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family room Classics like a mid-century sideboard mingle seamlessly with modern punches like the brass-leg buffalo check armchair from Anthropologie and poppy pillows by Piper.
Original stained glass windows!
Tapered columns: very Craftsman The first floor’s ceilings are nearly 12 feet high.
one chic craftsman 100+ YEARS OLD!
Abby and Clayton with (from left) Ben, 8, Sarah, 10, and Sam, 5. Baby Lily has since joined the family.
A turn-of-the-century home in Houston, TX, gets gorgeous 21st-century style.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MOLLY CULVER STYLED BY JENNIFER BERNO DECLEENE
There’s detailed woodwork all around the home.
B
ack when Abby Luskie and her husband, Clayton, first saw this Houston, TX, home, they knew it was meant to be…sort of. “The windows were rotting, the kitchen was awkwardly laid out, and the ‘updated’ finishes done by the previous homeowners were straight out of the ’90s,” she says. “My parents are veteran fixer-uppers, so I grew up around that. But at 121 years old, this was the most ancient house I’d come across!” The interior had clean, simple, Craftsman-style lines, embraced in the early 1900s as the opposite of ornate Victorian homes. Room by room, the couple worked with designer Barbara Sweetser on upgrades. They chose a serene blue and creamy white palette, blended vintage and modern finds, and revitalized the pine and oak floors and other character-rich details. Relics of the past remind Abby that there’s been a lot of life lived here: “They make a home feel like it has a soul.” HGTV Magazine 61
house tours The 5 1/2-inch moldings stand out in White Dove by Benjamin Moore.
wall color
Palladian Blue by Benjamin Moore
kitchen This was the
only room that got gutted, though the footprint stayed the same. White subway tile from Daltile was the perfect backsplash choice—timeless yet fresh in a herringbone pattern. Those Calacatta Gold marble countertops are aging imperfectly and awesomely: “I love the etching and marks they get,” says Abby, much in the same way the floors have tales to tell with their nicks and scrapes. While the original window and polished nickel pendants are of different eras, their curves echo the archways throughout the home—not typical of Craftsman homes, but beautiful.
dining room “We thought about opening
it up to the living room,” says Abby. “But the thing is, older homes are more compartmentalized and ultimately we stayed true to that.” An antique table got a refresh with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. One way to glam up your whiskey collection: Put it on a leather tray.
When the house was built, women cooked alone. We went for an all-pile-in-here kitchen. —Abby
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living room A
room that’s best described as “long” and “skinny” may strike fear into a homeowner’s heart, yet a smart setup made this one seem downright spacious. There’s a compact 72-inch sofa from Crate & Barrel, a separate seating zone with a pair of plush blue chairs from Anthropologie, and two stools from Lulu and Georgia instead of a coffee table—easily moved for the kids’ performances.
schoolroom “We were doing a hybrid Abby replaced emerald green tile previous owners added with limestone tile on the surround and porcelain tile on the hearth.
Nothing against new and trendy, but old houses have a special character—they’re so welcoming and homey.
homeschooling program even before it became a thing,” says Abby. (It consists of two days of inperson classes and three at home.) Rows of IKEA picture ledges keep reading within reach without hogging floor space. “I really tried to make this room fun and happy, but also mostly neutral so that the kids’ art and books can be the most exciting elements,” says Abby. A graphic rug from IKEA and a navy beanbag chair from Target offer fun sprawl-out options.
—Abby HGTV Magazine 65
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ben and sam’s bedroom It’s
not just a bunk bed from IKEA—it’s the boys’ favorite hideaway. To make mornings go smoother, Abby sewed the bottom edge of blankets to the bottom edge of fitted sheets. “Literally all they have to do is yank it up and their beds look great!” she says. The geometric polypropylene rug from Rugs USA is both indestructible and soft underfoot. Plexiglass on the window keeps it safe from ball throwing.
Classic American molding: a bull’s-eye rosette. Back in the day, they were hand-carved.
backyard Abby saw a similar playhouse on Pinterest, and she and Clayton built a 10-foot-by10-foot pine version—a mini Craftsman! Pom-pom garlands and a slide kid it up. That gloriously green lawn is artificial turf: “Five years into our fight to grow healthy grass, we gave up,” she says. After searching high and low for a table to fit the fort, all four grandparents teamed up to make the teal picnic table; sometimes the kids dine out there.
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main bedroom The sleek silhouettes
of the upholstered Blu Dot bed and triptych of sketches from Juniper Print Shop are contrasted by vintage-y nightstands (surprise: they’re IKEA, with Anthropologie pulls) and an antique vanity found by Abby’s mom. Brass elements, from the bedside sconces to the mirror on the vanity, warm up the space. Abby’s prized feature? The wardrobes (also IKEA). “As in many old homes, our closets are small,” she says. “These doubled the storage space—I sent a friend a photo of the inside after they were installed!”
FOR SOURCES, SEE PAGE 102.
wall color
Gossamer Blue by Benjamin Moore
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now get the look CHANDELIER
Urchin 20"-diameter brass and steel chandelier, $629, duttonbrown.com
PILLOWS
From left: 20" x 20" polyester pillow in shibori, $49, theinside.com; Moroccan Sabra 20" x 20" cactus silk pillow cover in dusty rose, $115, palmbungalow.com
RUG
Safavieh Vintage 5' x 8' viscose-blend rug in turquoise, $173, homedepot.com
CHAIR
Buffalo Check polyester and wood wingback chair in black and white, $400, kirklands.com
COFFEE TABLE
BASKET
Snidad 15 1/4"-tall rattan basket, $28, ikea.com
Starburst 18"H x 36"-diameter brass-inlaid-marble and wood coffee table, $798, anthropologie.com
BOWLS
Matte Latte 5 1/2"-diameter earthenware bowls in multi, $36 for a set of 6, anthropologie.com
SCONCE
House of Troy Addison 6 1/2"-tall metal light in antique brass finish, $220, luxedecor.com
LAMP
Regina Andrew Design Juniper 30 1/2"-tall concrete and metal lamp, $387.50, laylagrayce.com
CHAIR
Orb linen and metal chair in slate and antique brass finish, $369, westelm.com
BOWL BOX
Bethany 9 3 /4"W x 6 3/4"D x 5"H glass box, $40, lampsplus.com
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BED
Adams queen velvet and metal bed in deep teal and silver finish, $639, castlery.com
Karibu 6"-diameter sisal and sweetgrass bowl in tea rose, $26, kazigoods.com