Stately Tudor

Built in 1926, a young couple purchased this old stockbroker Tudor and brought it back to life. There was a collapsing slate roof, a roof leak in the master bedroom sitting room, and a coal-fired furnace that had been converted to gas. There were lots of noisy radiators and no air conditioning.

Undaunted, the young couple repaired the roof, ripped off the exterior siding to reveal the stately Tudor’s original second-floor wattle and daub (see picture), updated the HVAC, and took the kitchen back to its hollow clay blocks.

The interior was in good shape with plaster walls, a sunken living room, french doors leading into the dining room, a butler’s pantry in its original form, and a bright sunroom with iron casement windows on three sides. The fireplace was large and surrounded by a plaster mantle picked out in a Scottish thistle motif (see picture). The solid bronze Edwardian chandelier in the dining room displayed the Scottish thistle motif, too. Mahogany Tudor paneling formed the wall and stairwell in the foyer. Five casement windows led residents up the stairs. In the master bedroom, there was a marble fireplace above which was a bas relief of Pan and the Three Graces. Off the master bedroom, there was a large sitting room and dressing room.

Pricelli worked with the couple to achieve a restored exterior, modern HVAC system, and high-end appliances. In the dining room, up the stairs, and into the hallway on the second floor we sponged the walls with paint using a wet paint on wet paint technique that gave the walls a Venetian plaster look. In the tiny kitchen, we took it down to the clay block, refurred the walls, installed new cabinetry and countertops, and new appliances. The cooktop was gas with a white opaque glass underlay that spread slightly over the counter on either side. The dropped-in oven was electric. The refrigerator and dishwasher were paneled to match the cabinets.

The expansive living room with its ten-foot ceilings is all finished in off-white upholstery and an off-white wool-Berber area rug. The sunroom beyond featured jacquard slipcovers in a green Fortuny fabric (see picture) on a pair of club chairs and a large sofa. A custom-made corner unit housed the television and stereo equipment.

The stately Tudor was a great house for entertaining and the young couple enjoyed their house for many years.

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