“Something old, something new” doesn’t apply only to weddings. It’s also at the heart of this 1870 Victorian Italianate home in Louisville, KY.
The oldest surviving home in the Old Louisville historic district, the 6,000-square-foot house was in need of repairs when Louisville native Ellen Archer and husband Elliot Bright bought it after a decade in London, Elliot’s hometown. “The home had not been renovated for many years and needed an aesthetic and functional refresh,” says designer Bethany Adams. “The original sun porch, now the dining room, was incredibly drafty, making it unusable in the winter months. The kitchen was not at all functional and incredibly dark. Systems needed updating—electrical, HVAC—and the structure needed shoring up.”
At first Ellen and Elliot worked only with an architect and a contractor, planning to decorate the home themselves. But when they ran into a snafu with their choice of kitchen flooring, Ellen called upon neighbor Bethany for help. Rather than the polished concrete they’d requested, Bethany convinced them to use freeze- and thaw-resistant white quartzite tiles they could extend beyond the kitchen into the dining room and the adjacent patio. “Using the same tile inside and out blurs the lines between interior and exterior,” Bethany says. The five pairs of storefront-style glass doors that make up two of the dining room’s walls accentuate the indoor-outdoor feeling.
Beyond implementing practical updates to make the house a livable home, Ellen and Elliot “had a vision of a light, bright, but still historic home, similar to the townhomes of London,” Bethany says. To create a sense of cohesiveness throughout the large house, they opted for a palette dominated by white and black.
Homeowner Ellen Archer and designer Bethany Adams in the home’s kitchen. “Putting the pendants in front of the windows rather than over the island is a feature I’m particularly proud of,” Bethany says. “It’s different, but still looks classic.”
Golden retrievers Harley and Helix take advantage of the seamless flow of the dining room to the patio on a sunny day.
The painting of a cloud atop the mantel captures the dreamy vibe of the white and cream bedroom, one of five bedrooms in the home.
While black and white might seem antithetical to the home’s Victorian style, “a historic home tends to be so rich with detail that it can overwhelm,” Bethany says. “Though it’s fun to look at, very few people actually want to live in Versailles!” The white walls, charcoal doors and millwork, and monochromatic furniture allow the stained-glass windows, tiled fireplace surrounds, picture rails, and other original features to attract attention by whispering rather than shouting.
For instance, the walls in the entry had previously been orange—a color that might have been historically accurate but distracted from the panels of Zuber’s black-and-white Les Courses des Chevaux wallpaper, which was original to the house. “The black paint we chose enhances the drama of entering this stunning house and provides the appropriate sense of constraint, before you enter into the stunning, light, and bright stair hall beyond,” Bethany says.
The three-year renovation gave Ellen and Elliot a home ideal for their growing family (their daughter was born shortly after the kitchen was completed, their son two years later). And it also led to the creation of Ellen’s business, Luxury Rentals Louisville. To help fund the reno, Ellen rented her home to visitors during the Kentucky Derby, as it’s only five minutes from the racetrack. “She was so successful renting her own home that friends and neighbors soon asked her to rent out their mansions for the Derby and other events, and her business was born!” Bethany says.
In one of the first-floor sitting rooms, the Talia Large Glass Chandelier may be contemporary in shape, but it nonetheless references the majesty of the proportions and millwork. Find a similar sofa here and similar armchairs here.
Another of the home’s sitting rooms includes a contemporary white sofa and bucket chairs in addition to the neoclassic black desk and the showstopping crystal chandelier. Find a similar ball pillow here.
“This guest room is entirely Ellen and Elliot’s doing and one of the first rooms they tackled,” Bethany says. “They installed the stamped tin ceiling themselves and painted it black for a cozy contrast to the high ceilings and spaciousness of the home. It is so welcoming, you’d forgive a guest for never wanting to get out of bed!”
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