Stately, with a modern twist Stately, with a modern twist (August 20, 2004)

No longer stuck in the 1950s

By Gretchen Roberts / Photos by Dasja Dolan

When Jennifer Schneider and Dain DeGroff bought their Palo Alto home in 2000, they didn't bother making move-in plans. The 1929 Tudor home's look was stuck in the 1950s, and the couple wanted to restore the home to its original stateliness with a modern, open twist.

Their renovation plan was so extensive the house wasn't livable until the work was complete. "We gutted the house to the studs," Schneider said. But the finished home was worth the move-in wait: A bright, open downstairs and brand-new kitchen is the perfect complement to the new upstairs master bedroom and bathroom.

Step one was getting rid of all the unnecessary interior walls downstairs. "Everything was a room with a door," Schneider said. The family wanted a more open living space and opted to take out the long hallway that divided the living room, family room and stairs. The living room and family room were joined by a great arched doorway, and the kitchen door was removed.

The kitchen was redone completely with stainless-steel appliances and blue granite countertops. They opted to remove the flat ceiling and finish the vaulted ceiling, adding a skylight to help lighten the odd-shaped room.

The old garage, built two steps down from the kitchen with a low ceiling, was turned into a formal dining room, and the washer and dryer moved into an upstairs closet to make room for a half bathroom and storage area next to the kitchen.

Upstairs, Schneider and DeGroff redid the main bathroom in a '20s style, complete with a vintage-looking octagon-tile floor. "The floor is so easy to clean," she said. "The trick is using dark gray grout so it won't stain."

The master-suite addition was added onto the back of the house, where previously there had been a balcony. Closets line opposite sides of the master bedroom.

"There's very little wall space for hanging art, but it's good for us," she said. "We wanted plenty of closet space." The deep-beige wall color was chosen for its warmth and calming effect. "We wanted enough color to look like color," Schneider explained. "My husband said it looks like a latte."

The master bathroom is decorated in the same neutral hues, with a neutral checkerboard tile floor. "We tried to keep with the '20s fixtures in this bathroom, too," Schneider said.

Once the renovation was complete, they started decorating. Schneider had ordered two red loveseats for the living room, and she called interior designer Shirley Lo to help hone her style.

"We decided to do a 1930s elegant look to retain the character of the house," Lo said. "But whatever we chose had to fit in with their lifestyle. They are an active young family with kids, and the design had to be tough and easy to maintain."

To that end, Lo chose Oriental rugs for the living room and family room, since they are easy to maintain and wear well. She arranged the red loveseats on opposite sides of the fireplace for a formal look, and used a silk look-alike fabric for the sweeping blue drapes that rest against a muted off-white wall.

The back of one sofa extends into the archway between the living and family rooms, so Lo put an antique library table behind it for a more attractive view. She also exchanged color elements in each room, using touches of blue in the living room to accent the family room's blue walls, and beige accents in the family room to complement the living room's color scheme.

The family room is casual and bright, with a well-used denim sofa and French doors leading out to the patio area. "We had kids in mind when we designed this space," Lo said.

Finally, the dining room chairs got a facelift with new slipcovers. "The slipcovers are to protect them and give them a different look. ... Jen wanted a more sophisticated look and more color," Lo said.

The couple is pleased with their home's new look. "I just love how bright and open it is," Schneider said. "We wanted a modern, casual, kid-friendly house that stayed true to the original character, and that's what we got."

Goal of project: Completely renovate a 1929 Tudor house, adding a master bedroom and bathroom and opening up the downstairs rooms

Unexpected problems: The city required more structural and foundational work than had been anticipated.

Year house built: 1929

Time to complete: 6 months (10 months total with permit process)

Resources:

Architect/Contractor: Chuck Kinney, C. M. Kinney Corporation, P.O. Box 1384, Menlo Park; 324-3322

Interior designer: Shirley Lo, Shirley Lo Design, 656 Kingsley Ave., Palo Alto; 325-7230

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