From Bones to Beautiful

Written by Sherry Moeller Photography by Rick Steele

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From bones to brawn to beautiful, one Capitol Hill Victorian in the Eastern Market area has evolved. Owned and restored by Brenda Boone, who was born in the 1950s in St. Augustine, Florida, the home has come full circle from its start in the 1860s to its use as a boarding house to its restoration today. The brownstone’s towering presence bespeaks its role as an icon of 19th century residential architecture.

The residence’s style and grace were hard to perceive when Boone first viewed the home in its original distressed state. With an $800,000 price tag, a sagging kitchen floor, but loads of potential, the Victorian’s charm won out and Boone began the eight-month, $200,000 evolution.

The orange trim around the double etched-wood entry doors was an eyesore for the owner and the neighbors. “It was scary,” says Boone. But the solid bones of the home sold Boone on the project of a lifetime.

“It’s the most creative project I’ve ever been involved in,” says Boone. “Getting to know the local people in the area and knowing internally the bones of the house” drew her to a house that now feels like a home.

The Evolution of the Solution

“Working from the bones to the outside” is what Boone knows best. As president of Human Solutions Inc., Boone provides professional services related to all facets of human factors planning, design and engineering. She has managed high profile human engineering programs for the federal government and corporate clients. While an analytical approach to planning and implementation applies to her work, a functional approach was key to the reconstruction of her home.

Looking at the sound internal structure of this Victorian gave Boone the resolve to move ahead. “I found artistic people, got referrals, and built from there,” says Boone, who did all the contracting herself. One woodworker spent months taking paint off the windows in the house, including the 10 layers of paint around the living room’s bays. A carpenter replacing the joists in the kitchen, a finishing carpenter realigning original doors for their new locations, and specialists like electricians installing the home’s Bose, security, and high-tech wiring systems worked with Boone to get the house to where it is.

Soul Searching

“On a scale of one to 10, the house is about an eight” as far as its finished state, Boone says. “I haven’t found the soul of it, just yet,” the owner adds. But she is not far off with its attention to elements reminiscent of the era. “I tried to carry the theme of the arches throughout the house,” says Boone, who worked with Residential Designer Michael Vallen. An original arch in the second floor “great room” was replicated several times in the living and dining rooms.

At least one time an alcove was built around an antique item. For instance, Boone selected the front door and had the carpenter build a vestibule around it. Spotted and purchased at The Brass Knob in Adams Morgan, the mahogany door was originally nailed shut in a home along the Potomac River, but its original glass and lead gave the right character to this recreated space. “A whole little room was added.”

Adding Color and Light

A vaseline lamp from Artisan Lamp Company in Cleveland Park illuminates the foyer, while the modern artist Martinez’s work from New Mexico takes center stage. Along the walls, Behr’s Sage Green and French Tarragon paint meet in the foyer and living room, where the owner hung a daddy longlegs chandelier found at Pritchard’s Antiques in Kensington. The mantelpiece is vintage from The Brass Knob with the original mantel restored down to the wood by The Stripping Workshop on New York Avenue and then placed in the owner’s suite. “This fireplace is one of two that work beautifully,” adds Boone.

An especially challenging element in the home was the floor-to-ceiling piping along the windows that carries the water throughout the house. “I found them distasteful,” says Boone, who thought about running the pipes under the floors, but then decided that keeping these vertical visions and refinishing them solved the problem and created conversation pieces.

A forum for her love of art, the living room holds precious German KPM paint on porcelain, Melissa Leslie Greene’s Dancing Up the Corn bowl, and the Czech artist L. Benes’ bronze. None of this would be complete without Boone’s addition of quirky 1950s ladies’ heads. Added pocket doors divide this space from the scarlet dining room made special by the 1930s South Carolina gas and electric chandelier in a complementary color.

The Kitchen’s Deal

Originally, nothing coordinated in the adjacent kitchen. There was little wiggle room in negotiating the purchase of this Victorian, except when it came to the kitchen, says Boone. The seller did take a little money off the asking price for the sagging kitchen floor.

“This room was probably in the worst shape of the whole house,” the owner says. An avocado green stove that leaked gas, an old refrigerator that was the first thing seen from the doorway, and an out-of-place sliding glass door were scrapped and Boone started from scratch. A single door replaced one window to the right, while the slider became a window framing the rear yard.

The apron sink presents another story. “This is the third sink that’s been in here,” says Boone, who adds, “nothing ever goes smoothly.” Pricey stainless steel tiles along the backsplash accent the top-of-line appliances and cappuccino cabinetry from Precision Cabinets in DC. Boone loves to entertain and now that every joist and beam has been replaced and a separate beverage refrigerator has been installed, it’s safe and fun to spend hours in the kitchen.

A Smart Move

Keeping original elements was important to Boone, who moved doors from room to room, took six bedrooms down to three suites, and sanded and lightened the flooring throughout the home. “The floors were almost black,” says Boone.

There’s a story behind everything, including the original full bathroom in the house. The avocado green cast-iron bathtub and “very ugly sink with brown cabinet” came out and the special systems went in to create a multi-purpose laundry center. The smart wiring system is especially useful to Boone because it “gives you the ability to use a remote computer anywhere, in any room” throughout the house. Using a laptop without plugs is a key resale element, as well as important to Boone as a businesswoman.

A Great Place

Boone added central air conditioning, but kept the radiators, which now glisten an antique gold. Also creating an opening from the hallway into the owner’s suite brings air and light to the room that in the Victorian era was called “the great room” where the family would gather and read. Original bookshelves were removed and armoires take their place next to the home’s second working fireplace. The hue of Ralph Lauren’s Dublin Bay Sunset walls blends with the room’s decor.

A calming lavender covers the new owner’s bathroom, which includes Corian vanity tops, an open tiled shower, and a whirlpool tub. Boone also created two walk-in closets flanked by lots of lighting and ventilation. She says this suite is where she lives.

The third floor houses a guest bedroom with original top-to-bottom storage closets, another suite or office, and a new tiled bathroom with shower, pedestal sink, and playful oriental planters staged along the ledges.

The door’s hardware was another specialty for Boone, who pointed out the need to double-check vintage doorknobs for locks and springs to ensure that they work. Rice patterned doorknobs decorate most doors along the second and third floors as well as the vestibule. And the cost can be as much as $300 for a single item, the owner says.

A Plan in Motion

When Boone bought the house, it couldn’t be seen from the street through the large trees including a 40-foot holly tree, which she had removed. Since then, Boone has created a sidewalk with bricks in four muted shades of gray, green, beige and red. She also replaced overgrowth in the front yard with beautiful sod.

Patient neighbors also witnessed the four-month process of blasting the paint off the exterior. Huge sheets of plastic protected the homes on each side from the environmentally-friendly endeavor, which at times felt like “the house was literally going to take off,” she says.

The Finishing Touch

Not only was the facade a key project, but the rear of the home also became a focus for the owner, who had the brick cleaned, repointed and painted. “I wanted the house finished,” says Boone. So she also built a third floor deck that overlooks architecturally interesting rooftops and neighboring patios just established. Renovations are “contagious,” adds the owner, who says neighbors have great pride in their homes.

South Greets East

And Boone, who still maintains a home in Florida, likes the walk-to-everything nature of the location. The Eastern Market is a regular stop for this resident and a popular spot on weekends for blueberry pancakes and crab cake sandwiches. Also in this area, various artists line the sidewalks year-round and display their crafts, including jewelry and photography.

“Signed, sealed and delivered,” this changed space inspires Boone to say, “You can do anything.”