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This proud Craftsman bungalow suffered a sad fate when it was
nearly reduced to ashes. Children tipped over a candle, the wax
ignited, and the living room went up in flames. Most of the front
public rooms were scorched--ceiling fans, windows, woodwork, flooring,
and plaster melted. The flames burned out the front gable and
much of the façade's siding was burned and blackened. Today,
this 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath showplace gleams with restored luster.
The home's theme, the phoenix rising from the flames, represents
recent history and is realized in bold primary colors in a backlit,
custom stained glass.
We were hired to restore this home for the same client for whom
we restored The Ginko House for 2 years
previously. He wanted a larger bungalow in Kirkwood. To create
additional space, we tore off a poorly built addition and constructed
a dream-house master suite, designed to look as seamless as if
it were the original restored home.
The original home presented it own challenges--from reconstructing
the missing gable, to replacing antique oak floors that were burned,
to designing an ideal floor plan, to offering the utmost in comfortable
living. The customized house speaks for itself; it combines easy
historic charm, rare architectural antiques, opulent amenities,
and a prevailing arts & crafts elegance.
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When we began this restoration, the front porch was screened, many
of the floor boards rotted, there was an eyesore brick fence in
the yard, and the original Craftsman door was long gone. Stout Craftsman
handrails were custom built and topped with a protective copper
cap. We installed custom Loewen historic windows where the old ones
were smoke & ashes and invested many labor hours in repairing
the salvageable ones. The front bedroom windows were missing altogether
and the living room windows were in horrible disrepair from the
heat-all of the glass was broken. We installed a vintage Craftsman
front door & the stained glass Phoenix was custom designed to
relay the resurrection of this wounded home. Amazing at night, the
front gable phoenix glass glows with the movement of bird wings
and fiery color when illuminated at night.
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The front door opens into a warm engaging house where wood is king.
Nearly every stick of millwork in this house is antique heart pine
or antique oak. The window & door millwork, picture molding,
crown molding, and six panel doors are all salvaged heart of pine
from other old houses. The original floors, scorched by fire, have
been patched with antique oak. The masonry fireplace was stripped
of its paint layers and the over-mantel was restored and enhanced
using layers of vintage moldings. The crowning glory of the bungalow
is the one-of-a-kind heavy, custom
ceiling millwork designed for drama and uniqueness. Huge cotton
mill beams were cut, planed, and sculpted by our talented craftsman
to enhance the Craftsman motif and inject a hint of California's
Greene Brothers into Kirkwood architecture.
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Taking a page from designers a century ago, we crafted the dining
room into
a rich, sparkling space where elegance, architectural interest,
rustic arts & crafts, and stunning
millwork mingle. To welcome light, we installed curvaceous leaded
& beveled windows-some
of the best we've owned--flanking the original six over one double
hung windows. The brick
chimney was exposed for texture and color and we added a rare
and unclassifiable oak
colonnade from Ohio with flush inset leaded glass doors. As
icing on the cake, the magical sculptural heart-pine woodwork was
milled and adorns the crown of the walls. The client found a wonderful
built-in china
cabinet that we stripped, repaired, and inset beside the masonry
flu using antique wood moldings; the result is a piece that looks
like it was installed originally in 1925.
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Flowing effortlessly from the extraordinary dining room, this equally
captivating cherry wood kitchen has it all. This kitchen
features light green walls, gorgeous burnished cherry cabinetry
with heavy crown, under counter lighting, stainless steel appliances,
a wine chiller, a huge separate storage pantry, dark granite counters,
and a mobile island. A restored heart pine French door baths the
room in light and leads to the deck's catwalk and the large backyard.
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This large bright front bedroom boasts "new" antique
oak floors, salvaged from homes in Buckhead marked for demolition.
Much of the structural components, including the wall framing and
ceiling joists needed replaced in this room as this was the origin
of the fire. The woodwork in this room was burned beyond hope and
was replaced with antique millwork salvaged from other demolished
homes. All of the 18 six panel doors in this home were brought in
from other homes-the same is true of polished antique hardware.
The light fixture
is one of a trio of matching antique fixtures in the home.
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The corridor of The Phoenix House is a room in its own right.
It is the defining space separating the public chambers from the
private. Ideal for displaying art on the restored picture molding,
this space provides insulation from the public room noise and great
flow from room to room. Three stunning brass sconces
all exhibit century-old cut crystal globes that match.
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With such a spacious house, we were able to take one unusually elongated
bathroom and carve out a separate "public" half bath,
accessible to guests via the public rooms. This sumptuous bath showcases
a custom designed white Carrera marble sink suspended by black cast
iron Victorian brackets. This style of sink is a hallmark of LSR
bathrooms and was designed by us to mimic vintage marble sinks.
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Both of the central bedrooms
face the South East and are bathed with light through their large
wood windows. The oak floors are perfectly restored and the rooms
share a full bathroom. The client desired all natural heart pine
woodwork and we gathered together enough salvaged trim to use throughout
the home. No small feat, this required finding and stripping enough
base cap, door casing, plinth blocks, window casing, crown molding,
picture molding, door stop, window stop, door jambs, headers, baby
crown, and lintels.
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This classic black and white Jack & Jill bathroom
is a stand out. One of LSR's signature tile treatments is to run tile
to the ceiling-this bath is no exception. The focal point of this
room is the jewel-like stained
glass transom window with its graceful arching panels splashing
color across monochromatic tile. Beaded board & chair rail complete
the period look.
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This master suite was added to the home to provide an extravagant
private bedroom complete
with huge walk-in closet and sumptuous bathroom. To make this addition
look original, we salvaged antique oak for the floors, heart pine
millwork, antique six panel doors, antique hardware, antique French
doors, and used historic fir reproduction windows.
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A totally customized luxurious space, the master bathroom
exhibits a custom LSR designed medicine
cabinet crafted from cotton mill beams. Probably one of the
most beautiful cabinets we've designed, this enormous built-in was
inset into the walls and fitted with beveled matching mirrors and
antique style clasps. The floor is a rich grey-coral marble, warmed
by radiant heat flooring. The shower is our signature LSR double
shower heads, frameless shower door, marble stretching to these
high ceilings and a stunning geometric stained
glass window that perfectly pulls out the color of the marble.
The matching pedestal
sinks are lovely arts & crafts reproductions.
There is a separate toilet
room, accessed via an old 6-panel door and features another
geometric beveled
glass window, matching marble, beaded board and chair-rail,
and plenty of room for cabinets or shelving.
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This wide, wrap around deck was designed to provide back
yard access from both the kitchen and the master suite. French doors
were installed to add light architectural interest from the house,
yard, and deck. The large backyard backs up to the forested Pullman
Yard and has many old trees and a wonderful old brick bar-b-que.
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email:
paula@laughingsun.com
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