Sometimes a house’s best attributes are related to what has not been done to it rather than what has.

That certainly is the case with the American foursquare-style house built in 1915 on a quiet city street in this community southeast of Madison.

Owned by Jill Kessenich and Steve Tesmer, the 2½-story frame residence still has its original oak woodwork and maple flooring. The straight spindles on the boxy stairway remain unpainted; the transom windows above the doorways allow light to bathe the upstairs rooms, just as they always did.

Even when a chunk of shelving was removed in the dining room many years ago to accommodate a tall china cabinet, the owners at the time saved the piece in the basement so that it could be reinstalled by later occupants.

It’s as if the house was waiting for the couple, whose appreciation for what they have is apparent.

What isn’t original has been replicated, right down to the antique gas stove that fits perfectly into a corner of the kitchen and the claw foot tub that soon will have a place of honor in the newly remodeled upstairs bathroom.

Jill Kessenich runs Clark House Design in Fort Atkinson, specializing in the design of homes in the Arts and Crafts style of the early 20th-century and in period interiors and accessories. She has a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in environment, textiles and design and has undertaken projects around the country and the state. Her husband is a graphic and Web designer.

Together, their vision of what the house could be is coming together nicely.

“When we saw this house, it was the interior that drew us in,” Kessenich says. “No one was living in it at the time and it was sparsely furnished. The walls were white; it was all very plain.

“But the woodwork was untouched, which is so unusual for a house of this age. And even though the overall impression was spartan, it was easy to see the home’s potential.”

Color has helped add warmth, as has a new boiler. Family pieces add character. Pottery and other decorative arts set an Arts and Crafts tone.

The once-spartan house is now extremely livable.

Kessenich sat down with Entrée editor Nancy Herrick on a sunny afternoon to talk about the house that is such an important part of her life.

Q. How long have you lived here? Tell me a little about your home’s size and configuration.

A. We have lived here five years. The house is just under 1,900 square feet, with three bedrooms and a full bath upstairs and a living room, dining room, kitchen, entry hall and half-bath on the first floor. It’s a typical foursquare-style home, which means it is quite symmetrical. If I had designed it originally, I might have relocated the powder room, but of course they didn’t have powder rooms when this house was built in 1915. That was added on.

Q. What about this house made you want to own it?

A. When we decided to buy a house, we looked at 20 houses or so starting in Madison and its suburbs. We quickly realized we would have to look beyond that area to get what we wanted and could afford.

An old house was very important to me. A real fireplace, natural woodwork, some built-ins. The interior of this house drew us in because the Arts and Crafts style is one of my favorites. We saw it on the same day an open house was scheduled. It was an extremely cold day and the house was cold, too, because no one was living here. But we liked what we saw right away on the first floor. And then when I saw the transom windows on the second floor, I really loved it.

Q. What changes did you make after moving in?

A. We painted the interior and exterior, restored the front and rear porches, installed a new boiler, relined the chimney, refinished floors, redid the bathrooms, new wiring. There weren’t any big surprises, but we have done a lot. It was a good, sound building that just needed some TLC.

Q. How do you describe your decorating style?

A. I don’t like to spend a lot of money on furnishings, so that’s a factor. I like both antiques and modern pieces, but none that are on too large a scale. I also don’t ever want the architecture to be overpowered. So I think you could describe the décor as elegant and understated.

Q. What role does the home’s architecture play in your décor?

A. I love the Arts and Crafts style, but the furniture tends to be uncomfortable. So instead, much of our furniture is more traditional rather than purely Arts and Crafts. But there are other Arts and Crafts elements, like the woodwork, that come through nice and strong.

Q. What about color? What role does it play?

A. It plays a major role. I like color because it gives a room a mood, a feel – whether serene or lively or intense. I like earthier colors that allow spaces to flow. And I love just about any shade of green – except maybe mint green. The natural greens, like sage or moss or olive, are among my favorites.

Q. Where do you spend most of your time in the house?

A. Probably in the kitchen. I also love being in the dining room on a weekend morning, drinking coffee and checking e-mail. We love to read in the bedroom, watch movies upstairs. We utilize most of the space.

Even the guest room doubles as a sewing room. I’m interested in learning how to sew, and making curtains and draperies. I love some of the fabrics I’ve seen and would like to be able to use them somewhere around the house.

Q. What about the house best reflects you?

A. Probably the furniture and the decorative art that can be found around the house. But it is the bathroom upstairs that is an expression of my design abilities. I love planning spaces, and when we decided to convert the fourth bedroom to an extension of the bathroom and a walk-in closet, I thought a long time about how best to do that.

Q. Where do you find most of the special things for your house?

A. We have a lot of artwork from friends, and many furniture pieces from grandparents. The Windsor chairs in the living room were made by one of my husband’s relatives. I find smaller pieces at antique stores and I sell some occasional pieces of furniture at my shop.

Q. What plans do you have for the future?

A. I would like to reinstate the colonnade between the living room and the front hall. There is evidence that it existed but was removed. I also would like to reconfigure the patio and walkway in the backyard.

I also am thinking about some sort of three-season room off the dining room. It would take advantage of the eastern and southern light and would utilize some of the dead space in the backyard. Incorporating the existing roof lines would be a challenge.

It’s funny. My husband doesn’t know about this idea at all; I’ve never mentioned it. It will be news to him!

source : www.jsonline.com