Nestled between a busy thoroughfare and the mangrove edge of Tampa Bay, the Dundee House stretches onto its corner lot. Built in 1927, the house was the first in the neighborhood, designed as an aspirational icon to spur the development of the surrounding land. Almost 100 years later we found peeling surfaces, old wiring, and leaking pipes; but we also saw a strong structure and carefully crafted details.
The home’s embodied energy made it a compelling space to transform into our home and architecture office. We took a surgical approach to the renovation, removing walls only where necessary and paring down spaces to their essentials. Our design celebrates the home’s shell and surfaces while inserting interventions that are colorful and minimalist, aesthetically separate from the historic architecture.
Outside we revealed mullion patterns in the windows by removing decaying aluminum awnings. We washed and repointed the wire cut brick, highlighting its unique golden color and texture. To improve energy efficiency, we replaced ductwork, added insulation, and coated the roof in a reflective fluid applied cap sheet.
In the ballroom, we added linear LED strips, which peek above the crown moulding and illuminate an ornate medallion on the ceiling. While we chose a neutral palette for most of the rooms, we incorporated brighter hues in specific locations to amplify view corridors. We removed a wall in the kitchen to accommodate an island and to connect the space to the living area. There we replaced decaying surfaces with materials that spoke to the room’s original use as an outdoor lanai. In bathrooms, we combined hexagonal tile to reference the home’s original finishes with splashes of color to signal modern interventions.
Living and working at the Dundee House, we are reminded of the craftsmen who carefully laid each brick. The house serves as laboratory and teacher, inspiring our work as we practice the craft of architecture.
