When Mrs. Braemeyer first contacted me, she said something very direct: she thought her house was ugly.
Her main concern was the front porch. It was deteriorating badly and beginning to pull away from the house. She wanted it removed, and she wanted something simpler in its place, along with a small front garden that would make the home feel more welcoming.
What I saw was something very different.
Beneath years of neglect and poorly considered alterations was a beautiful brick townhouse with strong original character. Its best architectural features had been obscured by layers of old paint and an added wrought iron porch that did not belong to the house. Behind that addition were elegant brick corbelling, stone window sills, and a wood cornice that once gave the façade its identity.
The goal was not to reinvent the house, but to reveal it.
The design approach began with removing the failing porch addition and replacing it with a more appropriate covered stoop. The masonry required significant attention, including brick repair, repointing, and removal of old paint that had long concealed the richness of the original red brick. The cornice, which had begun to sag over time, also needed careful restoration.
Material selection was especially important. Because the house had such a strong masonry presence, the new stoop needed to feel substantial and permanent without competing with the original façade. A dark brick was selected for the new base and garden walls, creating contrast while still complementing the red brick of the home. Grey sandstone was used at the steps to relate back to the existing stone sills, and the trim and cornice were finished in white to highlight the restored architectural details.
The new front garden, one of Mrs. Braemeyer’s priorities from the beginning, was framed by simple black iron fencing and brick piers that helped define the entrance without overpowering it.
In the end, the project was less about adding something new than about restoring balance. By removing the wrong elements and reinforcing the right ones, the house regained its character, presence, and sense of dignity.
