Old Becomes New

houzz updates a family home
There are parts of Emily Elmore’s South City house that remain unchanged—the basement, for instance, where her grandfather set out a train each Christmas and poured drinks for guests from his wood-paneled bar. Those panels have never been painted, and the 1970s barstools are the very same ones Elmore sat on as a child, swinging her legs, soaking up the warm feeling of ‘home.’

But upstairs, it’s a new day: Elmore’s 1950s ranch recently was the subject of My Houzz, a video series presented by Houzz Inc. that follows celebrities as they renovate the home of someone meaningful to them. Elmore’s sister, Jenna Fischer (who played Pam on the popular NBC comedy The Office) worked with St. Louis company Karr Bick Kitchen & Bath to transform parts of the house over eight weeks last fall, bringing it squarely (and beautifully) into the 21st century.

“Four generations of Fischers have lived in this house, so this renovation was incredibly special to all of us,” Fischer says. “Houzz helped me create my sister Emily’s dream home, one that is perfect for her and her family.”

Elmore and her husband first took over the house when her grandmother moved into a retirement community. “The house was her last connection to my grandfather, and she didn’t want to sell it,” Elmore explains. After her grandmother died in 2008, Elmore used her inheritance to purchase the home.

“It was a very emotional project,” says Karr Bick president Jenny Rausch. “There is such attachment to the house, and we needed to be sensitive to that.” Indeed, not only have four generations lived here, but the Fischer sisters’ grandfather—an engineer—built the home himself, tweaking the builder’s original blueprint and putting his own stamp on the floor plan. The layout, Elmore explains, was no longer conducive to today’s lifestyles. While it was important for the 1950s household to keep a messy kitchen behind closed doors, the less formal families of today prefer an open plan. “My question always was, ‘Do I burn the dinner or make sure my children are still alive?’” jokes Elmore, who teaches third grade.

Rausch—also a mom—recognized Elmore’s needs right away. “As working parents with two small kids, they needed organization and an easier way to function in a tight space,” she says. “We wanted to open everything up, break down those 1950s barriers.” She also had to consider Elmore’s husband and children. “I knew it needed to be durable and not too feminine,” she says.

Meanwhile, Elmore and her family moved in with her parents during the renovation, and had no inkling about the extent of the changes her sister and Houzz Inc. had planned. “Jenna and I would giggle,” Rausch says. “Emily would call and talk about where to put the old blinds, but meanwhile, there was a dumpster in the front yard and all the doors and windows were gone!” Removing interior walls between the kitchen, dining and living areas has enabled the family to come together and interact even when dinner is being prepared. All new appliances make for easier living, as does built-in cabinetry. While Elmore says she couldn’t conceive of altering the basement—tampering with all those happy memories—she is completely delighted with the first floor. “I love it all,” she beams.