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"The house is gorgeous!” gushes Susan Greene, founder of Paint Imagery, as she approaches Chelsea Smith, of Chelsea Design Company.
Greene is among the more than 100 guests invited to the unveiling of a Webster Groves home that recently underwent a massive renovation. Strothkamp Restoration purchased the 120-year-old Victorian a year ago and spent the next 10 months working with Smith to restore its character while creating a space suitable for modern living.
Last fall, it was hard to envision what the house would look like, says Smith. Its historic charms had been obscured by updates—such as the white aluminum siding that enclosed the wraparound porch—as well as water damage and the effects of longtime neglect.
“It was rough,” adds Greg Strothkamp, project manager for the family business. He found the house listed on Zillow and pursued it, even when other family members thought it would require too much work. “But I saw the bones. Good bones.”
Removing the white siding revealed the original scalloped siding, which the crew sanded and painted. When they couldn’t reuse original elements, Smith found vintage pieces to stay true to the Queen Anne style.
For the next buyer, modern touches include gas fireplaces, wiring for Ethernet, and the addition of a Nest system.
As guests enjoy beer from International Tap House and desserts from Joe’s Bakery & Delicatessen, a neighbor shares a black-and-white photograph of her husband’s grandfather, who lived in the house decades ago.
“That is so fabulous,” says Smith. “We’ve had four different homeowners come forward. They’ve all shared memories. For us, the history was the most important thing.”
