It may be modern mania right now in the world of home design, but classic style has a lot to offer, too. Here’s a look at two Victorian homes — one in Healdsburg and one in Cloverdale — that offer the best of both worlds with historic exteriors and ornamental details yet a sleek and modern look throughout.
The Healdsburg property, located on Grant Street just off the Healdsburg plaza, was recently renovated by Jim Luchessi of Healdsburg-based JL Builder. Most of the home’s original redwood remains but the exterior has been refurbished and repainted in a way that brings out the original scallop detailing and siding.
New finishes have been installed inside the home to appeal to today’s home buyers (the property was recently sold). Realtor Tatiana McWilliams, who listed the home, says many home buyers are looking for turnkey properties that have been fully renovated. She said they like quartz or quartzite counters in the kitchen because of these materials’ durability (save the marble for the bathrooms, she says) and prefer engineered wood floors over solid wood floors as the former tend to wear better.
The home’s interior walls have been painted white, which highlights the original moldings but also creates a more modern look. Rosettes and bevels have been preserved and add a romantic vibe to the home, especially around a bay window in the sitting room, while sleek cabinets and light fixtures feel very contemporary.
The building has been expanded with additional rooms upstairs, featuring clean-lined trims and moldings, and an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) downstairs with a kitchen and glass doors toward the yard.
Further north, on North Main Street in Cloverdale, a Victorian property serves as both a home and business space. Cloverdale is popular among home buyers for its relative affordability and small-town quaintness and this bright lemon-hued property, listed for $1.75 million, has plenty of charm. It currently houses a hair salon and spa on the ground floor and, upstairs in the residential area, features finishes such as a copper kitchen countertop, highly ornamented trims and moldings and brass bathroom fixtures.
The 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom property has been decorated with modern furnishings and painted in neutral colors that give prospective buyers an idea of its style potential. It also can yield considerable extra income, if the commercial space is rented out.
The home on 131 North Main St. is listed for $1.75 million by Tatiana McWilliams of Compass Realty in Healdsburg. For information, please call 707-303-6230, or email realtor@tatianamcwilliams.com