Trading Up to a Repurposed Victorian

A new patio adds extra entertaining space outside. Photography by Christian Scully

After raising two sons in the New Jersey suburbs and working in New York City for years, a couple wanted to return to city living. But the thought of making their way through a jumbled metropolis just wasn’t appealing.  

“We love Boston, and we love New York City, but they’re hard to manage,” says the wife, who grew up in East Providence. “So we would always come back to Providence. It’s just such a great, manageable city.” 

The adjacent dining space features a bar area. Photography by Christian Scully

They didn’t want a home designed with another family in mind, however. They wanted to be able to walk to things and not rely on a car. They were eager to ditch a traditional lawn, but still have enough space for the four of them to gather when the children were visiting. They wanted a say in what their new home would look like; they wanted a project.  

They found it in an 1884 two-family Victorian in Fox Point. It was carved into boxy apartments — one on the first floor and another on the second and third floors — but they could see its potential. 

“We loved the neighborhood,” she says. “And we could see the charm and beauty of the house, even though we ended up taking down all the walls.”

After buying the home in May 2021, the first order of business was opening up the lower level, which had been divided into several rooms. The couple wanted to be able to see sunlight — which streamed through the kitchen windows — throughout the whole first floor. 

The sunny living room. Photography by Christian Scully

To do that, architect David Sisson suggested removing the front and back staircases and adding one in the middle of the first floor leading to the upper levels of the home. His plans also called for tearing down walls to gain the openness the homeowners sought. To do that, contractors added a steel beam and post down to the basement to support the rest of the house. 

“It just felt like a beat-up rental when we got to it,” says Sisson, principal at David Sisson Architecture. “It ended up being a gut renovation of the house; everything on the inside came out.”

The outdoor deck. Photography by Christian Scully

The conservationist in him winced at removing the front staircase.

“It was a really classy stair, and I was sorry to lose it, but it wasn’t really in a great location,” he says. “It was a little beat up, but once upon a time it had been a beautiful banister.” 

The newly expanded foyer area became an organized mudroom, with plenty of hooks and shelving for everyone’s shoes and coats, and a half-bath tucked discreetly in the back. 

The smart master bath is done in blue tones. Photography by Christian Scully

Since the couple loves to cook and entertain, Sisson expanded the kitchen and dining space and added a back sliding glass door that let in more sunshine and opens to a new outdoor deck. When it’s warm, the couple can open the doors for even more space, allowing for an effortless flow of guests. 

Their dream kitchen has a herringbone white tile backsplash, crisp white cabinets and a roomy Grothouse end-grain cherry island with a pull-out microwave drawer. It’s where they eat family dinners when their sons are home. 

The sleek kitchen has plenty of room for entertaining. Photography by Christian Scully

The tiny lawn area holds raised beds, where the couple likes to grow their own veggies and herbs for cooking. 

The second and third floors — previously a three-bed, two-bath apartment — house the home’s master bedroom with en suite bath and office area for the husband, the sons’ bedrooms, a laundry room and a third-floor office that the wife shares with a bearded dragon named Chad. 

One of the home’s four bedrooms. Photography by Christian Scully

The house now has a total of four beds and three baths, with new red oak flooring throughout for a cohesive look. The baths are all outfitted with tile in different colors and textures, giving each a unique decor. 

Fuel efficiency was important to the couple, who converted the home from gas to electric. They blew in insulation, installed solar panels and changed over to mini split heat pumps for heating and cooling the house. 

A skylight in another bath lets in the sun. Photography by Christian Scully

The couple moved into the home in March. They have a garage but don’t use the car much. The wife walks to work most days, shaving off hours from her previous ninety-minute commute into New York City. And most importantly of all, there’s space for everyone, even when the whole family is under one roof. 

“Even though we’re downsizing, everyone has their own space,” the wife says. “That was important to us.” 

The home’s front facade. Photography by Christian Scully