Presence Of The Past

Presence of thePAST

n n n WHEN THE OWNERS of an old stone cottage in Elm Grove decided to install new wood floors in the kitchen and family room last year, they had no hint of the surprises to come. They now say they should’ve known. The house began life in the 1920s as a sturdy apple barn built amid an orchard on the west side of town. The apples are long gone but the home’s roots, its wood and stone heart has returned.

Converted to a residence in the early ‘30s, many rooms, window bays, additions, and patios have been added over the decades, some very much honoring the massive wooden beams and thick stone walls throughout much of the home, some not so much. What was thought to be a simple thing – those new wooden floors in the kitchen – the house itself seemed to take over, reasserting its hundred-year-old self.

Widening, opening up the kitchen entry from the dining room – an easy thing to do, right? – led to the discovery of eight wooden beams in the kitchen ceiling – stout beams from 19th century Wisconsin trees hidden by 20th century plaster all these years. The contractor asked, “Do you want to keep going, see where this leads?” The owners exclaimed, “Yes!”

Which led to the discovery of more big beams, all part of the original structure all previously invisible, including a fortress-like corner of the original stone exterior of the house. That corner, shedding its 60’s wood paneling cover-up, is now part of the new interior. Adding a vintage freshly cleaned and polyurethaned seventeen-foot wood beam and several other pillars from a Waukesha County barn not only helps hold the house up but provides a lovely new open frame through which to view the kitchen from the new family room. Faux stone masonry walls and backsplashes echo the authentic stone found in other parts of the original house.

With contemporary touches such as a large William Morris fabric installation with an apple tree motif accenting a built-in bench in the kitchen and extensive halogen lighting, the project demonstrates how a kind of twenty-first century open concept can energize an old stone apple barn.

Beginning with a new floor, a simple idea, the home rose up, shrugging off decades of design detours, coming back to where it began. The presence of the past confirmed. n

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Your Interior SPRUCE UPSpace

n n n THE CHANGING OF SEASONS and arrival of warmer weather provide a perfect opportunity for many homeowners to refresh their living spaces and tackle projects on their to-do lists. However, that shouldn’t mean limiting yourself to standard chores like cleaning, disinfecting and reorganizing.

Spring is also an ideal time to make functional and aesthetic updates to your home, including surfaces in oft-used rooms like kitchens and bathrooms. From countertops to closets, Wilsonart, a world-class innovator of next generation engineered surfaces, manufactures and distributes high pressure laminate, quartz, solid surface, coordinated thermally fused laminate, edgebanding and other decorative, engineered surface options. Infusing style from nature, the full line of products provides nearly endless design possibilities with lasting durability and beauty to help redefine living spaces and bring ideas to life.

Get started on your home upgrade this spring with these ideas:

Reimagine Your Bathroom Walls

Bathrooms are one of the most oft-improved spaces in many homes with style and long-term durability at the top of homeowners’ wish lists. An on-trend option like the Water-Proof Wall Panel System from Wetwall, a Wilsonart Company, makes it easy to transform bathrooms and create spa-worthy retreats that deliver high-end style without disruptive demolitions. Ideal zfor shower walls, bath surrounds, accent walls and cladding, the easy-to-clean, grout-free system features tongue-andgroove panels that can be installed in as little as 2 1/2 hours and don’t require special tools. For more information, visit www.wetwall.com.

Enhance Your Surface Spaces

As the line between residential and commercial design continues to intertwine, the High Pressure Laminate Stone Collection from Wilsonart offers surfaces to enhance your home environment and create comfortable and inviting spaces. With 16 designs reminiscent of natural stone surfaces, the collection offers a casual look with authentic characteristics and veining details. Able to withstand the rigors of most interior environments, the “no-fuss” surfaces are low-maintenance solutions, GREENGUARD Gold Certified to meet low chemical emission limits for better indoor air quality and premium designs come with AEON Enhanced Scratch & Scruff-Resistant Performance Technology. To learn more, visit wilsonart. com/laminate-surfaces. n