When Nick and Emily Deldon purchased their 1909 Arts and Crafts house in Arlington, Massachusetts, they knew the home held enormous potential beneath its aging surfaces. After a decade of house hunting and three more years living with the cramped galley kitchen, dark rooms, and awkward circulation, they finally moved out so that the renovation could begin. The goal was ambitious: create an open, family-friendly layout without sacrificing the traditional craftsmanship that gave the house its character. The result is a home where children run laps from kitchen to dining room to front foyer while adults gather around the island, and where every restored surface tells a story. This project shows how Arts and Crafts meets modernism in a way that respects the past while serving the present.
Opening the Floor Plan with Structural Steel
The most transformative decision in this renovation was not about finishes or fixtures. It was about a single piece of steel. A 28-foot-long, 10-inch-high, 1,000-pound steel I-beam replaced the original rear wall, making possible an 890-square-foot, three-story rear addition that fundamentally changed how the family uses the house. Without that beam, the open plan connecting kitchen, dining room, and family room would not have been possible.
Before the addition, the Deldons suffered through a cramped 1960s galley kitchen, a walled-off living room that blocked circulation, a decrepit side deck, and an awkward mudroom entry that made coming home feel like an obstacle course. The rear addition solved all of these problems at once. On the first floor, it created a large open-plan kitchen flowing into a window-lined family room. On the second floor, it made room for a master bath. On the third floor, it provided a light-filled craft and play space for the family.
The family room extends 14 feet into the backyard with a vaulted ceiling designed to be the focal point of the main living area. Arts and Crafts automobiles from the early twentieth century shared design principles with these houses: honest materials, visible structure, and purposeful lines. The steel beam embodies that same philosophy in a modern idiom, doing its job openly rather than hiding inside a wall.
- New 28-foot steel I-beam replaced the original load-bearing rear wall
- 890-square-foot addition spans three floors at the rear of the house
- First-floor family room extends 14 feet into the backyard
- Vaulted ceiling accommodates a fireplace and chimney in the family room
- Third-floor addition created a dedicated craft and play space
Why Restoring the Original Woodwork Was the Right Call
Every period home renovation presents a tension between lightening the interior and preserving original fabric. The Deldons initially planned to paint the living room woodwork white, a common strategy for brightening dark front rooms. But painting contractor Mauro Henrique suggested an experiment first. He stripped one section of the living room’s original white oak wainscoting, which had grown dark over decades of oxidation and accumulated finish layers, and asked Emily and interior designer Jill Goldberg to take a look. The moment they saw the bare oak, the plan changed.
The original white oak was too beautiful to cover. High performance house design does not have to mean abandoning historic materials. The stripped wainscot, ceiling coffers, and crown molding received a matte-finish water-based polyurethane clear coat that preserves the lighter, natural look of the wood while protecting it for daily use. The same approach was applied to the original flooring: white oak on the first floor and birch on the second were sanded and sealed with two coats of a self-sealing water-based clear finish that simulates bare wood without yellowing over time.
| Surface | Original Material | Treatment | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Living room wainscot | White oak | Stripped of old finish | Matte water-based polyurethane |
| Ceiling coffers | White oak | Stripped and cleaned | Matte clear coat |
| Crown molding | White oak | Stripped and cleaned | Matte clear coat |
| First-floor flooring | White oak | Sanded and leveled | Water-based clear seal |
| Second-floor flooring | Birch | Sanded and leveled | Water-based clear seal |
This restoration-first approach honors the Arts and Crafts principle that materials should be expressed honestly. As Tom Silva noted, having these wood surfaces restored instead of covered up is always worth the extra effort in a house from this era. The lighter clear-coat finish achieves the brightness the family wanted without erasing the history embedded in the wood itself.
A Kitchen That Serves Both Cooking and Gathering
The kitchen is the heart of the Deldon renovation, and its design reveals how carefully the team balanced period character with modern function. The expansive oak island runs parallel to a working wall of cabinets, creating a natural flow for both cooking and socializing. A marble countertop provides generous prep space, while double ovens and a gas cooktop anchor the cooking zone beneath a showpiece vent hood made of nickel silver and brass over a stainless steel liner.
Designer Heather Kraussé combined brush-painted white perimeter cabinets with a whitewashed oak island. The island oak is rift-sawn rather than quarter-sawn, producing a clean-lined straight grain that reads as contemporary while still referencing the house’s original woodwork. The custom finish uses a water-based dye sealed with flat-sheen urethane, giving the island a delicately bleached appearance that keeps the space light and airy. Swedish Arts and Crafts kitchen design employs a similar approach, combining pale cabinetry with natural wood accents to maintain warmth without heaviness.
- Marble-topped island runs parallel to the cooking wall for efficient workflow
- A lower section of the island functions as a dedicated baking center for the family’s daughter
- Nickel-silver and brass vent hood serves as the kitchen’s architectural focal point
- Rift-sawn white oak on the island provides a straight grain with contemporary appeal
- Brush-painted white perimeter cabinets keep the footprint feeling open and bright
- Built-in banquette under a bank of windows creates a casual eating area
A butler’s pantry with floor-to-ceiling cabinets helps minimize kitchen clutter, keeping countertops clear for actual cooking. The pantry houses a coffee system, beverage refrigerator, and extra counter space, functioning as a staging area for meals and entertaining. Clear glass pendants above the kitchen table maintain sightlines through the open plan, reinforcing the visual connection between the kitchen, family room, and dining area.
Modern Mechanical Systems Supporting a Period Home
Making a 1909 house comfortable by modern standards required more than surface upgrades. The renovation addressed the mechanical systems comprehensively, starting with a super-efficient gas-fired condensing boiler. As Richard Trethewey explained, the boiler is just one part of the equation. Better insulation, new windows, and right-sizing the heating system all contribute to the overall comfort and energy performance of the house.
Spray-foam insulation from Icynene was installed throughout the renovated areas, filling gaps that old fiberglass batts could never seal. Double-pane, aluminum-clad Marvin wood windows replace the original single-pane units, dramatically reducing heat loss while maintaining the exterior appearance appropriate to the Arts and Crafts style. The combination of air sealing, upgraded insulation, and high-performance windows means the house heats more evenly and costs significantly less to operate than before.
The second-floor master bath takes a thoroughly modern approach to comfort. A shower with touch-screen controls integrates sound, water, steam, and lighting features, while a hydrotherapy tub offers sound vibrations and massaging bubbles. A remote-controlled shade above the tub adds convenience. Kohler fixtures throughout the bath maintain a clean, cohesive look that does not compete with the period details found elsewhere in the house.
| System | Upgrade | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Heating | Gas-fired condensing boiler | Higher efficiency, lower operating cost |
| Insulation | Spray foam throughout renovated areas | Air sealing, consistent indoor temperature |
| Windows | Double-pane aluminum-clad wood | Reduced heat loss, maintained exterior style |
| Bathroom | Touch-screen shower controls | Integrated steam, sound, and lighting |
| Ventilation | Panasonic vent fans | Quiet operation, moisture control |
The existing roof was deteriorating beyond repair and was replaced as part of the renovation. Right-sizing the heating system to match the improved building envelope means the boiler runs less frequently and at higher efficiency, a textbook example of why mechanical upgrades should follow air-sealing work rather than precede it.
Exterior Restoration and Landscape That Complete the Picture
The exterior of the Arlington house received as much attention as the interior. New red cedar shingle siding replaced dried-out shingles that were beyond repair. PVC trim from Azek provides durable, maintenance-free edges around windows and doors. The gable ends received a traditional splash stucco finish, and a dramatic new entry porch reestablishes the front elevation as the welcoming face of the house. Timberlane shutters and Benjamin Moore paint complete the exterior palette.
Landscape architect Kim Turner designed the outdoor spaces to extend the family’s living area into the yard. A brick patio laid in a herringbone pattern sits just outside the family room French doors, easily accessible for everyday use and large enough for entertaining. Plantings around the perimeter of the yard add privacy, while landscape lighting from Commonwealth Landscape Lighting ensures the outdoor spaces remain usable after dark. The fence from Walpole Outdoors defines the property line without blocking light or views.
The new mudroom entry deserves special mention because it solved one of the family’s most persistent frustrations. The old mudroom was dark and cramped and led into a carpeted playroom that could never stay clean, especially with a Newfoundland named Soleil coming in from outside. The new tiled mudroom is spacious, easy to clean, and provides a proper transition between outdoors and indoors. It is the kind of practical improvement that makes daily life measurably better without grabbing attention in photographs.
Both the third-floor craft room and the existing office received shiplap-style painted pine walls and ceilings, tying the upper levels together visually. The craft room became a bright, casual space for Serafina, while the office retained its function as a work-from-home spot with improved finishes and better natural light from a new window.
Lessons from the Arlington Arts and Crafts Renovation
The Deldon renovation offers a template for anyone considering a whole-house restoration of a period home. Start with structure: a steel beam can unlock floor plans that were never possible in the original configuration. Test before committing: a one-square-foot strip of stripped wainscot changed the entire direction of the interior design. Prioritize the kitchen: it is the room where modern family life happens, and getting it right transforms how the whole house functions. Designing a period appropriate kitchen for an Arts and Crafts bungalow requires balancing historic character with modern function, and the Deldon kitchen demonstrates how that balance is achieved through careful material choices and thoughtful layout.
The renovation required eight months of work and touched every surface of the house, from the roof down to the foundation. But the result is a home where nothing feels forced. The open plan does not compete with the period woodwork. The modern master bath does not undermine the traditional craftsmanship expressed elsewhere. The brick patio extends the living space naturally rather than feeling like an afterthought. As Nick Deldon said after the dust settled, the family finally has the setup to enjoy great times with friends and family at home. That is the ultimate measure of success for any renovation, and it is a standard every period home project should aim to meet.