A New Look for an Old Baltimore Home
Photography by Kristen Beckerman
Describing the interior style she and her family lived with for 20 years in their home in the Hampton area of Towson, Kathy Novak cringes. “It was roses and blues and reds, all these colors I don’t even like,” she…more
- Reflecting and multiplying the light pouring in through the windows, the new cream rug and sofa, fern green chairs, creamy walls and curtains patterned with Queen Anne's Lace give the living room a spring-like ambiance.
Balancing the old with the new, an ornate, gold-ringed oval mirror overlooks an artful arrangement of freshly picked ferns, tall fern-patterned candles, and a miniature green apple painting.
The one bright spot of color in the living room, two orange silk pillows glow against a cream mohair settee, complementing Matt Zoll’s “Cherries” painting above.
In the dining room, neutral grass cloth replaced the old rose damask wallpaper, and newly installed windows with hand-woven shades bathe the American walnut table and cream mohair chairs in light. Against the wall, clusters of flowers and ferns frame another Matt Zoll painting above an antique mahogany sideboard, left from the original owners.
From the moss green couches to the glass tables that catch the light, the family room glows in brilliant greens. The Novak’s two favorite paintings in the house frame the far window.
The kitchen brings the outside in with Jerusalem limestone floors and windows—surrounded by landscape paintings—peeking out on the rear garden.
Designing the back garden themselves, the Novaks surrounded the stone patio with lush greenery and a serene koi pond.
A newly added pillared porch imparts old-style elegance. The original house faces sideways from the road, sited in 1937 to provide views of nearby Loch Raven Reservoir.
Describing the interior style she and her family lived with for 20 years in their home in the Hampton area of Towson, Kathy Novak cringes. “It was roses and blues and reds, all these colors I don’t even like,” she says. “It was all based on these Oriental rugs—very Old Baltimore. Colonial.”
It took some effort for Kathy to persuade her husband to get rid of the Oriental rugs, since they almost seemed a part of the house, which was built in 1937. But by 2007, they both agreed that after nearly two decades of living with them, it was time for a change.
By then, the house was also in need of some structural TLC, too. “The thing is, you get so caught up in raising your kids that you don’t notice that the chimney is falling apart,” Novak says with a laugh. So, first came the major renovations: removing the shutters, painting the exterior, refinishing the floors and installing new doors, windows and chimneys. Next, the Novaks hired designer Leslie Tunney to help transform their formal Old Baltimore house into a light and airy country home. Aside from a few beloved antiques, almost nothing remains of the home’s previous incarnation.
Tunney sensed right away the traditional feel of the house didn’t quite suit the Novaks, so she looked to Kathy’s personal style for inspiration. “Kathy’s artsy, she travels, she visits all these tropical islands to scuba dive,” says Tunney. “She’s a sea glass person.”
Noticing that Kathy always wore light colors, Tunney suggested a palette of light green and cream. At first, Roger Novak was hesitant, fearing the house would be swamped in green. But now the couple agrees that the spring-like fern tones are perfect. “I think it’s soft enough that it’s not overwhelming,” says Kathy.
All of the home’s first-floor rooms were repainted in shades ranging from white to pale green and the Novaks purchased a number of new furnishings (mainly from Baker Furniture in Georgetown) and chose a few good fabrics (mostly mohair, linen and silk) to use throughout. Combined with the light pouring in through the new windows and the fresh greenery and flowers Kathy places in vases, the new look is refreshing and breezy. With the backyard plants rustling against the windows, the result is a merging of the indoors and outdoors. “Roger and I both love the outdoors,” says Kathy. “I mean, we’d much rather be outside anyway.”
This shows in the design of the backyard, where a lush garden surrounds a stone patio and lovely wooden pergola. Greenery ripples everywhere, dotted by purple Rozanne geraniums climbing against the house and the ground-level kitchen— which was updated by adding a new slanted copper roof to replace the old flat one. A gorgeous Japanese maple leans gracefully over the patio, complete with a pond filled with golden koi.
Despite its low ceilings, especially in the dining room and kitchen, which are partially below ground, the new color scheme makes the house feel airy and light—a feat that allows the Novaks to display their many treasures without it seeming cluttered.
The Novaks have two passions—travel and art—and the walls are filled with paintings acquired on their travels. Paintings offer vivid splashes of color, enliven the tables, and even sit propped up on the kitchen counters. “Everywhere we go, we’re tempted by art,” Kathy Novak admits.
A favorite is the local artist Matt Zoll, whose piece, “Cherries,” marks the lone spot of bright color in the living room, where it hangs above two orange silk pillows resting on a cream mohair settee. The rest is all cream and green: cream-colored walls, cream linen carpet laid over oak floors, fern green upholstered chairs from Kellogg collection, a cream couch and cotton curtains with patterns of Queen Anne’s Lace. Clusters of ferns dot the tables, shelves and fireplace mantel (next to Kathy Novak’s collection of sterling silver pieces).
Off the living room, a tiny stairway descends to a narrow dining room once used as the maid’s room. Here, the Novaks replaced the old-fashioned rose damask wallpaper with a modern grass cloth and added a set of windows that look out on the sprawling front yard (which is actually the side of the property, since in 1937 the home was sited to take advantage of views of nearby Loch Raven Reservoir). Now, light filters from behind tan hand-woven window coverings to bathe both sides of the American walnut table, lined by cream mohair chairs. Underfoot stretches a light green and cream rug. Against the far wall, pretty glass vases of ferns enliven the antique wood sideboard under another Matt Zoll painting, balanced on either side by two iron lamps.
In the kitchen, the Novaks replaced the old cabinets with new ones in birdseye maple and added fern-patterned curtains, a black sapeli wood table and pale green mohair chairs. Jerusalem limestone floors impart an outdoors feel. In one window hangs a plant growing from spiral shell; in another, green glass gleams on the sill. Landscape paintings depicting the area in Wyoming where the family fly-fishes frame the back window.
The Novaks’ biggest collection of art resides in the family room, on the other side of the house. Decorated in brilliant greens with green-patterned curtains, the whole room glows, from the moss green couches to the small glass tables that catch the light. Newly added book shelves display the Novaks’ eclectic taste, ranging from twisted wood sculptures to an enormous egg painted with clouds. Paintings from their travels in California, the Caribbean and Wyoming hang on the walls, including Roger and Kathy Novak’s two favorite paintings in the house— a snowy landscape of the Teton Mountains in Wyoming and an image of a man in a dugout canoe, painted by a Jamaican artist.
In this room, as throughout the home, the transformation has refreshed the quaint old house, lightening and updating it while still incorporating elements of the original charm. Freeing themselves from the Old Baltimore style that came to feel confining over the years, the Novaks have found a way to truly express their personalities through their home—and now they love it even more.
RESOURCES
Interior Design Leslie Tunney, 410-935-4570, http://www.leslietunneyinteriors.com
Floors Country Floors, New York, N.Y., 212-627-8300, http://www.countryfloors.com
Furnishings Baker Furniture, Georgetown, 202-342-7080, kohlerinteriors.com; Shofer’s Furniture, Baltimore, 410-752-4212, http://www.shofers.com
Rugs Senneh Knot, Timonium, 410-308-3770, http://www.sennehknot.com
Patio & Arbor Maxalea, Baltimore, 410-377-7500, http://www.maxalea.com
Pond Signature Landscapes, Parkville, 410-665-8887, http://www.signaturelandscapes.biz
