Homes to remember
A look back at notable homes from 2017
Another year has passed. Throughout 2017, the “At Home With” feature that runs in the Journal Sentinel’s Sunday Fresh section has featured tiny to large homes built and decorated in a vast array of styles. ❚❚ Some were modern with high ceilings, lots of windows and wide open spaces; others were historic homes with interesting backstories and unique architectural details that were lovingly restored. Modest bungalows, midcentury modern homes, and homes that don’t fall into a specific category were also featured. ❚❚ In some cases, nearly every inch of the home was touched in some way, but in others changes to just once space made a dramatic difference in the way the home looked or how it could be used. ❚ In some instances, homeowners themselves made the improvements; in others, professionals were called in. ❚ This feature has been a favorite with readers, who say they enjoy getting a peek into unique houses in the area and often come away with ideas for their own homes. ❚ While we believe the homes we featured last year were all interesting, a few stand out in our minds for different reasons, and we revisit them today.
Using color for a striking look
When Julie Cook Quirk bought her Brown Deer farmhouse in 1993, she knew it would need to be restored inside and out.
So when she had the exterior of the 102-year-old house painted, she selected a banana cream color for its base then accented it with sunny yellow and white, as she believes the color yellow gives happy vibes.
She also painted most of the home’s interior different shades of yellow, and she brightened her home by maintaining a red barn on the property and planting colorful gardens on all sides of her large lot.
Diane and Jim Campion’s Whitefish Bay home is full of color, much of it in the form of quilts that Diane has made.
They can be found in every room of the house and come in mixes of soft as well as vivid tones. Some are small, but there are larger pieces as well.
Some of her quilts, as well as quilts from other artists, were featured in this year’s Whitefish Bay Garden Tour.
She also added color to her home by planting brightly colored flowers in her gardens, setting colored glass bottles in her sun room and painting her interior walls eye-catching colors.
Her dining room has rich blue walls accented with a bright white ceiling, her kitchen walls are a light turquoise, and the master bedroom is a dark shade of gray.
Building a dream home bit by bit
Mark and Phyllis Blodgett built their dream home over about a threeyear period, doing much of the work themselves.
The end result was so striking one would never know it wasn’t done by professionals.
The 2,000-square-foot half-log home in the Town of Vernon has beams and siding with a striking wood grain and a glossy sheen, and the couple’s great room fireplace was built with cultured stone and reaches to the top of the room’s 20-foot vaulted ceiling.
In addition to making the dwelling look great, the couple used as many heat-saving measures as possible. For that reason in particular it was featured in a 1999 annual buyer guide of The Country’s Best Log Homes.
In addition to building the house, Mark also built some of their furniture and refinished and/or repaired old pieces.
Horse and carriage barn conversion
Because the 6,000 square-foot Cedarburg horse and carriage barn that Jon and Joan Scholz bought in 2004 was in good condition, the couple claim it was easy to turn it into cozy four-bedroom, 21⁄2-bath home.
The structure had — and still has — three distinct living areas, and all were touched by the couple in some way.
The center of the building, which was once space that had seven horse stalls, now holds a master bedroom and bathroom, an office, guest bedroom, a laundry room, a sewing and crafts room and a utility/storage area.
A large area on the east side of the stalls that was once used for casual entertaining is now their open-concept living area, and a large space to the west, which once held a collection of antique horse carriages, has been cleaned and maintained and is used primarily for family gatherings.
A hayloft above the stalls also was converted into two bedrooms, a bathroom and a sitting room.
Dining room makeover
Because Aleta Norris and Steve Palec only used the dining room in their Wauwatosa home a few times a year, they decided to turn it into a pub where they could entertain family and friends or just spend time together.
In the space they installed new hardwood flooring, two high top tables, two TVs, a built-in bar, built-in refrigerator, wine rack and a coffee area with a granite countertop.
To make the space unique, they also added a ceiling made of decorative copper colored metal squares, then accented it with dark brown wood, pod lights and LED rope lighting.
To expand the new entertaining space, they also turned an adjoining side yard into a large patio with a bar, cooking area, living room-like space, a 12-foot, round above-ground pool, and a seat wall and floor made of decorative bricks.
Time spent building and decorating homes paid off when Kim and Mike Gallo built a new home for their merged family in 2015.
Because both had owned homes and Kim had been involved in building one, they knew exactly what they liked. So when they built their Waterford ranch home with its fully exposed basement, they added all the amenities they wanted.
Instead of standard openings between rooms or areas, they added arches. There are a decorative ceiling in the first floor office, lots of large and uniquely placed windows, niches for art, angled walls and a gas fireplace made of stacked stone with a reclaimed wood mantel.
They splurged in the kitchen, adding quartz to their countertops and island, high-end stainless appliances, white shaker-style cabinets, a stacked stone backsplash, an abundance of pull-out cabinets and a walk-in pantry.
They even had extras built for their cocker spaniels, Bailey and Annie: custom cabinets built to hold dog food, treats and water bowls and slim side windows in the front door to let their dogs look outside.
Ingenious use for an old garage
When Daniel and Linda Bader decided to add an indoor pool to their Shorewood home, located on a 150-foot bluff facing Lake Michigan, they found
the perfect spot: the home’s original two-car garage, located at the side of the house on the bluff.
The problem was that building in that spot ended up being a “logistical nightmare,” according to Ken Connor, coowner of Connor Remodeling & Design in Menomonee Falls. Despite the challenges, the project turned out well; the National Association of the Remodeling Industry honored his firm with a 2017 National Contractor of the Year award.
The former garage, which once held a turntable for cars, now measures 700 square feet and includes a 19-foot wave pool, a hot tub, a hand-troweled and hand-tinted concrete floor, and glass doors that replaced the original garage doors. There is also a view of the lake and access to an existing deck, which now has a fire pit and overlooks the lake.
A cover on the pool slides back and forth with the push of a button, while another button drops down a large screen for viewing movies.
Just the right spot
Mark Sorensen and Kathy O’Brien Sorensen knew they wanted to build a modern home in a rural area with mature trees. They found the perfect piece of property in 2007 on two acres in the Town of Delafield.
But before they could start construction on their two-level, prairie-style home, they first had to find exactly the right spot on their land. They found it at the back of the parcel in an area surrounded by mature trees that would give them privacy, on a small hill so they could have a walkout lower level, and in a space that would let in lots of light.
They began clearing the land of brush themselves, a task that took them two years. When they did finally start building their home, they used mainly galvanized metal, cedar siding, glass and exposed concrete.
The home, which incorporates some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s design principles, has clerestory windows; an entrance with a lower ceiling that opens into the main living area, which has high ceilings; and an open-concept kitchen, dining area and living room.
The lower level accesses a patio and has two guest bedrooms, an entertainment area and an exercise room.
From duplex to single-family stunner
When Jean and Mark Biebel first toured their 1920 Wauwatosa home, there wasn’t much to get excited about; it was a duplex devoid of amenities.
But they loved the neighborhood, and Jean was confident that they could turn the space into a stunning home.
In a project that lasted one year, they had the two units merged by professionals, then Jean added the extras.
The home now has ceiling beams, thick dark molding, new doors, wideplank Brazilian cherry floors, new windows, window trim and sills.
They also added a back porch and built a new garage that better matches their home.
Merging talents to create a home
JOURNAL SENTINEL
The Town of Raymond home that Jason and Casey Lynn Lawrence built is clearly an extension of their backgrounds. He grew up in a family business that builds and sells homes, and she specializes in plants, as her parents are the owners of Wayne’s Daughters greenhouse in Caledonia.
When they decided to build their 3,600-square-foot home on a five-acre parcel in 2013, they sat down together and Casey drew a plan that incorporated elements they both wanted in their home. Because it was important to them that it reflect their love of nature and their casual lifestyle, they added walls filled with windows, skylights and a 26foot vaulted ceiling in their family room, and they used lots of natural materials.
The home has two gas fireplaces — one of which reaches the ceiling in the family room; a turret-like area on the staircase landing; also a pantry, toy closet, and two islands in their kitchen.
Outside, raised beds are filled with vegetables and flowers, and there are lots of window boxes and hanging plants and large garden plots. Casey decorates inside with perennials in summer, then plants them outside in fall.
Diamond in the rough
Karen and Bill Dredge’s Sears kit home in Mequon measured just 820 square feet when they bought it in 1999, and it wasn’t in good shape, either. Windows were falling out, stairs were falling in, and all the walls and ceilings had been coated with plaster that looked like meringue.
Yet when Karen saw the house, she fell in love with it and the view it yielded of the Milwaukee River.
The first changes they made were mainly mechanical and structural; for example, putting in a new septic system and shoring up a collapsing basement wall. They later updated a bathroom, added a laundry area, removed an interior wall to merge their kitchen and living room, replaced windows, repaired skylights and added living space to the second floor. Today the home measures 1,034 square feet.
Artwork, memorabilia make a house a home
Every time Bernard Zinck enters his 1924 Milwaukee bungalow, he says he feels greeted by all his friends and relatives, as his home is filled with artwork they gave him or photos of them. There’s an old photo of his godmother and her husband on a stairway, a modern painting a friend made him, and a painting of Venice done by his favorite aunt.
He also says he gets the feeling of being surprised as he goes from room to room, as each has a different look. Some hold pieces he bought while traveling, yet others have found pieces he turned into art.
He used an African print to cover a sofa, hung Haitian art on a wall, put a vibrantly colored Turkish tapestry in a doorway and African batik fabric on door panels. He also paired a rusty old chain he found near his home with a light green paperweight to create a piece of modern art.
Mixing up prints and colors
When Joseph Pabst bought his 1929 home in Milwaukee 12 years ago, he had every room in the 5,000-square-foot dwelling redone. He loved the look until 2016 when he decided he wanted a more cheerful palette, so he redid nearly every room in the house.
To get the look he calls “an exuberant English country palette with a nod to the late ’70s and early ’80s,” he painted many of the walls colors he called “unapologetically bright,” added wallpaper to some walls, and had every piece of furniture reupholstered.
In the master bedroom the cathedral ceiling is a high-gloss purple, the bed’s head and foot boards are upholstered in different fabrics, and two chairs were done in a red cut velvet with lime green seat cushions.
The living room ceiling features wallpaper made of pulverized glass that sparkles at night, and there’s a magenta sofa nearby with two extra-wide chairs. The base of the chairs is a vivid yellow, the seat cushions sport a bright geometric print, and the large back cushions show off a velvet fabric with tarot cards, playing cards, dice, coins, metals and flowers.