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The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal •

A $210,000 Home Library Renovation Over a Decade in the Making

When he bought his Akron, Ohio, lakefront home for $450,000 in 2006, the homeowner, a real-estate investor, now in his early 60s, intended to use it as a weekend getaway. Wary of spending too much on an occasional-use property, he decided to put off making any changes. It was a decision he stood by until 2019, when the fading interior coupled with a desire for a primary residence prompted him to reconsider a design refresh.
The Wall Street Journal •

A Minnesota Couple Welcomed Two Bundles of Joy: A New Baby and a $185,000 Kitchen

When a young couple—an actuary and a manager in technology transformation, both in their early 30s—purchased a circa-1970 home in Minnetonka, Minn., for $450,000 in 2019, they knew they’d struck a real-estate jackpot, at least in terms of location. The interior, however, tempered the win. It was cramped, dated, and lacked energy. Recognizing that they needed help, they turned to Instagram.
The Wall Street Journal •

[Print] A Great Room as Entertainer's Paradise

When the homeowners—executives based in Austin, Texas—bought their 10,000-square-foot Wolcott, Colo., home in 2020, it was special in more ways than one. The husband—an investor who works in construction—had grown up in Chicago, and still had friends and family there. Now, as an adult, Wolcott, situated around 116 miles west of Denver, served as the perfect halfway point between Illinois and Texas for him and his wife, an executive at a commercial real estate and property management group, to host friends, family and clients. To help them transform the home into an entertainer’s paradise, they reached out to interior designer Meredith Owen, who previously worked on their Austin home.
The Wall Street Journal •

A Colorado Great Room, Designed From the Rug Up

When the homeowners—executives based in Austin, Texas—bought their 10,000-square-foot Wolcott, Colo., home in 2020, it was special in more ways than one. The husband—an investor who works in construction—had grown up in Chicago, and still had friends and family there. Now, as an adult, Wolcott, situated around 116 miles west of Denver, served as the perfect halfway point between Illinois and Texas for him and his wife, an executive at a commercial real estate and property management group, to ho
The Wall Street Journal •

[Print] A Long-Overdue Reno in Louisville

On a leafy lane in Audubon Park, Louisville, sits a house that looks like it could have once belonged to Rapunzel. With a fairytale turret and Dutch Colonial Revival architecture, the home stands apart from its neighbors. But when Heather and Stefan Rumancik, both 43, purchased the 1930s home in 2009 for $225,000, it was a far cry from its present-day avatar. "We bought the house from its second owners, who had owned it since the 1940s, but the home itself hadn’t been updated in thirty years," says Mrs. Rumancik, a competitive intelligence executive at a pharmaceutical company, who shares the home with Mr. Rumancik and their eleven-year-old daughter, Adrienne.
The Wall Street Journal •

Louisville: Their Home Renovation Was Almost Complete. All That Was Missing Was a Turret.

On a leafy lane in Audubon Park, in Louisville, Ky., sits a house that looks like it could have once belonged to Rapunzel. With a fairy-tale turret and Dutch Colonial Revival architecture, the home stands apart from its neighbors. But when Heather and Stefan Rumancik, both 43, purchased the 1930s home in 2009 for $225,000, it was a far cry from its present-day version.

“We bought the house from its second owners, who had owned it since the 1940s, but the home itself hadn’t been updated in 30 ye
The Wall Street Journal •

[Print] Towson, Maryland: Their Dream Renovation

When they purchased the modest-sized, woodland house from an interior designer in 1999 for $570,000, businessman David Watts and his wife, Nancy—aged 59 and 58 respectively—fell in love with its natural wood finishes, especially the hewn cedar walls and beautiful chestnut beams in the family room. Over the years, they complemented the rustic elements with additions of their own, including naturally shed elk and deer antlers from their property, repurposed as cabinet hardware. “Yet, while the other spaces largely echoed the woods around, the white kitchen stuck out like a sore thumb,” says Mrs. Watts of the Towson, Maryland property.
The Wall Street Journal •

In Maryland, a White Kitchen Goes Au Naturel

When they purchased the modest-sized, woodland house in Towson, Md., from an interior designer in 1999 for $570,000, businessman David Watts and his wife, Nancy Watts—aged 59 and 58, respectively—fell in love with its natural wood finishes, especially the hewed cedar walls and beautiful chestnut beams in the family room. Over the years, they complemented the rustic elements with additions of their own, including naturally shed elk and deer antlers from their property, repurposed as cabinet hardw
The Wall Street Journal •

[Print] This Kitchen is a Calming Oasis

When clinical psychotherapist Elizabeth McIngvale and her oil-and-gas financier husband, Matthew Mackey, both in their 30s, decided to construct a 6,000-square-foot home in Houston’s historic Houston Heights neighborhood, they knew their priorities. “We wanted the interior to be a tranquil haven far removed from the city,” says Dr. McIngvale. Soon after, the couple enlisted interior designer William W. Stubbs, in his 60s, who had served three generations of Dr. McIngvale’s family, and who had known her since she was a little girl.
The Wall Street Journal •

This Houston Kitchen Isn’t Just a Place to Cook—It’s a ‘Calming Oasis’

When clinical psychotherapist Elizabeth McIngvale and her oil-and-gas financier husband, Matthew Mackey, both in their 30s, decided to construct a 6,000-square-foot home in Houston’s historic Houston Heights neighborhood, they knew their priorities. “We wanted the interior to be a tranquil haven far removed from the city,” says Dr. McIngvale. Soon after, the couple enlisted interior designer William W. Stubbs, in his 60s, who had served three generations of Dr. McIngvale’s family, and who had kn