Circus Gothic

For the Circus House, Fritz's goal was to honor the history while adapting it for current living as the best way to ensure the future for this well-known home, rather than re-producing lost details.  First, he addressed the chief functional issue to sensitively shift the family hub from the original kitchen location to what had been the dining room.  Since the home went through years of institutional use, he could do this without removing original details that were lost decades before.  Instead, he took the opportunity to re-interpret the home’s gothic details in a new context in the kitchen, inserting the appliance bank in the location of the lost built-ins.  This allowed a generous island to hold court where a dining table would have been.

BrieF:

New custom kitchen design with butler's pantry

Integrated lighting, including back-lit onyx

New Media room with cherry casework & tufted nailhead lighting valence

Library/Study with curved ironwork book-cases in the turret, Bradbury & Bradbury wall-covering

Re-imagined tented sitting room in turret as a nod to the home's circus past

Master Bedroom featuring architectural salvage Victorian balustrade & built-ins