THE MINT VICTORIAN
We are over a year in on this Lady. I've decided to start sharing. We aren't in a full reveal mode. We aren't done. We are 6 weeks out. I want you to know I said that 6 weeks ago.
We bought this 1880s Victorian duplex located in the historic neighborhood of Angelino Heights because it was a great deal IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, which we LOVE. We were excited to work on another character home, to do another real restoration. It's unfortunate, at some point in the 1980s, 100 years after her original build, she was stripped of the original interior details that so defined her. There were no moldings left, the original floors were replaced with plastic wood floors, it was builder grade Home Depot everything. We had a mission to bring her back.
Luckily the outside was still clad in the original redwood siding. The original windows were still there. The exterior Victorian millwork was still mostly intact and in good shape. LUCKILY there is an HPOZ in this neighborhood. This house is in a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone and there is a committee which oversees the exteriors of all of the homes within it's boundaries. You cannot make external changes without their approval. You cannot stucco over old siding, replace wood windows with vinyl windows, cement front yards. You can't paint the house or remove a fence without their approval. It doesn't mean people don't break the rules and do it anyway, but mostly it does help keep these homes from being butchered. This is why there is an HPOZ, people do do these things. They turn gorgeous beautiful old boned homes into Home Depot duds from the 1990s. They call it updating.
And that is where we come in. We wanted to RIP IT ALL OUT and get back to basics. We like to find the soul of a house again. It fills my soul to restore a house like this. It's a cathartic process.
It's hard to know where to start, what to show and share. I'm going to start with my favorite transformation. The Bathroom.
The Before:
This is not a Victorian bathroom. There is nothing here that does not need to be ripped out. Eww. This is a house with 12ft. ceilings BUT in here they dropped it to 8ft. WHY? In fact, we hated this bathroom so much we actually decided to move it out of here. The victorian bathroom I wanted to design needed a window. I had a vision in my head that included a clawfoot tub and a victorian window. SO.... I had to find a window I could mold a bathroom around.
This house had 3 little mini bedrooms, all without closets and all in a line. We took the middle room, split it into two halves. Half became a wall length closet and laundry for one room and the other half became the new bathroom (because it had the window i wanted). We decided to open this OLD bathroom to the front parlor bedroom both enlarging it and providing space for a much needed closet.
Ripping out the ceiling was like a huge breath of fresh air. This bathroom was oppressive and clausterphobic. Look at that old wood. LOVE. It couldn't be out fast enough. HEIGHT!!!
We also found that OF COURSE this was not the original bathroom location. How did we know? The framing on both it's sides were newer construction partition walls, meaning they were not weight bearing. This bathroom was always part of this front parlor. We were putting it back to the way it was.
I found this baby, on sale, at OLDE GOOD THINGS in Downtown Los Angeles. She was in great shape, had feet and a decent finish and she was well priced. You have to consider with a clawfoot tub that you will spend more on everything. A clawfoot tub is a commitment. They often require double valves when you do the plumbing in the walls, Traditional showers have one shower valve, but depending on the type of water faucet you want to install, you might end up with two in a clawfoot tub. And this, need I remind you, is double the price. The hardware is also plainly just more expensive than regular hardware fixtures. You often need to spend money on the refinishing and painting of the tub. I tried on this one to refinish it myself. I love to think I can do all these things myself. I got as far as cleaning it to realize that it was a terrible idea and the $400.00 I would spend on refinishing was WELL WORTH IT. My skill set and patience level did not match what the process required. I am not patient. To me, this house needed as much authenticity and soul put back into her as possible. I will take soul wherever it comes. This tub showed up and was a perfect way to bring it back.
As you can see above, in the NEW bathroom space, we have framed out a new wall that is shared with the closet we added to the bedroom next door. The verticality of the window partners beautifully with the heavy horizontal nature of the tub. This bathroom is about this window and this tub as a focal point. Period.
Lighter and Brighter. We have wonder board and drywall. There is new tile surrounding the tub, clean wood casement trimming the window, it's all happening. We chose a glazed tumbled subway tile. It feels aged and has a gorgeous subtle texture. On the floors we used a simple 2" hex in black porcelain. Both felt design rich and period appropriate.
With the grout in and the floors done it's time to start installing the vanity and fixtures. Here is where it starts coming together. Everything is special here. Everything has a story and that is the way it should be in a home like this.
Sometimes I start with a design, but I often times just allow myself to get lost in the process. I'm a wanderer, a hunter and gatherer and a deal maker. I grew up going to swap meats with .50 in my pocket looking for Guess Jeans. My new stomping grounds include salvage stores, antique stores, architectural salvage shops. I let the pieces come to me. I didn't want to design an off the shelf house. I just explore and let things speak to me and they do. They find me and then I have to find a way to get them home.
The marble top is what started this scene. I found her on a gross old wooden vanity in which she didn't belong. This marble top is turn of the century old marble and I have strong reason to believe it originally comes from the famed DTLA Barclay Hotel from the early 1900s. I believe this because i did a photoshoot there and in every room was the EXACT same marble top with the exact same fixtures and the same beautiful routed beveled edge. And when I say exact same, I mean the exact same. My eye knows when something is plainly just similar and when something is the same. Anyways, this gorgeous marble top spoke to me and it needed a better base. I wanted something petite with a turned leg situation. I loved the natural wood warming up the space. I found this little table at the secret antique thrift store right next to OLDE GOOD THINGS. This secret spot is a hit or miss place that can make your day. This little table fit the top and that was the first requirement. The second requirement is that I LOVE IT. It has to be an emotional moment for me.
The mirror is a Victorian Mirror. It was given to me by Raffi, who is a vintage dealer I work with for one of my clothing lines. Usually he is my go to for vintage military, jeans, tees, jackets. BUT He is a collector of all things amazing, and often times he just has things that true collectors can't pass up. This mirror passed my way and it's height and the relief work in the old oak stole my heart. The fact that we have 12 foot ceilings allows me to use this very tall mirror.
The sconces are Victorian and I found them at Silverado Salvage in Vernon, which is just south of DTLA. I got them for a mere 10$ each. All together, all of these things I found, that found me, make a moment. They live in this bathroom in a way I can't design. I can't go shopping and know what's going to happen. I just trust I will find the things that make a space special and emotional.
This isn't a reveal. We aren't done. We actually are currently mid way through a very cool project in this room using found armory doors. We are creating a space that will showcase these gorgeous and soulful tall doors and also perfectly hide a stackable washer dryer in this very large bathroom area. Stay tuned... There is more to come.
This house is going to be for sale something in the next couple months. The AFTER is insane. If you are interested in this home or something like it in the neighborhood OR you have a very special historic home of your own and would like to sell it please get in touch. This is a passion of ours and we care very much about historic homes, making them modern while honoring their past.
Contact Craig here