the simple things - Karin Lidbeck-Brent

the simple thingsA Massachusetts family celebratessummer—and enjoys harbor views—at their 1885 waterfront Victorian.by christine hofmann-bourquephotography by michael partenioproduced by karin lidbeck-brentbefore, circa 1940sThis Shingle-style Victorian in Hingham, Massachusetts,was built in 1885 as a summer cottage. HomeownersMike and Sheila Keneally replanted the gardens inVictorian style with hydrangeas, English ivy, andSeafoam roses. The new stone wall with steps was builtto match the existing seawall.64 r e n o v a t i o n s t y l e s u m m e r 2 0 0 8

above: With only one previous owner since 1929, this Victorianlooks much as it did when built in 1885. A new stand-alonegarage mimics the main house’s architecture.opposite top left: Before theybought the house, Sheila andMike Keneally frequently walkedby the property and admired thearchitecture. Sheila was alwaystaken by the magic of the frontporch and imagined pots of flowerson the steps. When the house wastheirs, she put some there.opposite top right: DaughterEmily walks down the foyer’spine staircase, which had beenpainted gray. Her father took on themonths-long challenge of handscrapingthe three-story staircase,then staining the handrails andpainting the rest white.opposite below: The original brickmasonry on the living room’sfireplace was painted black, anda new mantle was added. Allthree of the home’s wood-burningfireplaces were retrofitted fornatural gas.Sheila and Mike Keneally had grownup living near the ocean. Althoughthey loved their 1888 Queen AnneVictorian on Main Street in Hingham,Massachusetts, they dreamed ofa home on the water. When this neglected4,000-square-foot home wenton the market in 2002, they jumpedat the chance to buy it. They had alreadylearned the pitfalls and frustrationsof renovation, but with the skilland wisdom of architect Sally CernikWeston and landscape architect PeterSadeck (both of whom had worked ontheir previous home), the Keneallysalso had experienced the satisfactionof restoring a wonderful old house.This project was much bigger,however. Plumbing and electricalhad to be replaced, and every roomneeded work. They faced the prospectof a complete rehab. After consultingwith Weston and Sadeck, the Keneallysbreathed a huge sigh of relief.The verdict: The home’s original floorplan—and much of its original materials—wouldsurvive the renovation.“Some of these old houses are soincredibly well-laid-out,” Westonsays. “There are interesting rooms andinteresting nooks and crannies.” Thefirst floor of this long, narrow house—which sits on 375 feet of waterfrontproperty—was intentionally builtonly one room deep, so every room hasunobstructed harbor views. Decks andporches ring the house, and all threefloors boast 9-foot-high ceilings.The Keneallys did build two newspaces: a below-grade potting room(see Good Idea, page 128) with walkoutaccess and, above it, a sunroomwith three walls of transom-toppedwindows. To create the addition, anexterior kitchen wall was removed; itwas the only wall moved during theentire renovation. “We try to save asmany walls as we can because it’s costlyto move things,” Weston says.The modest-size kitchen sits in thefootprint of the original space, butgets its vintage style from all-newelements. Sheila deliberately stuckwith a small, four-burner stove so ther e n o v a t i o n s t y l e s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 67

above left: The blue family room has vintage personality thanks to a new fireplace, built-in hutches, and windowsabove. The painting portrays daughter Emily and son Patrick. The beaded-board wainscoting and china hutch areoriginal. above right: The kitchen and family room are connected by the landing of the original servants’ stairway.commercial appliance wouldn’t overwhelmthe not-so-big space. Grayishgreenmarble countertops echo one ofthe ocean’s many colors. Custom-builtwhite cabinets outfi tted with reproductionbrass hardware stretch all theway to the extra-tall ceiling, providinga touch of grandeur and ample storagespace. Weston says the glass-frontupper cabinets shouldn’t intimidateeven not-so-neat homeowners: “Yourdishes don’t have to be perfect. Lookoutside—if you have branches fallingoff your tree, do you think it’s messy?No.” Plus, she says, “You’ll use thingsif you can see them.”There were two key items missingfrom the home: decorative millworkand built-ins. Weston speculates thatthey fell victim to budget cuts backwhen the home was built in 1885.So new, era-friendly baseboards,window and door casings, crownmolding, and fi replace mantels wereadded, in addition to built-in cabinetsand bookshelves. “They made thisopposite: An unattractive trimmedopening (see before photo below) wastransformed into a graceful arch in thedining room. The original wood floors hadbeen protected for decades, first by paint,and then by carpet. “They’d really neverseen the light of day,” Sheila says. “Theywere in perfect condition.”Find additional information aboutchandeliers and other light fixtures atRemodelingCenter.com/renostyledeCKbeforedndndeCKdnmud rm12×12rsunroom14×18KitChen14×15dwupdnbutler’s6×7deCKfamilY 16×16dndining13×18living20×23pwdr3×7foYer9×14updnfirst floor, afterentrYporCh dn11×1068 r e n o v a t i o n s t y l e s u m m e r 2 0 0 8

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A flat paneling detail is used to create vintage-stylebacksplashes in the new kitchen. They’re cost-effective, andthe glossy oil paint makes them easy to clean. The islandlooks like a piece of moveable furniture; that’s possiblebecause it doesn’t house a sink with plumbing pipes thatneed to be hidden. “Being able to see between the legsmakes the room feel bigger and lighter,” Weston says. Twomatching chandeliers hang above the island.r e n o v a t i o n s t y l e s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 71

The cheery yellow sunroom (and potting room below) is the onlyaddition to the house. The three walls of transom-topped windowscreate a delightful cross breeze in the summer. Mike stained the woodceiling to give it a nautical feel. The pair of sconces is original to thehouse, but were moved here from another room. The hydrangeas werecut from the garden.72 r e n o v a t i o n s t y l e s u m m e r 2 0 0 8

house come alive,” Sheila says.During the renovation, new plumbingand electrical wiring were installedin addition to radiant-heat floors inthe addition’s sunroom and pottingroom. Existing radiator heat stayed put(“Why take out something that worksso well?” Sheila asks), and they limitedair-conditioning to the third floor. “Wewanted a cottage-y feel with the windowsopen,” Sheila says.The home’s interior color scheme—blues, greens, and yellows—was inspiredby its setting. “I wanted to playoff what I was looking out at—theblues and greens of the water and theeel grass in front of our house that looksalmost like strawberry-blond hair inthe fall,” Sheila says.On summer evenings, this familyloves to cook dishes made fromlocal ingredients and enjoy them onthe deck. It’s an easy, breezy lifestylethat reflects their home’s renovation.“Mike and I fell in love with the characterand charm of this old house,”Sheila says, “and with Sally’s andPeter’s help, did everything possibleto preserve the simple beauty of ourturn-of-the-century summer cottage.Nothing formal or fussy. Fresh, functionaland comfortable—that’s whatwe wanted.” nArchitect: Sally Cernik Weston.Landscape Architect: Peter Sadeck.For more information, see Resources on page 118.above left: A sloped wall in themaster bedroom made it impossibleto fit the Keneallys’ four-poster bedagainst the wall. The solution: Build aheadboard that provides storage andpushes the wall out to meet the bed.above right: The master bathroom isone of the few rooms that needed newflooring; these marble tiles are pairedwith vintage-style pedestal sinks.opposite: New built-in bookcasesadd purpose and vintage flair tothe second-floor landing, whichshowcases a cantilevered staircase.second floor, afterbath 16×5bedroom12×11dnbedroom14×20bath 5×11bedroom10×11dnmasterbedroom15×23up74 r e n o v a t i o n s t y l e s u m m e r 2 0 0 8