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Near Georgetown, Texas, interior designer Claire Zinnecker rescues a storied Victorian—and turns it into her family home.
Before Austin-based interior designer Claire Zinnecker became enamored with a charming 19th century folk Victorian, she wasn’t looking for a project—in fact, she wasn’t looking for a house at all. That changed, however, when an intriguing historic home came onto her radar in the most unlikely of ways—an ad on Facebook Marketplace. Living in East Austin at the time, Claire’s aunt showed her the listing for the Victorian fixer—dropped ceilings, linoleum and all—and Claire was immediately enchanted. "It was love at first sight," she says.
Interior designer Claire Zinnecker lives in the Georgetown, Texas, home with her husband Adam Mink, along with their two dogs and two cats. "We needed to make this a livable house, make it work for our family, but also respect its original story," says Claire.
Courtesy of Claire Zinnecker Design
Beneath layers of muddled, era-spanning modifications, Claire saw glimpses of the home’s original bones. "I knew I had to bring her back to her original glory," she says of the historic dwelling, lovingly named Ida after the home’s original owners, Swedish immigrants Gus and Ida Anderson.
To add complexity to an already daunting renovation project, the home was located in downtown Austin on land slated for development. To save Ida, the home was moved from the city to a five-acre parcel near Georgetown, Texas—about 35 miles outside of Austin. Claire and her husband Adam, who owned the rural land, welcomed the change of scenery brought about by the move out of Austin. "It’s close to bustling city life, but far enough away to breathe," Claire says.
Although hard to pin down, Claire loosely describes the home’s style as "European farmhouse." "It’s a mix of old and new—mostly old," she says.
Courtesy of Claire Zinnecker Design
With Ida relocated and newly rooted in her permanent home, the renovation project could begin in earnest. The approximately 1,700-square-foot home was reconfigured from a two-bedroom, one-bathroom layout to a three-bedroom, two-bathroom plan within the dwelling’s existing envelope.
Although Claire quickly braced herself for a project—"I love a challenge," she says—it was a bigger undertaking than she bargained for. "I was reconstructing a house," Claire shares. "The house first needed to be stripped down, and then essentially rebuilt in a lot of ways."
Through the renovation, dropped ceilings were removed and original details—such as the original wood floors and moldings—were preserved. Because of a limited budget, Claire and Adam opted to do much of the work themselves.
Courtesy of Claire Zinnecker Design
See the full story on Dwell.com: A Texas Designer Gives an 1898 Folk Victorian a New Life Outside of Austin
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By: Sarah Akkoush
Title: A Texas Designer Gives an 1898 Folk Victorian a New Life Outside of Austin
Sourced From: www.dwell.com/article/a-texas-designer-gives-an-1898-folk-victorian-a-new-life-outside-of-austin-fd1ff378
Published Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2022 19:30:28 GMT
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