Written by Marisa Sandora | Design by Rosen Kelly Conway Architecture & Design | Photography by Peter Rymwid
Dita and Alex Gerber knew what they wanted, but they took their time getting there. When they bought their charming 1880s Victorian in Madison back in 2006, they were attracted to the location—they could walk to shops and restaurants—and the large backyard, which would be necessary because they planned to extend the small house someday after they had children. What the couple didn’t like was the home’s cramped layout, and Dita says she felt hidden in the kitchen when she cooked and baked. So in the years that followed, they
collected ideas about what they liked and what they might want to change. “We would be at friends’ homes and pull out a tape measure and
start measuring things,” remembers Dita, laughing. Dita hails from the Czech Republic, and Alex is from France, so when they finally decided to renovate their home in 2013, the duo decided to do what is very common in Europe: maintain the historic exterior of the home while completely transforming the interior to a modern and user-friendly space. They searched for a long time for an architect before finding Thomas Conway of Rosen Kelly Conway Architecture & Design in Summit, who shared their vision of historic preservation. “A lot of the home’s original details had been removed or changed, so our goal was to bring back its folk Victorian charm, while making the inside very clean and open,” says Conway.
Above: The main floor of the new addition features a modern kitchen open to a dining area and sitting area. “We spend a lot of time together, and now with the open plan, we can all be together more easily,” says the homeowner. A custom-built bookshelf draws the eye to the original dining room, which is now a place to read or watch TV.
On the first floor, the old front parlor became an office, the dining room became a TV room and a large addition was put on the back, almost tripling the size of the original structure. “There is a clear delineation,” says Conway of the new space, “but from the outside, it’s contextual and doesn’t look like an oddly modern addition.” The first-floor addition includes an open kitchen with a dining space that extends into a sitting area with a fireplace. The large room features a wall with French doors leading to a back patio. “We wanted the kitchen directly connected to the backyard,” says Dita. “We wanted the inside to extend to the outside. We eat outdoors as much as possible, and we spend a lot of time with family and friends at the big dining tables both outside and inside.”
Upstairs, the home features three bedrooms, a bathroom and a master suite. “A lot of people want more bedrooms and bathrooms, but for us, that just means more upkeep,” says Dita. “We had to keep reminding ourselves that we were building this for ourselves and not for resale. For us it was really important that we live in the space, not anyone else. Alex helped me
say no a lot.”
Above: The kitchen features very few upper cabinets in keeping with the open feel and clean lines of the home. Warm gray cabinets from Custom Colonial Kitchen & Millwork in Columbia contrast nicely with the white quartz countertops and island. A citrus green glass backsplash adds some color.
The addition also includes a basement with a rec room, a bathroom and a laundry room separated by rustic wood barn doors. Dita originally wanted the laundry room on the main floor, but when the design couldn’t accommodate it, Conway promised her it wouldn’t be a dark and unwelcoming place. He situated a staircase in the middle of the home to function as a light well illuminating the first and second floors as well as the basement. Many of the modern industrial details in the home, such as the exposed brick in the stairwell and the rustic wood ceiling, were a direct result of Dita seeing them on the home design website Houzz and filing them away for her future renovation project. “I wanted to use very natural materials like wood, iron and stone, and I wanted that contrast between the light and dark, hence the lighter wood ceiling and the dark iron railings and charcoal window casings,” she explains.
When it came time to decorate the home, the couple was equally hands on. “Dita and Alex have very specific taste and a great sense of style,” says Conway. “We worked with them on all the finishes and detailing to make sure it all tied together, but we didn’t really do full interior design.” The couple estimates it took about a year to finish decorating the interior after the construction was done. They picked out all the light fixtures like the spiral light from Currey & Company that hangs above the dining table and the sconces from Artemide that illuminate their bed. “We didn’t want wires and too much furniture everywhere, so we decided on sconces in the bedroom,” says Dita. “We like to keep things simple.”
For walls, Alex wanted a little more color and Dita desired a neutral look, so they compromised with some very light shades like celadon green in the TV room and a lavender gray in the bedroom that function as cool neutrals. The kitchen is cream with warm gray cabinetry and a citrus green glass backsplash. White quartz countertops and an island with a waterfall edge are low maintenance, in keeping with the family’s quest for minimalism and ease of use. Another example: a powder room featuring a floating toilet and sink. “We wanted nothing on the bathroom floor so that it was easier to clean,” says Alex. “We were adventurous and did things a little bit differently.”
The same could be said for the environmentally friendly “green” aspects of the home: a high-efficiency heating and cooling system controlled by
Nest products, LED lights throughout, an electrical system serviced by the solar panels on the roof—even an electric BMW plugged in outside. “We knew we wanted to make it very green,” says Alex. “It’s more expensive in the beginning but a good idea in the long run.”
The project may have taken a bit longer than some—they finished in late summer last year—but the end result is exactly what they wanted. “I love it,” says Alex. “Building your own home is kind of like having a new baby. We are really happy with the way it turned out.”
One of the homeowners’ favorite details is the pantry that is cut into the cabinetry in the kitchen.
The stairwell delineates the original structure from the new addition and fills the home with light. The light fixture that hangs above the stairs is from the Atlas collection from Troy Lighting.
The Gerbers replaced all of their original furniture, picking minimalist pieces like the sectional and chair that grace the TV room.
The vanity in the master bathroom was custom-made with a concrete counter and no cabinets (the homeowner prefers drawers).
The master bedroom has a vaulted ceiling and features the same hemlock beams as the first floor, in addition to a wall of hemlock that functions as a headboard.
Hidden blinds can be lowered to shut out the light but don’t interfere with the minimalist design.