A Sprawling 132-Year-Old Renovated Victorian Is Filled With All Our Favorite Details (And 8 Fireplaces)

When we decided to sell our last home I was NOT in the market for a behemoth like this Victorian (built around 1887 in a historic neighborhood that’s experienced some ups and downs), but one day my husband sent me a link to the listing and said, “We could Airbnb the [bleep!] out of this!” I was already running a couple of Airbnbs, and immediately saw the potential, although it was so out of date and garish inside that it had been sitting on the market, empty, for a year, even with a price per square foot that was absurdly low. The minute we walked into the foyer and stepped onto the original hardwood floors with the late afternoon sun spilling through the stained glass windows and I saw the grand staircase, that was it—I told our realtor we’d take it. We put our house on the market and sold it before even making an offer so the (cantankerous) seller would have no reason to reject our bid.

A tarot card reader later told me this was my home in a past life, and with a house this old that could very well be true! We’ve spent the last three and a half years renovating almost every inch, including a total redo of the kitchen and pantry, our bathroom, the entire third floor, and the carriage house. We jokingly named the house Downtown Abbey when we bought it. Partly because it seemed like the kind of place you’d “go through” after dinner (and it could use a whole team to take care of it!) like the real Downton, but it’s also just outside downtown, AND across the street from an 1870 church where we see Dominican friars in their flowing white robes.

Houses like this were made to be filled with people, so we love packing it out with neighbors and family and friends for holidays or impromptu parties, and Airbnb guests and their dogs. I love that the kids in our family will remember their aunt with the cool old house (it’s perfect for hide and seek!). Most of our time is spent in the kitchen cooking, working, making bourbon cocktails, or just hanging out. 

My Style: I get to play with three different styles in the different living spaces. The main house feels more elegant by virtue of the architectural details so I go with a dark and moody glam feel. In the attic apartment I try to channel a vintage-y Parisian atelier. And in the carriage house it’s a bohemian/industrial/rustic vibe.

Inspiration: Our greatest passion is travel, so a lot of inspiration comes from places we visit. It’s important to me that things have a story, especially in a house that holds so many of its own stories, so we favor anything vintage/antique or built with reclaimed materials.

Favorite Element: Its age. At 132 years old, there’s a patina to the house that you can’t recreate. It’s brimming with amazing details from that time period, from the eight(!) fireplaces (none work!) to 11-foot ceilings to inlaid floors to a six-foot clawfoot tub to the brass lion’s head door knocker.

Biggest Challenge: Honestly, it’s the sense of feeling overwhelmed. It’s a big, big house that needed attention everywhere when we bought it. We couldn’t do everything at once, so we triaged: everything got painted first because the colors were a Crayola nightmare and that made a big impact. Then we prioritized one room or area at a time, starting with the third floor, which we designed as an Airbnb to bring in income to help pay for the rest of the work. 

Of course furnishing this many rooms (a dozen, not counting both Airbnbs!) after coming from a one-bedroom, 900-square-foot bungalow takes time. We still don’t have nearly enough art or plants but things like replacing the roof took priority! Oh, and being in a historic preservation district brings its own challenges because anything outside has to be approved (and to be historically accurate means $$$). I inherited a ninja-level skill for bargain shopping though, so we’ve made enormous changes without spending nearly what it should have cost.

Proudest DIY: The exposed brick in the carriage house. They were literally falling as the mortar was crumbling, and we (okay my husband) re-did the mortar by hand, and limewashed them for that amazing weathered brick look. It took weeks but was so worth it because that’s the first thing everyone notices.

Biggest Indulgence: The Ferrari red (literally, it was painted at the factory!) Bertazzoni range. We had no plans for a dream stove like this when we renovated the kitchen but then we stumbled on it for half price as a display model at a kitchen and bath store. I stood guard while my husband went to find a salesperson so we could claim it!

Best Advice: Make your home what you want it to be, right here and now, so far as budget allows. I didn’t want to wait until we sold it to fix it up for someone else to enjoy (plus you can’t know what some mystery buyer of the future will like!) so bit by bit we’re making it our dream home knowing full well some of our choices won’t appeal to everyone. That’s okay; it only needs to appeal to us.

Thanks Dana and Brian!

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Correction: An earlier version of this post mistakenly left out the floor plans—hopefully, we can blame it on Mercury retrograde.