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Beginning in the Middle

New Property: The Blonde Vic

The Blonde Victorian

27 Jan

Happy 2017 everyone!

Over the past month, Bryan and I have been fielding client inquiries (did you know we now offer services?) and spending lots of time planning for THIS.

Say hello to our newest home.  It was built in 1900 in the King Lincoln District, a neighborhood known for it’s historic homes and rich jazz history.  The home is 3000 sq ft and has 3 stories, 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.  It’s going to be our biggest renovation so far, and we can’t wait to get started.

Having an opportunity to renovate this home brings things full circle for us.  Before we moved to Columbus, we were living in NYC.  I’m from NJ, but Bryan has spent most of his life in Columbus and never stopped paying attention to what was going on here.  He’d check websites like Columbus Underground to stay on top of the latest developments, new restaurants, and neighborhood updates, and never failed to get excited about them.  I admittedly didn’t think too much of it, because I didn’t think it could get better than NY.  One weekend we were back in Columbus visiting Bryan’s family and decided to drive through some of the neighborhoods surrounding Downtown.  We saw people restaurant hopping in the Short North and strolling through Schiller Park in German Village, but what really intrigued us was seeing people renovating boarded up homes in neighborhoods like Olde Towne East and King Lincoln District.  There was an energy and sense of community that neither of us had experienced before.  I started dreaming about living here and bringing an old house back to life.  It felt like it could be a new adventure.  Intentionally or unintentionally, Bryan convinced me that I wanted to be a part of it.

Although we didn’t end up starting our real estate journey in that neighborhood, we’ve kept a close eye on it over the years.   Before selling our Chesterfield Cottage, we decided it was about time to do a project in this neighborhood.  We made an offer on a property and were set to close, but had to back out at the last minute because our Chesterfield sale fell through at the last minute (that was a fun day).  We were really, really bummed about losing that house.

We ended up selling Chesterfield a month later to a different buyer, and a few days later, we received an email from the owners of this house.  They had seen our work on Instagram and wanted it to go to someone who would give it the love it deserved.  It felt like it was meant to be – the house, the timing, everything.  I forwarded the email to Bryan that day with a lot of !!!’s, and we set up a meeting with the seller to see it in person.  He told us a little about how the previous occupants stole a lot of the old doors and banister and other features in the house (sidenote: who steals doors?).  The house was in really bad shape, but had good bones.  We could tell it was a special one and saw so much potential.  We decided to go for it after running some numbers, agreed on a purchase price, and just a few days ago signed papers to make it official!

We’re almost done with our plans and hope to get the ball rolling on the renovation soon.  We’re looking forward to sharing it all with you!  It’s going to be a fun one.

Psst.  There’s more!

  • 1st Floor Before Tour
  • 2nd Floor Before Tour
  • 3rd Floor Before Tour
  • Design Changes

18 Comments

Previous Post: « Before & After: Historic Townhome Tour
Next Post: Renovation Progress: Pearl Guest Suite »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. bekahbeks says

    January 27, 2017 at 6:25 pm

    what kind of crazy person steals doors?!

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 27, 2017 at 6:32 pm

      Haha, I know right?!

      Reply
  2. Betty says

    January 27, 2017 at 8:12 pm

    I can’t wait to see what you do with this gorgeous house!

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 27, 2017 at 9:21 pm

      Thanks Betty! We can’t wait to get started.

      Reply
  3. d. says

    January 27, 2017 at 8:21 pm

    Oh!
    I’m so excited for you…and this beautiful old gem. Can’t wait to see the journey because you do beautiful work. Do you plan to live there??

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 27, 2017 at 9:19 pm

      Thank you! We haven’t decided yet 🙂

      Reply
  4. Amber says

    January 27, 2017 at 8:42 pm

    I am really excited to see the progress on this one! This house seems like it has great bones and your designs are amazing. A perfect match!

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 27, 2017 at 9:17 pm

      Thanks Amber! We’re excited!

      Reply
  5. Robin says

    January 27, 2017 at 9:54 pm

    Oh this is going to be GOOD!!! ????????????????

    Reply
  6. Jacqueline says

    January 27, 2017 at 10:04 pm

    I love the story and the passion. I am SO excited for you both!!

    Reply
  7. kristin says

    February 3, 2017 at 12:50 pm

    Love hearing the story behind how you moved to Columbus. You have such clever ideas I figured it was time to follow along and get the details on your blog as well as Instagram.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      February 4, 2017 at 6:40 pm

      You’re too kind. Thanks for following along, Kristin!

      Reply
  8. Elizabeth Burns says

    February 13, 2017 at 6:11 pm

    I got goosebumps reading how this all fell into place! That house is lucky to have you guys. This reno will be one for the books, fo sho 😉

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      February 13, 2017 at 8:09 pm

      Aww, thanks Elizabeth! It’s going to be a special one 🙂

      Reply
  9. Linda says

    April 8, 2017 at 3:42 pm

    I just found your blog. I have house envy for sure! I have always wanted to restore a Victorian.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      April 8, 2017 at 5:10 pm

      Thanks Linda! We feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to do this one ????

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Progress + Inspo: The Blonde Vic Kitchen | Beginning in the Middle says:
    February 21, 2019 at 1:04 pm

    […] New Property: The Blonde Vic […]

    Reply
  2. The Village Host: A Furniture Refresh with Crate and Barrel | Beginning in the Middle says:
    August 22, 2019 at 8:14 pm

    […] And at our Pearl duplex, before we converted this space into a bedroom, we had a Crate twin sleeper sofa in here as well as a wool pouf (which we brought with us to The Vic). […]

    Reply

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Deep in design mode these next few weeks as we not Deep in design mode these next few weeks as we not-so-patiently wait to close on our next project (!!!) It’ll be a mix of all of the things we’ve been doing for the last 7 yrs, but also something we’ve never done before. ☺️ Any guesses??#theblondevicDesign + reno: @beginninginthemiddle 📸 @alliepal
Those in between spaces need love too 🖤 #theblo Those in between spaces need love too 🖤 #theblondevic #beforeandafter Thanks for perfectly capturing this for us @alliepal 🤗
Same view, 4 years later ♥️ #theblondevic #bef Same view, 4 years later ♥️ #theblondevic #beforeandafter 📸 @linea.photo Styling: @ma2thewjg For @hgtvmagazine
Just a family, posing for a photo, trying to stay Just a family, posing for a photo, trying to stay still and smile all at once ☺️ Thank you for your shares and likes and kind words on our magazine feature this week. Feelin the love and so grateful for your support! 📸 @linea.photo for @hgtvmagazine
Late afternoon light brings out all the pretty gre Late afternoon light brings out all the pretty green in our kitchen 🖤 We DIYd the reeded detail on the island with thin wood dowels and a pin nailer! #theblondevic 📸 @linea.photo, styling by @ma2thewjg for @hgtvmagazine Cabinet color: Behr Black Sable
Surprise! We have a spread in the March issue of H Surprise! We have a spread in the March issue of HGTV magazine and our living room MADE THE COVER 🎉 @ma2thewjg and the styling team worked their magic to bring springy vibes & lots of fun color into #theblondevic, and @linea.photo captured everything beautifully. So thankful we could bring this home back to life, and excited we can share it with all of you! #hgtvmagazine #victorian
We swapped another switch in our house to a @lutro We swapped another switch in our house to a @lutronelectronics Caséta Smart Dimmer Switch, which allows us to control our lights remotely from the Lutron app, set lighting schedules, and create “scenes” that automatically adjust multiple lights in a room — no matter if we’re home or not. Our parlor chandelier dims down to 15% around sunset every evening (we also have our kitchen pendants set to turn on at 6am so we never have to walk into a dark kitchen in the morning!). The added control and convenience over our lighting is so nice, and being able to schedule them to come on/off throughout the day gives us extra security when we’re not home! #turnonpeaceofmind #sponsored
All new, but make it look old ☺️ #whitecapecot All new, but make it look old ☺️ #whitecapecottage #beforeandafter

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