Bringing a Pedigree to an 'Old Shady Dog'

When Candida DeLago and David Schwartz first bought their century-old home on Estaugh Avenue two decades ago, it was not a pretty sight–or site.

“Our neighbor used to call this house ‘the old shady dog,’” said DeLago. “It was dark and smelly and dirty.”

Shrubs obscured the front of the home, maybe not such a bad thing given the state of the house, but the overgrown plantings hid the home’s potential.

Slowly, over many years, the couple improved the home, inside and out.

Asbestos siding was removed. New exterior paint highlighted the beauty of an architectural style called American Foursquare, one known for its practical box shape, a design typically lacking the gingerbread embellishments of Victorian homes.

Heat was upgraded and central air conditioning added. Research revealed the kind of mahogany door that would have greeted passersby in decades past and it was installed.

Inside, DeLago, who is an interior designer, set about making changes both practical and stylish.

Extraneous interior doors were removed and spaces rearranged. She altered a front hallway with low-slung half-walls that added storage and design accents

“I wanted to define it,” said DeLago of the hallway, “and I wanted to add more architectural detail.”

In removing some doors and rearranging some spaces, DeLago guaranteed better flow throughout the downstairs. Case in point: A door originally led from the dining room directly to a powder room. Now, the powder room is behind a dramatic, wainscoted dining room wall, reached via a small rear entranceway/mudroom.

Above the wall, a transom of windows allows light to filter in. The wall is painted a deep taupe, a cool and sophisticated color used in different intensities throughout the downstairs.

“I really feel if you have a continuation of a palette, it makes the space feel as one big space instead of a lot of little rooms,” said DeLago.

The hues, said DeLago, help create a calm environment.

The kitchen was completely updated, but DeLago opted not to snare space from the dining room to expand a modest kitchen.

“I love having a formal dining room,” said DeLago. “I use it a lot.”

Although the house has five bedrooms, rooms aren’t large and the downstairs is not big, especially when compared to the sprawling Victorians on Kings Highway. And there is no family room, a staple of a more modern home.

In the living room, Roman shades provide basic privacy.

“I like Roman shades in these old windows because you can see the molding. I think that’s part of the charm of the house.”

DeLago is part of a family keenly interested in art. Her husband teaches film at Drexel University, and her daughter is an art student in New York. As an interior designer, she appreciates her home’s interesting details–a dining room window seat, the tile on the fireplace that mimics the look of a tin ceiling.

As for advice she might give to others seeking to re-do and maintain an old home, she says this: “It’s a lifetime commitment. It really is. You have to love it. You have to put so much into it.”

While she loves her home, DeLago’s thinking she might be ready for a new challenge.

“I want to buy a little bungalow, gut it and have open-space living,” she said.

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