When Susan and Bob Fisher decided to move from a sprawling five-bedroom house on the outskirts of Sag Harbor, New York, into the village proper, they found exactly what they were looking for: a two-story shingled house on a quiet street that allowed them to walk to restaurants, shops, and their business, Fishers Home Furnishings. What they discovered, however, was that their new home was not the period antique it appeared to be. The house was a meticulous rebuild of an 1873 structure that had been so water-damaged it was deemed unsafe. Working with architect Peter Price and contractor Mike Kelley, the Fishers undertook a renovation that preserved historic character while adapting the floor plan for modern living. Their approach – opening up cramped spaces, reconfiguring rooms within the existing footprint, and selecting finishes that bridge past and present – offers a master class in thoughtful period-house renovation. For homeowners tackling similar projects, investing in Whole House Custom Cabinetry Comprehensive Guide resources can provide valuable direction when planning built-ins and storage solutions that complement an older home’s layout.
Preserving Historic Character While Modernizing Layout
The Fishers’ house blends seamlessly into Sag Harbor’s historic fabric, despite being only a quarter-century old. When the original 1873 home was deemed unsafe in the 1990s, town officials allowed a rebuild under strict conditions: save what could be salvaged and preserve the spirit of the original. The result incorporated vintage pine floors, original fireplaces, a claw-foot tub, old brick walls, and salvaged doors throughout. This approach to preservation-by-reuse is a powerful strategy for homeowners who want the soul of an old house without the structural headaches. For more inspiration on blending traditional aesthetics with modern floor plans, this Fhb House Video Custom Traditional House Planned Community tour shows another example of how period-inspired design can work in a planned setting.
Key lessons from their preservation strategy include:
- Salvage before sourcing new. Original materials that survived the water damage became the foundation of the home’s character. Vintage pine boards were reused throughout, and original fireplaces were restored rather than replaced.
- Match new work to old proportions. When new flooring was needed, the contractor feathered in salvaged pine boards and color-matched them with stain, replicating the random widths of existing boards (which ranged from 6 to 20 inches wide).
- Respect the streetscape. The modest street-facing facade was preserved in scale and proportion, allowing the house to remain visually consistent with neighboring 18th and 19th-century homes on small village lots.
This philosophy of retaining as much original fabric as possible creates an authenticity that new construction, no matter how well executed, cannot replicate. The Fishers’ home proves that even a complete rebuild can retain a period soul when original materials are treated as precious resources rather than disposable components.
Kitchen Reconfiguration: From Peninsula to Open Plan
The most transformative change in the Fishers’ renovation was the kitchen. The existing layout featured a peninsula that cut the cooking space off from the adjacent dining room, creating a closed-off feel that did not suit the couple’s lifestyle. Susan Fisher, who cooks often for her visiting grandchildren and enjoys entertaining, wanted one large open space separated only by a kitchen island. The peninsula removal required a complete gut remodel, but the result transformed how the family uses the ground floor. The team opted for painted maple cabinetry with a mix of glass-front and solid doors, with some shallow upper cabinets creating a hutch-like effect. For homeowners selecting cabinet styles for a similar project, The Flush Fit Cabinet A Complete Guide To Frameless Cabinet Construction For Custom Woodworking offers useful details on achieving the clean, furniture-like look that suits period homes.
The kitchen renovation in numbers:
| Element | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Peninsula blocking sightlines | Large island with seating |
| Countertops | Standard granite | 2-inch Vermont Danby marble slab |
| Cabinetry | Standard stock cabinets | Painted maple, custom depths |
| Flooring | Existing salvaged pine | Re-matched salvaged pine |
| Ceiling treatment | Plain drywall | Custom crown molding |
| Appliances | Builder-grade | Professional Viking suite |
The combination of thick marble countertops with painted cabinetry and stainless appliances creates a kitchen that feels both historically appropriate and thoroughly modern. The crown molding addition along the ceiling, which the architect insisted upon, ties the new kitchen visually to the more formal rooms in the house.
Maximizing Space Without Building an Addition
One of the most instructive aspects of the Fishers’ project is how much they achieved within the existing footprint. Rather than building an addition to accommodate a larger master bath, architect Peter Price devised a plan to combine two existing bathrooms and eliminate a linen closet. This reconfiguration required reframing and carving out a smaller hall bath between the remaining two bedrooms. The design thinking extended to bringing light into windowless spaces – contractor Kelley cut operable skylights into both shower ceilings, which required roof reframing and reshingling. When making decisions about cabinetry and storage for such compact renovations, researching Choosing Kitchen Cabinetry Stock Semi Custom Custom Options helps clarify which storage approach works best for tight spaces.
Space-saving strategies used in this renovation:
- Combine underutilized rooms. Two bathrooms plus a closet became one spacious master bath without changing the home’s footprint.
- Create shared infrastructure. The remaining bedrooms share a hall bath carved from the old space, with a skylight providing natural light to the interior room.
- Use vertical daylighting. Skylights in showers bring sunshine into spaces that would otherwise be dark, reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day.
- Repurpose vertical space. Above the new guest bedroom, a display niche adds architectural interest without sacrificing floor area.
This approach of reconfiguring rather than adding is especially valuable on small village lots where setbacks and historic district rules limit expansion. The Fishers gained a luxurious master suite and a functional guest bath without adding a single square foot to the home’s envelope.
Finishing Unfinished Spaces for Year-Round Living
Two previously wasted spaces became valuable living areas in this renovation: the dark, dank basement and the detached garage. The basement finishing project involved framing in ceiling HVAC ductwork and building walls to partition off an office or den, a laundry room, a media room, and a play area for the Fishers’ grandchildren. This added substantial functional space to what had been an unpleasant storage area. Meanwhile, the freestanding single-car garage was transformed into a full pool house with heating, air conditioning, radiant floor heating, and a full bathroom tied into the main water line.
Details of the pool house conversion:
- The original garage doors were retained as faux fronts hiding trash and recycling storage
- The actual entrance was moved to the side of the building
- Radiant heat flooring was installed, allowing grandchildren to use the pool well into autumn
- French doors lead from the pool house to the patio and pool area
- An arbor draped with vines shelters an outdoor dining table adjacent to the pool house
- Bluestone pavers under the arbor echo the front walkway, tying the landscape together
The basement provided additional finished living space, while the pool house added a stylish entertaining hub. Together these transformations brought the home’s total living space to 3,500 square feet across three levels – all within the original footprint of the property.
Selecting Finishes That Bridge Past and Present
The Fishers’ design palette is a study in restraint. Throughout the house, neutral tones dominate – Benjamin Moore’s White Dove on woodwork, Patriotic White on walls, Linen White in the kitchen – punctuated by luminous blue and coral accents in pillows, artwork, and accessories. This approach allows the architectural details to take center stage while creating a calm, cohesive backdrop for the couple’s furniture collection. The two-piece crown molding, refined fireplace mantel with flat-panel detailing, and bluestone fire surround add layers of interest that a more aggressive color scheme would overwhelm.
Material selections that bridge old and new:
- Vermont Danby marble. A classic material used in a modern way – 2-inch-thick slabs that cap both the perimeter counters and the kitchen island.
- Salvaged white-pine flooring. Random-width boards (6 to 20 inches wide) that required careful matching and staining when new sections were installed.
- Green glass tile. In the guest bath shower, a contemporary material that picks up the coastal palette without feeling out of place in a period home.
- Bluestone pavers. Used both for the fireplace surround indoors and the walkways outdoors, creating continuity between interior and exterior spaces.
- Pale Roman shades and shutters. Window treatments that keep rooms bright while providing privacy from the street, with the lower sash shutters allowing flexible light control.
The color palette and material choices in the Fishers’ home demonstrate that period renovations do not require museum-like fidelity to historical finishes. Thoughtful selections that respect the building’s origins while acknowledging how people actually live today produce spaces that feel both authentic and comfortable.
Conclusion
The Fisher house renovation offers valuable takeaways for any homeowner considering a period property. The project succeeded because the team approached the house as an evolving structure rather than a static artifact – they preserved what gave it soul (the vintage floors, the brick walls, the salvaged doors) while boldly reconfiguring what did not work (the closed-off kitchen, the cramped bathrooms, the wasted basement and garage). As the couple’s interior designer John Bjornen observed, when the Fishers moved back to the village, they renovated not only the house but also their lives. For homeowners exploring how to achieve similar results with their own projects, guidance on Exterior And Interior Finishes For Custom Homes Design Lessons From The Kentucky Fine Homebuilding House provides additional perspective on selecting materials that stand up to daily use while honoring a home’s architectural heritage.
The three biggest lessons from the Fisher renovation can be applied to almost any older home: reconfigure before you add on, salvage everything you can, and let neutral finishes provide the canvas for carefully chosen accents. By following these principles, the Fishers created a home that feels both historically grounded and perfectly suited to the way they live today.