{"id":2952,"date":"2024-07-22T07:20:34","date_gmt":"2024-07-21T23:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2024\/07\/22\/the-house-on-dolphin-street-a-remodeling-tale-of-tenacity-and-high-style\/"},"modified":"2024-07-22T07:20:34","modified_gmt":"2024-07-21T23:20:34","slug":"the-house-on-dolphin-street-a-remodeling-tale-of-tenacity-and-high-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/de\/the-house-on-dolphin-street-a-remodeling-tale-of-tenacity-and-high-style\/","title":{"rendered":"Das Haus in der Dolphin Street: Eine Umbaugeschichte von Hartn\u00e4ckigkeit und hohem Stil"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Artist\/illustrator Russell Loughlan is a serial house remodeler who labels his latest project \u201ca total impulse buy.\u201d Located on Dolphin Street in the seaside town of Deal, in Kent, England, the 1768 Georgian row house had been untouched since the 1960s. And to see his fixer-upper now, you can understand why he fell for it. But what began as a cosmetic passion project devolved: this is a tale of hidden rot, rebuilding, and blown budgets. \u201cThe moment I viewed it, I just knew I had to have it,\u201d Russell tells us. \u201cIt broke me financially and mentally, but it was worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For months now, Julie and I have been watching Russell chart his renovation on Instagram @thehouseondolphinst while camping out on friends\u2019 sofas during the messiest stages. He\u2019s now enjoying the results of his work\u2014before succumbing to his next place. Russell has a master\u2019s degree in fine art from Central St. Martins, and, since moving to Deal in 2005, he\u2019s overhauled three houses (the first also on Dolphin Street). He recently thrilled his followers by announcing the launch of his own interior design studio, The House on Dolphin Street. Russell is ready to take on commissions and also to offer color consulting and hands-on styling. Join us for a look at what he can do (and scroll to the end for a glimpse of the project as it was).<\/p>\n

Photography courtesy of Russell Loughlan.<\/p>\n


Above: The four-story structure is on a block of historic fisherman\u2019s houses that ends at the ocean. Shown here, Russell\u2019s shades of blue color tests. What sold him on Deal are the \u201cswatches of pastel-colored Georgian streets\u201d\u2014and the fact that it\u2019s a\u201d long, thin stretch of a town, so no matter where you are, you\u2019re on the beach in minutes.\u201d
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Above: The untouched state of the house was a big selling point for Russell. The structure was designated Grade II\u2014 meaning of historic interest and warranting preservation\u2014and slated to be auctioned, but, as a known real estate junkie in Deal, he was granted an advance look and option to buy.,<\/p>\n

\u201cI ported over a mortgage from the sale of my last property,\u201d says Russell. \u201cIt was a gamble but felt worth it as the resale would far outweigh any issues the house might have\u2014or so I thought. I had a middle-rate survey done, but because the house was covered in layers of paneling, lino, carpets, etc., they couldn\u2019t detect the rot, and the external structure was sound.\u201d One month into the work\u2014after the new kitchen had been installed\u2014plumbers putting in pipes found live woodworms and crumbling rafters. \u201cIt turned out that the inside of the house was essentially a broken umbrella: there was nothing holding the rafters to anything,\u201d Russell told The Modern House offshoot Inigo. \u201cThe roof and every support, ceiling, and floor had to be replaced: our renovation budget was completely blown.\u201d Throwing in the towel didn\u2019t feel like an option\u2014the house wasn\u2019t salable as it was, so Russell refinanced his mortgage, took out bank loans, maxed out his credit cards, and carried on.<\/p>\n


Above: The interior had long ago been stripped of most of its period details. After those unexpected months spent shoring up the building, Russell had his crew focus on re-creating Georgian features starting with the wood paneling: \u201cwe copied the one remaining original piece and replicated it throughout the ground floor.\u201d
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Above: Thanks to Russell\u2019s art background, he is not afraid to make daring color choices. He went with Farrow & Ball paints in their \u201cmodern eggshell\u201d finish: \u201cit has a slight sheen that echos the finishes the Georgians used.\u201d Warm dark colors felt right for the dark and tavern-like downstairs rooms.,

Above: The sofa is a reupholstered eBay purchase and the brass swing light is the Cooper Wall Fitting, \u00a3136, from Pooky. Using sconces rather than overhead lighting, Russell notes, \u201clends itself to the heritage of the building and keeps the rooms cozy and intimate.\u201d
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Above: The parlor\u2019s original restored fireplace is inset with a wood stove.
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Above: The paneling is painted Hardwick White, a warm gray that Farrow & Ball created \u201cto touch up the limewash at Hardwick Hall,\u201d a 16th century National Trust estate in Derbyshire.
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Above: A glazed partition opens the kitchen to the living area and provides a perfect cocktail bar ledge\u2014it was a 1960s addition that Russell decided to keep though it required rebuilding. The ruddy shade used on the paneling is Farrow & Ball\u2019s Picture Gallery Red.,

Above: Russell is constantly switching up the dining ensemble. We like this compact early version with vintage metal folding chairs. See larger and more formal setups @thehouseondolphinst.
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Above: Russell introduced beadboard paneling and used color blocks of blue to create perhaps the most memorable room in the house. The new cabinets are from Wickes and the counter is quartz: after the discovery of woodworm\u2014and the surprise collapse of the floor overhead\u2014all had to be salvaged, stored, and later reinstalled.
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Above: Farrow & Ball\u2019s Hague Blue meets Oval Room Blue on the back wall. The fridge and freezer are tucked under the quartz countertops.
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Above: Moroccan zellige in Transparent Pastel Turquoise from the Mosaic Factory tile the stove wall.,

Above: After painting stripes in the downstairs hall, he kept going upstairs. The blue is Farrow & Ball\u2019s De Nimes.
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Above: The guest room has a nautical theme. The abstract landscape painting is by local artist Ned Kelly. The patchwork quilt came from a shop in Deal and has an unexpected provenance: it\u2019s by Japanese brand BasShu.
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Above: The bedroom came with a fireplace that was little more than a hole in the wall. Russell had his team restore it and add a period mantel purchased on eBay. The new wide-board pine flooring is painted Shaded White and the walls are Shadow White, both from Farrow & Ball.
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Above: The garret is Russell\u2019s art studio\u2014that\u2019s some of his work on the wall. It\u2019s the only room in the house that\u2019s white.,

Above: In contrast to the cozy tavern feel of the ground floor, the upstairs is awash in natural light, which inspired Russell to go with a seaside palette of greens and blues.
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Above: Russell says he has \u201czero talent\u201d when it comes to construction or \u201cany kind of DIY,\u201d but he knows how to paint. Needless to say, applying stripes in rooms with very irregular lines was challenging. Here, he used Farrow & Ball\u2019s Verdigris Green. The black and white tiles are from Fired Earth.
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Above: Russell hand striped his bedroom, too: \u201cit might look crazy but stripes are actually hypnotic and calming,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

Before and In Progress<\/h3>\n


Above: From Russell\u2019s remodeling chronicles\u2014the day he hauled away all of the carpeting.,

Above: Interior paint samples on new paneling.
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Above: The kitchen had a narrow breakfast bar and reeded glass windows, many of which cracked on removal; Russell used the intact panels elsewhere, including in a bedroom vestibule.
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Above: The sink was replaced but the kitchen windows and door remain.
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Above: Creating the stripes involved tape and a lot of careful measuring. \u201cIt\u2019s not wallpaper, dammit!\u201d writes Russell.
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Above: The bathroom nearly finished. <\/p>\n

Russell says he plans to rent out the house for the holidays\u2014and eventually to put it on the market. Stayed tuned @thehouseondolphinst.<\/p>\n

Here are four more remodeling projects with eye-opening color palettes:<\/span><\/p>\n