My Houzz: Accessibility With Personality in an 1870 Home
Hand-painted murals and personal touches fill an accessible home with warmth and charm
Laurie and Bruce Rabe were charmed by the double doors, plaster molding and gorgeous gardens of this 1870 New England home. As with most old structures, however, this onetime boarding house needed a lot of work. And it also needed to be made accessible for one of the couple's daughters, who has multiple handicaps.
After 14 years of thoughtful updates and personalized touches, the couple melded old and new by adding an elevator, restoring the original stove and opening up the kitchen. Laurie's colorful murals — inspired by historic wallpapers, textiles and art — elevate the atmosphere throughout, giving this Second Empire dowager home a new lease on life.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Laurie and Bruce Rabe, daughters Olivia and Elloise, and dogs Tizsa and Luna
Location: Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Size: About 5,000 square feet; 5 bedrooms; 4 bathrooms
After 14 years of thoughtful updates and personalized touches, the couple melded old and new by adding an elevator, restoring the original stove and opening up the kitchen. Laurie's colorful murals — inspired by historic wallpapers, textiles and art — elevate the atmosphere throughout, giving this Second Empire dowager home a new lease on life.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Laurie and Bruce Rabe, daughters Olivia and Elloise, and dogs Tizsa and Luna
Location: Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Size: About 5,000 square feet; 5 bedrooms; 4 bathrooms
Laurie used acrylic paints to create cheerful wall murals in the family room. The patterned pillows on the sofa were hand stamped and printed by Jennifer Clayson.
Laurie used glazing techniques to give the family room a rustic, Tuscan folk-art design. "I sometimes make up templates of flowers and leaf shapes to use the same shapes over and over, to give the wall design some unity, similar to wallpaper," she says.
Many of the pieces in this room, such as the red stool and the corner cabinet, were sourced from the Brimfield Antique Show.
Many of the pieces in this room, such as the red stool and the corner cabinet, were sourced from the Brimfield Antique Show.
Many of the wall painting ideas come from magazines, historic wallpapers, paintings, ceramics, textiles and art from the past. "I especially love art nouveau and Craftsman-style designs, and I try to incorporate my love of gardening and flowers into my work," says Laurie. "I travel to museums and gardens wherever I go and take photographs of specimens, which I then try to incorporate into my work." She loves tailoring her work to meet the likes and color schemes of occasional clients for it, most of whom are friends.
The kitchen was originally a small galley-style space surrounded by three large pantries. The couple renovated the room by ripping out all of these pantries and incorporating the leftover space into the newly open kitchen.
The kitchen is Laurie's favorite room in the house. "It is definitely the heart of this home, and it is where we spend most of our time," she says. "I love to cook, and my oldest daughter is beginning to enjoy cooking and baking, so we work on meals together here. We made it comfortable with the daybed in the nook, swing in the center and all of its other unique parts."
The kitchen is Laurie's favorite room in the house. "It is definitely the heart of this home, and it is where we spend most of our time," she says. "I love to cook, and my oldest daughter is beginning to enjoy cooking and baking, so we work on meals together here. We made it comfortable with the daybed in the nook, swing in the center and all of its other unique parts."
The homeowners kept the butler's pantry cabinets and had them rebuilt on another wall. They also kept the copper sink and had a carpenter build a distressed cherry countertop resembling the one from the original pantry.
They inserted a recycled Victorian stained glass window into the wall to bring light and air into the room, improving circulation in the summertime. Laurie also purchased antique tiles for the backsplash to enhance the butler's pantry ambience, and they applied beadboard to the original wall surfaces.
They inserted a recycled Victorian stained glass window into the wall to bring light and air into the room, improving circulation in the summertime. Laurie also purchased antique tiles for the backsplash to enhance the butler's pantry ambience, and they applied beadboard to the original wall surfaces.
Laurie and Bruce knew how much time they were going to spend in the kitchen, so they built this daybed to relax on. Laurie painted the walls surrounding the nook for cheery color and pattern.
They also put up a swing for their daughter Elloise. Swinging in it is one of her favorite things to do, and it keeps her busy while Laurie is cooking. It also provides some activity in the winter months when they can't go outside.
The couple hired a craftsman to refurbish this old black stove from 1885, which is original to the home. The stove was in bad condition, and had been converted to kerosene. The Rabes restored it to wood power, much to the pleasure of their dog, Luna.
The kitchen is the center of conversation for the Rabe family and is where they entertain friends. It's the closest room to the garden and pool in the summer, and when the woodstove is fired up in the winter, it's the coziest room in the house.
The craftsman who refurbished the woodstove convinced Laurie and Bruce to purchase one of his restored 1920s gas stoves. He outfits the appliances with new electric ovens and a dual gas and electric cooktops.
The family's fiery red living room is used mostly in the wintertime for entertaining and parties. "We put up a 10-foot-tall Christmas tree, which we always cut down ourselves," says Laurie. "That is the place where we spend our time around the holidays, visiting with friends and family."
Laurie purchased many of the pieces in this room at the Brimfield Antique Fair. "I love to go there with friends and try to collect unusual folk art pieces," she says. The red horse above the mantel was a gift from a friend, who bought it from an artist in Amsterdam.
Many of the first-floor rooms feature double doors, which help with accessibility for Elloise.
Laurie purchased many of the pieces in this room at the Brimfield Antique Fair. "I love to go there with friends and try to collect unusual folk art pieces," she says. The red horse above the mantel was a gift from a friend, who bought it from an artist in Amsterdam.
Many of the first-floor rooms feature double doors, which help with accessibility for Elloise.
This hand-painted Indian chest was purchased from a store in Brattleboro, Vermont, and doubles as storage and a coffee table. Splashes of turquoise from the planter, bowl, lamp and vase complement the red throughout the space.
An antique ladder serves as a plant stand and is a great alternative to an end table.
Although the formal dining room is blessed with large windows, the space receives very little natural light. The Rabes do most of their holiday entertaining in the room by candlelight, which adds to the home's historic charm.
Since the home is so large and old, it takes a long time to heat. To cut back on energy bills, Laurie covered the windows with quilts instead of drapes, using ones from Garnet Hill, Williams-Sonoma, Pine Cone Hill, Pottery Barn and April Cornell. They keep the windows insulated against the cold in the winter and keep the cool air inside in the summer.
When the Rabes purchased the home, this room had been used as an office; it was very dark and covered in 1960s paneling. Laurie worked hard to give the space what she calls a starker, Scandinavian feel.
Since the home is so large and old, it takes a long time to heat. To cut back on energy bills, Laurie covered the windows with quilts instead of drapes, using ones from Garnet Hill, Williams-Sonoma, Pine Cone Hill, Pottery Barn and April Cornell. They keep the windows insulated against the cold in the winter and keep the cool air inside in the summer.
When the Rabes purchased the home, this room had been used as an office; it was very dark and covered in 1960s paneling. Laurie worked hard to give the space what she calls a starker, Scandinavian feel.
The Rabes ripped off the paneling right away, only to find a big hole behind it, which they lived with for quite a while until it was fixed. To their dismay, the beautiful Italian marble mantel had been painted white. They stripped the paint off the marble, returning it to its original beauty.
Beautiful plaster molding is another original feature in the dining room. A dark moss-green paint in the crevices makes its details pop. When it came time to paint the walls, the homeowners discovered they had been painted only twice in more than 130 years.
The dining room is also used to access Elloise's bedroom. An opening was cut in the ceiling, and a self-contained elevator called a Minivator was installed in the corner, offering direct access to Elloise's bedroom upstairs.
The dining room is also used to access Elloise's bedroom. An opening was cut in the ceiling, and a self-contained elevator called a Minivator was installed in the corner, offering direct access to Elloise's bedroom upstairs.
Elloise was only 4 years old when Laurie and Bruce purchased this home, and they knew she would never walk or be able to care for herself. They placed her bedroom near their own and took down the walls between her bathroom and bedroom to provide easier access.
"When designing a room for a person who is not capable of performing any daily living skills, one needs to think about the caretaker using the room as much as the person living there — especially that person's back!" says Laurie. They bought a regular double bed for Elloise and placed it on stilts to raise it high, preventing back strain. This sling runs on ceiling tracks, allowing Elloise to move through the air between the bathroom and her bed.
The Rabes painted the room a bright, cheerful green; floral quilts as curtains keep the room warm.
The Rabes painted the room a bright, cheerful green; floral quilts as curtains keep the room warm.
Laurie and her other daughter, Olivia, share a great love of flowers and nature. As a child, Olivia played in the garden and loved animals and fairies, so Laurie painted a mural in her bedroom depicting fairies swinging from flower stems and birds smelling the flowers.
Cabinets in the second-floor hallway display Olivia's handmade pottery, while artworks adorn the walls.
"When purchasing a home, I think it's extremely important to think about all family members who will live there," advises Laurie. "Some people told us we had to buy a one-story ranch house due to our child's multiply handicapped needs. But Bruce and I cared deeply about owning an old home with lots of character. We felt that we needed accessible space, but we also needed to fulfill our dreams of home ownership."
The house is near the town center, which gave Olivia great freedom and independence at an early age. "She could walk to the local library, do little errands for me and go off to play with nearby friends without me driving her," says Laurie.
"When purchasing a home, I think it's extremely important to think about all family members who will live there," advises Laurie. "Some people told us we had to buy a one-story ranch house due to our child's multiply handicapped needs. But Bruce and I cared deeply about owning an old home with lots of character. We felt that we needed accessible space, but we also needed to fulfill our dreams of home ownership."
The house is near the town center, which gave Olivia great freedom and independence at an early age. "She could walk to the local library, do little errands for me and go off to play with nearby friends without me driving her," says Laurie.
Laurie and Bruce have worked constantly on their home in the 14 years they have owned it. "We like to do many projects ourselves, so things take time," Laurie says.
They renovated the porch to help with accessibility and to create a relaxing environment outside.
They renovated the porch to help with accessibility and to create a relaxing environment outside.
A new driveway was built at the front of the house, and a brick ramp walkway was added to meet their need for easy access.
The brick ramp goes straight from the driveway onto the front porch. "We have slowly worked on projects to make the home fit our needs and use, while maintaining its historic character," says Laurie, explaining their choice of brick.
The landscape is functional for the family's needs and beautiful at the same time. "One can have both beauty and function — you just have to be creative," Laurie says.
Attractive brick ramps grace most of the entrances, including the pathway from the kitchen to the pool, allowing them to easily move Elloise in and out of the home.
Attractive brick ramps grace most of the entrances, including the pathway from the kitchen to the pool, allowing them to easily move Elloise in and out of the home.
"Our pool and the gardens around it give us great joy and therapy throughout the summer," Laurie says. The heated pool was built to provide physical therapy for Elloise while she enjoyed the outdoors and visited with friends. A hydraulic lift chair provides easy access to the water.
A seating area beside the pool is the perfect spot for outside entertaining.
Laurie used fabric paint to bring life to this outdoor umbrella — an extension of her wall murals inside.
This lion's head fountain is original to the property and was used to provide horses with water. Laurie and Bruce built a stone retaining wall for the terrace and placed the lion's head there, so they can hear the fountain from the kitchen (instead of the sounds of their busy downtown location).
The Rabes love the history of their town, the people and its easy access to Boston (which has great medical facilities) and the rest of New England. Many of their friends live nearby and are a great support system for their family.
More: Check out the striking hand-painted walls in the home of Laurie's sister, Kristin Nicholas
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The Rabes love the history of their town, the people and its easy access to Boston (which has great medical facilities) and the rest of New England. Many of their friends live nearby and are a great support system for their family.
More: Check out the striking hand-painted walls in the home of Laurie's sister, Kristin Nicholas
See more photos of this home | Show us your creative home!
Browse more homes by style:
Small Homes | Colorful Homes| Eclectic Homes | Modern Homes | Contemporary Homes
Midcentury Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Barn Homes
Townhouses | Apartments | Lofts | Vacation Homes