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Collection by Sara Ost

Remarkable Renovations

Renovations offer accessible inspiration. After all, most folk don't tend to find themselves in circumstances where they are starting from scratch. Rather, it's that crumbling old flat in need of new plumbing or a sagging family cabin gone into disrepair that most frequently present the opportunity for revitalization. Good renovations are compelling for nearly everyone, and here, we share a diverse selection of stories ranging from a London house made wheelchair-friendly, to an historic 1790 home in the countryside brought gently up to date.

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The kitchen of this Brooklyn brownstone features a brick backsplash with a metal panel connecting the Bluestar range to the Viking chimney wall hood. The mashup of materials preserves the personality of brick with the ease of cleaning stainless steel. The island and cabinets are fashioned from remilled Douglas fir beams salvaged from Upstate New York.
The kitchen of this Brooklyn brownstone features a brick backsplash with a metal panel connecting the Bluestar range to the Viking chimney wall hood. The mashup of materials preserves the personality of brick with the ease of cleaning stainless steel. The island and cabinets are fashioned from remilled Douglas fir beams salvaged from Upstate New York.
Brod Hart, owner, as he enters the lift/elevator he designed and constructed himself. A simple counterbalance operates the lift, allowing him to get up and down the stairs even faster that his able bodied guests who take the adjacent industrial stairs.
Brod Hart, owner, as he enters the lift/elevator he designed and constructed himself. A simple counterbalance operates the lift, allowing him to get up and down the stairs even faster that his able bodied guests who take the adjacent industrial stairs.
In the Costswolds, history dictates design. So when Alistair and Leslie Winrow-Campbell bought Malvern House in the Gloucestershire village of Blockley, they were prepared for a renovation process which they imagined would be a “5 year slog.” In actuality, it took four years to get the planning permission just to begin. Eighteen years later, with the house just recently completed, Mr. Campbell—who with his wife owns several franchises of a popular UK optometry chain—likes to say that “we’ve got a brand new house built in 1790.”
In the Costswolds, history dictates design. So when Alistair and Leslie Winrow-Campbell bought Malvern House in the Gloucestershire village of Blockley, they were prepared for a renovation process which they imagined would be a “5 year slog.” In actuality, it took four years to get the planning permission just to begin. Eighteen years later, with the house just recently completed, Mr. Campbell—who with his wife owns several franchises of a popular UK optometry chain—likes to say that “we’ve got a brand new house built in 1790.”
“We wanted a space for entertaining groups, and also ourselves, that felt open—almost like a loft,” says Peart of the couple’s mezzanine-level living room.
“We wanted a space for entertaining groups, and also ourselves, that felt open—almost like a loft,” says Peart of the couple’s mezzanine-level living room.
Affordable gestures abound in this transformation of a dilapidated former duplex in the Texas Hill Country. For a cost-conscious 2,000-square-foot renovation located 30 minutes outside of Austin, Texas, architect Nick Deaver took a look around for inspiration. He spied galvanized metal cladding on the region’s sheds and co-opted the inexpensive, resilient material for his own design. He then applied locally quarried Lueders limestone near the entrance—a warm contrast to the steely facade.
Affordable gestures abound in this transformation of a dilapidated former duplex in the Texas Hill Country. For a cost-conscious 2,000-square-foot renovation located 30 minutes outside of Austin, Texas, architect Nick Deaver took a look around for inspiration. He spied galvanized metal cladding on the region’s sheds and co-opted the inexpensive, resilient material for his own design. He then applied locally quarried Lueders limestone near the entrance—a warm contrast to the steely facade.
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