Brighton family restores 1920s Tudor
Brighton family patiently restores its 1920s Tudor with architectural perfection
When Debra and Robert Mevorach purchased their 4,100-square-foot Tudor-style home on a tree-lined street in Brighton a decade ago, they fell in love with the neighborhood and the style of the home.
What they didn’t like: The home lacked architectural details that were prevalent in homes built during the 1920s.
“I liked the basic shell,” says Debra Mevorach, 48.
The Mevorachs spent the next three years planning and saving for home renovations, enlisting the help of David Senise of Spectrum Design Group in Pittsford. Together they came up with a plan to make the home consistent with other homes of that era.
“We wanted to bring it up a notch,” Senise says.
As with all his historical projects, Senise started with research to find what details should be added. For example, workers added chair rails to the living room, as well as a plaster frieze on the ceiling for elegance. Custom shelves now hold the Mevorachs’ collection of Asian antiques.
Updating an older home in the modern era also calls for compromises. For example, radiators were prevalent in homes built during that period. However, Senise felt they distracted from the ambiance of the room. So he had the two radiators by the leaded glass windows concealed in custom-built covers painted to match the neutral cream walls with marble tops to make them functional furniture, in this case tables for decorative accessories such as an antique jade plaque.
He also brought in the truly modern element of recessed lighting for a completely practical purpose. Even in broad daylight, the room was dark and the little lights added to each corner of the room really brightened the place, Senise says.
Once the construction was done, it was time to choose a focal point, in this case a rich burgundy Paddock oriental rug. The couple chose the other pieces to match the rug, including a lounge chair in the same shade paired with a cream-colored sofa.
The sunroom adjacent to the living room is less formal, with a garden feel. The Mevorachs selected custom floral draperies that highlight the large windows. Rattan furniture finishes off the casual garden look.
The renovation project is still a work in progress, Debra Mevorach says.
Done are the living room and sunroom, which cost about $50,000, Debra Mevorach estimated. Also completed is the master bathroom, which cost more then the other two rooms combined. The bathroom was remodeled in a 1920s style with a claw-foot tub and marble flooring. To expand the small bathroom, workers had to knock down walls and replace the old galvanized pipes with copper plumbing. The remodeled bathroom is now double the original space and has all the Old World charm with modern amenities.
The Mevorachs’ current project is the dining room. Taupe damask wallpaper highlighted with frosted foil is on the walls, and burnished gold custom draperies have been purchased, as well as a round dining set.
Mevorach still hasn’t added up the bills for the dining room renovations, but she notes that she’s glad she is doing the remodeling over a long period of time so she can pay for it in phases as projects are completed. Breaking it down into phases is easier on the family budget, and it gives her more time to think and reflect about the changes.
“When you have the patience and the time, you can bring the quality up,” Senise says.
Debra Mevorach is an internist and her husband, Robert, a pediatric urologist who also teaches tennis. Their two children, Saroyah, 17, and Aaron, 12, live at home and it was important that all of the renovations suit an active family’s lifestyle. No room can be a showcase because all receive regular wear and tear from the family.
The transformation of the home is a dream come true for Debra. She says her childhood home on Long Island was never completed, even though all the family members had great aesthetic senses. Her father, Cyrus Khani, owned Archmon Interiors, a furniture store in Queens. But like the shoemaker without shoes, the furniture retailers always put his customers first, Mevorach says.
When the Mevorach family purchased the Brighton home for $555,000 a decade ago, it became a mission to make the house truly a home for the family, restoring it to its original beauty and filling it with warm inviting décor.
“This is my love,” Debra Mevorach says.
MCHAO@DemocratandChronicle.com
