QUEEN ANNE VICTORIAN RENOVATION
Dobbs Ferry, NY

The exterior of this historic Queen Anne Victorian house is characterized by its elaborate ornamentation and playful use of materials and decorative woodwork — elements we found in good shape which required relatively little restoration. On the inside, however, decades of renovations and layers of sheetrock made our job a little harder as we tried to uncover the spirit of the original house.

We didn’t aim for full restoration or a total overhaul. Instead, we walked a careful line between past and present—preserving what mattered most while gently updating the rest. The original fireplace was one example of an element too beautiful to touch, so we let it lead. The original oak doors and their original casings, stripped and refinished, now ground the space in new locations.