This proud Craftsman bungalow suffered a sad fate when it was nearly reduced to ashes. Children tipped over a candle, the wax ignited, and the living room went up in flames. Most of the front public rooms were scorched–ceiling fans, windows, woodwork, flooring, and plaster melted. The flames burned out the front gable and much of the façade’s siding was burned and blackened. Today, this 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath showplace gleams with restored luster. The home’s theme, the phoenix rising from the flames, represents recent history and is realized in bold primary colors in a backlit, custom stained glass.
We were hired to restore this home for the same client for whom we restored The Ginko House for 2 years previously. He wanted a larger bungalow in Kirkwood. To create additional space, we tore off a poorly built addition and constructed a dream-house master suite, designed to look as seamless as if it were the original restored home.
The original home presented it own challenges–from reconstructing the missing gable, to replacing antique oak floors that were burned, to designing an ideal floor plan, to offering the utmost in comfortable living. The customized house speaks for itself; it combines easy historic charm, rare architectural antiques, opulent amenities, and a prevailing arts & crafts elegance.
The Phoenix House Virtual Tour
(click on the photos to view the tour)
When we began this restoration, the front porch was screened, many of the floor boards rotted, there was an eyesore brick fence in the yard, and the original Craftsman door was long gone. Stout Craftsman handrails were custom built and topped with a protective copper cap. We installed custom Loewen historic windows where the old ones were smoke & ashes and invested many labor hours in repairing the salvageable ones. The front bedroom windows were missing altogether and the living room windows were in horrible disrepair from the heat-all of the glass was broken.
We installed a vintage Craftsman front door & the stained glass Phoenix was custom designed to relay the resurrection of this wounded home. Amazing at night, the front gable phoenix glass glows with the movement of bird wings and fiery color when illuminated at night.
The front door opens into a warm engaging house where wood is king. Nearly every stick of millwork in this house is antique heart pine or antique oak. The window & door millwork, picture molding, crown molding, and six panel doors are all salvaged heart of pine from other old houses. The original floors, scorched by fire, have been patched with antique oak. The masonry fireplace was stripped of its paint layers and the over-mantel was restored and enhanced using layers of vintage moldings.
The crowning glory of the bungalow is the one-of-a-kind heavy, custom ceiling millwork designed for drama and uniqueness. Huge cotton mill beams were cut, planed, and sculpted by our talented craftsman to enhance the Craftsman motif and inject a hint of California's Greene Brothers into Kirkwood architecture.
Taking a page from designers a century ago, we crafted the dining room into a rich, sparkling space where elegance, architectural interest, rustic arts & crafts...
...and stunning millwork mingle.
To welcome light, we installed curvaceous leaded & beveled windows-some of the best we've owned--flanking the original six over one double hung windows.
The brick chimney was exposed for texture and color...
...and we added a rare and unclassifiable oak colonnade from Ohio with flush inset leaded glass doors.
As icing on the cake, the magical sculptural heart-pine woodwork was milled and adorns the crown of the walls. The client found a wonderful built-in china cabinet that we stripped, repaired, and inset beside the masonry flu using antique wood moldings; the result is a piece that looks like it was installed originally in 1925.
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Flowing effortlessly from the extraordinary dining room, this equally captivating cherry wood kitchen has it all. This kitchen features light green walls, gorgeous burnished cherry cabinetry with heavy crown, under counter lighting, stainless steel appliances, a wine chiller, a huge separate storage pantry, dark granite counters, and a mobile island. A restored heart pine French door baths the room in light and leads to the deck's catwalk and the large backyard.
This large bright front bedroom boasts "new" antique oak floors, salvaged from homes in Buckhead marked for demolition. Much of the structural components, including the wall framing and ceiling joists needed replaced in this room as this was the origin of the fire. The woodwork in this room was burned beyond hope and was replaced with antique millwork salvaged from other demolished homes. All of the 18 six panel doors in this home were brought in from other homes-the same is true of polished antique hardware.
The light fixture is one of a trio of matching antique fixtures in the home.
The corridor of The Phoenix House is a room in its own right. It is the defining space separating the public chambers from the private. Ideal for displaying art on the restored picture molding, this space provides insulation from the public room noise and great flow from room to room.
Three stunning brass sconces all exhibit century-old cut crystal globes that match.
With such a spacious house, we were able to take one unusually elongated bathroom and carve out a separate "public" half bath, accessible to guests via the public rooms. This sumptuous bath showcases a custom designed white Carrera marble sink suspended by black cast iron Victorian brackets. This style of sink is a hallmark of LSR bathrooms and was designed by us to mimic vintage marble sinks.
Both of the central bedrooms face the South East and are bathed with light through their large wood windows. The oak floors are perfectly restored and the rooms share a full bathroom. The client desired all natural heart pine woodwork and we gathered together enough salvaged trim to use throughout the home. No small feat, this required finding and stripping enough base cap, door casing, plinth blocks, window casing, crown molding, picture molding, door stop, window stop, door jambs, headers, baby crown, and lintels.
This classic black and white Jack & Jill bathroom is a stand out. One of LSR's signature tile treatments is to run tile to the ceiling-this bath is no exception.
The focal point of this room is the jewel-like stained glass transom window with its graceful arching panels splashing color across monochromatic tile. Beaded board & chair rail complete the period look.
This master suite was added to the home to provide an extravagant private bedroom complete with huge walk-in closet and sumptuous bathroom.
