10 | AUG.19 http://www.furniturelightingdecor.com
HISTORIC BY DESIGN
Any interior design project has its challenges.
Multiply those exponentially when that project is a
modern renovation of a historic 500-year-old home
in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. New York-/Puerto
Rico-based interior designer and co-owner of Aaron
Stewart Home Fernando Rodriguez shares some of
the trials and triumphs of a landmark renovation.design notebook
BY DIANE FALVEYALL IN THE DETAILS
“My favorite thing has been the
restoration of the doors and windows,”
Rodriguez notes. “We hired the best
wood worker in San Juan — a master
in Old San Juan architecture. You have
to surround yourself with people who
are educated in this time period. He’s
restoring more than 50 doors.”
“The hardware is from Chile, designed
by a famous Chilean designer who is
no longer with us, so those are all one
of a kind,” adding an impactful detail.HONORING TRADITION
“There are many rules for this
historic project, from the color of
the houses to what you put in the
house, even how you paint the front
door. You have to do your homework
and be on good terms with the city,”
Rodriguez says.
And rightfully so. This area
survived Hurricane Maria. “You
get to see how beautiful Old San
Juan is. It says something about the
construction and the way things
were built back then.”OLD & NEW
This 500-year-old historic home is
being updated for a couple moving
from the United States to Puerto
Rico and looking for all the modern
amenities of today’s homes.
“I needed to attack this project
honoring the heritage of the past
and the functionality of the present,”
he says. “The client wanted a full-on
renovation, everything new. The level
of sophistication is really beautiful.
We will have some cool twists to take
the home into 2019 while keeping the
feel of the old building.”INNER WORKINGS
From plumbing to dampness, this project
has required creative solutions to some
historic challenges. Take plumbing for
example. This home faces another historic
site, in this case a garden. All of the
plumbing goes through that yard and
patio. “We had to bring in plumbers and
cameras to ensure the pipes were not
mixed together and we could change it
without disturbing the garden,” Rodriguez
notes. “There’s been such a high level of
education to embrace these issues.”