For Katy and Brandon Bishop, house hunting Was a straightforward endeavor. They knew exactly what they wanted and where they wanted it. Finding their historic Tudor-style home in the Hollywood area of Homewood was simply a matter of waiting for the right real estate to become available. “We love the character of the older homes—the style, the history, the charm, ” Katy says. “We looked for six months, then saw a ‘Coming Soon’ sign in front of a 1925 Tudor on the street we wanted.”
Though the Bishops knew the house needed considerable work, they still moved forward. “We talked to architects and builders and found out we could make it work for our family of five, ” Katy says.
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To add a floor to their newly acquired historic Tudor, the Bishops went straight to a remodeler they trusted. “Twin Construction does a lot of work in the Homewood area and has a great reputation.” — Katy Bishop
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Adding a second story, Twin Construction converted the three-bedroom, two-bath cottage into a five-bedroom, three-bath home. For the interior décor, the Bishops worked with Jan Ware of Ware Designs.
“She’s one of those people that you love the second you meet her, ” Katy says.
“She is easy to work with and I love her look. It’s a clean, simple, easy-living style. It’s sophisticated but comfortable.”
Jan and Katy set about transforming the house using a lighter paint on the traditional outdoor Tudor beams.
“I really love old English Tudors, ” Jan says. “But I didn’t want this home to look like a typical Tudor with dark Tudor board. It already has the dark, old brick. I wanted to lighten things.”
For the interior, Jan chose easy-keeping fabrics to withstand the wear and spills inevitable with young children. She also wanted to blend the home’s English design with Katy and Brandon’s modern flair.
“We took an English look and spiffed it up with touches of contemporary, ” Jan says. “There aren’t many fluffy details.” In the den, a pair of sofas covered in linen make the space comfortable for children. An elm wood coffee table was discovered during one of Jan’s trips to the beach. “The kids can lay up there and put their feet on the table, and I’m not worried about them hurting anything, ” Katy says. “Also, you can dress the room up and have adult time.” Iron sconces mounted on wood flank a limestone fireplace at one end and reflect the home’s era of origin.
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The dining room hosts a variety of finishes and textures: a natural wood table with a wax finish, shimmery drapes, and white painted chairs. Metal artist and designer Lucy Smith created this floor mirror for the dining room. To see more |
In the dining room, Katy wanted to use the dining table and chairs she’d grown up with. For an update, host and hostess armchairs were given a metallic silver pattern finish to match the drapery, and four guest chairs were shellacked by artist Daniel Whitsett for a contemporary look.
Instead of a formal living room, Jan suggested a reading room. In the center of the room, a wood coffee table is comprised of driftwood pieces with a glass top. The table from At Home is teamed with a sofa and two reading lamps from Richard Tubb.
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“We didn’t do a formal living room, but a reading room instead, ” Jan says. “It’s a great conversation room, small but warm, with wall-to-wall linen silk windowpane drapes in back. It’s casual but gives an elegant feel and brought in creamier yellow to blend with the earth tones. |
“It had been a really awkward space, and I did not know what to do with it, ” Katy says. “When Jan came in, she made it look so beautiful.”
A tapestry by Sally Powell brings in cool blues and mossy greens. The chairs are cane pieces refinished in gunmetal gray, with down-filled cushions covered in a herringbone polished cotton. Like other elements in the home, the reading room is part of a design concept the Bishops find lovable and livable.
The master bedroom on the main level remained untouched in the construction, just getting an interior update.
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A focal piece, an oil painting of geese in flight by Birmingham artist Laura |
The custom headboard in dark slate cut velvet is comprised of three panels and defined with silver nailhead trim. Set between two small windows made use of the natural light while anchoring the bed in the space.
A cozy sitting area includes a desk and two chairs, along with a figure painting that brings a strong turquoise to the soothing space. Beneath the painting, a contemporary lamp on the desk “is a totally modern pop, ” says Jan.
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Also in the master bedroom sitting area is a figure painting by artist Catie Radney, an Alexander City resident, captured Jan’s attention with its subtle splash of turquoise. dkgallery.us |
A mercury glass floor lamp beside the desk and a Lucite ghost chair in front are combined with two antique French chairs, reupholstered in pale gray flannel and positioned on opposite sides of a stool covered with charcoal gray embroidered fabric.
The pewter-sheen bed cover, complements the custom titanium silk drapery with Scalamandre-tape trimmings. A lotus flower fixture in silver hangs above the bed.
“I think the fixture added a little flair to the room, ” Jan says. “It’s romantic, yet cool and edgy.”
“Despite the renovation, this is not a big house, ” Katy says. “But with the smart, thoughtful additions, it fits our family just right.”
RESOURCES
interior design: Jan Ware: WARE DESIGNS 205.585.7891 • janwaredesigns.com front door finish: Daniel Whitsett, PAINTWORKS DESIGN STUDIO paintworksdesignstudio.com • 205.879.2751 den: sconce: VILLAGE FIREFLY 205.870.4560 custom pillows on sofa: through WARE DESIGNS elm vintage coffee table: PIZITZ 850.231.2240 • theseasidestyle.com/pizitz-home-cottage cream pots on the coffee table: RICHARD TUBB INTERIORS 205.324.7613 • richardtubbinteriors.com console: AT HOME: • athome-furnishings.com • 205.879.3510 mirror above console: CENTURIES 205.879.2295 dining room: antique chairs finished by Daniel Whitsett, PAINTWORKS DESIGN STUDIO dining room host and hostess chairs and window drapery by J.F. FABRICS through WARE DESIGNS mirror by LUCY SMITH METALS through WARE DESIGNS library: cypress and glass coffee table: AT HOME: “trees” canvas by Mary Margaret Binkley from ArtVentures through WARE DESIGNS sofa: RICHARD TUBB INTERIORS master bedroom: coverlet by BAG A TELLE 205.414.6001 painting over desk: Monty Stabler Galleries 205.879. 9888 • montystablergalleries.com desk lamp: AT HOME 205.879.3510 • athome-furnishings.com custom Kravet headboard through WARE DESIGNS coverlet: BAG A TELLE painting beside bed: Laura Beers through Jan Ware WARE DESIGNS master lamp and chandelier: VILLAGE FIREFLY remodel by: TWIN CONSTRUCTION 205.802.3920 • twincompanies.com.
by Cara D. Clark, produced by Missie Neville Crawford
