90
The house was sound, Heide remem-
bers, but “it lacked joy.” A series of tweaks
brought it back: removing a fireplace
insert, refinishing wood floors, adding pe-
riod wall tiles to complement the original
flooring in a bathroom, specifiying paint
colors and wallpapers. As important is
what the designers chose to leave alone.
The knotty pine is original. Joyce
had toyed with the idea of updating it
with white paint—something any other
decorator might have championed—but
Heide insisted they leave it clear-finished,
as intended.
“If, when the renovation is finished,
you still want it painted, I’ll do it myself,
for free,” he told Joyce, who felt no need to
take him up on it.
House styles of this period are notpure: “You might check the box ‘Other’,
or maybe ‘All of the Above,” Heide quips.
Elements of Tudor Revival, Colonial
Revival, cottage style, and even a hint
of Mediterranean show up in a histori-
cal pastiche that defines the era. In this
house, the tiled bathrooms, wrought-iron
rails, arched openings, and sunroom
with awning windows are distinguishing
features that were honored.
“David, along with his partner Michael
Crull and design team Elizabeth, Chris,
and Mitch, brought back the house,” Joyce
says. “Everything looks like it was always
here, like it belongs.
“My parents often did ‘the parade of
homes’—open houses—but always came
back saying, ‘we can’t find anything as
sweet as this,” Joyce Block remembers.FOR RESOURCES, SEE PAGE 103.
ABOVE A wall of original knotty-pine built-ins distinguishes the bed-
room nook overlooking the side yard. TOP LEFT The original 1940s bath
retains its swirled pink tile and Art Deco fixtures. LEFT New papers and
paint colors brighten the interior. RIGHT The original tile floor and a
vanity designed by the owner’s father remain in the master bath.