior had deprived it of its late-nineteenth-century charm.

However, a couple with two young daughters was drawn to the home’s wonderful lakefront location. After meeting with Carrigan Curtis of Carrigan Curtis Design Build, in Shorewood, and finding out she could help turn the house into their dream home, they decided to purchase the property.

There were several issues that needed to be addressed. Built-ins, almost a guarantee in century-old homes, were curiously absent from this one. And, though the hardwood floors remained, the floor in the kitchen hadn’t been properly leveled, making it an inch and a half higher than the floors in the other rooms. In addition, the kitchen’s dropped ceiling had hardwood flooring nailed to it, making the room feel dark and cramped.

Curtis set out to fix these aesthetic problems, and others, as well as create a smarter floor plan for the main level. “From the dining room, you’d take a turn, look at the powder room directly on, and take another right to get to the kitchen,” Curtis says. “It was a very jig-jagged entrance to the kitchen.” Plus, one had a clear view of the powder room’s toilet while sitting at the dining room’s table.

Opening up the wall between the dining room and kitchen made room for a new built-in buffet and pantry, produced a better traffic flow, and created more attractive sight lines. Now, from the dining room, one has a nice view of the kitchen and the back yard.

The second level also required attention. Curtis reconfigured the upstairs to work for a modern, four-person family. Reducing the bedrooms from five to four, Curtis was able to add a laundry room and walk-in closets to the master suite and childrens’ bedrooms.

Remodeling an older home is enjoyable, says Curtis. “It spawns a much higher level of creativity because of the problems you encounter. In that way, it’s more challenging, more exciting.”