See this newly renovated kitchen on the Museum District Mother's Day Home & Garden Tour on May 14. (Photo courtesy Museum District Association)
Forget brunch or a relaxing spa day — this Mother’s Day, treat your mom to a tour of nine homes and gardens during the Museum District Mother’s Day House & Garden Tour on May 14. Now in its 23rd year, this annual celebration supports the historic Museum District neighborhood's projects and organizations.
Tour properties range from an artist-owned condo in Tuscan Villas on Boulevard to 100-year-old properties that still retain many of their original architectural features and the colorful and eclectic home of April Straus and Bobby Hicks of Bobby + April Real Estate. The tour also includes the chapel and gardens at St. Gertrude High School. While the tour is walkable, tour-goers also can ride a trolley that will make a continuous loop between houses from 1 to 6 p.m.
“I think the tour serves as an ambassador for a historic neighborhood,” says M.A. Powers, Museum District Association board president. “It highlights for people why it is important for these homes to be maintained and preserved. It is also a great opportunity to see how you can live in a house that is 100 years old and make it suitable for today’s lifestyle.”
One such home can be found at 3123 Stuart Ave. Its owner, Jason Dufilho, an architect with BCHW, has made numerous renovations to the 1921 brick house to transform it into a sleek and modern home while still respecting its original architecture.
“Historic architecture has a richness to it,” he says, “and the best way to highlight it is to give it a little contrast. I like things clean and simple, bright.”
Dufilho has done most of the work on his home himself, including a recent kitchen renovation that features cast-concrete counters and sinks, and a dining table he made from reclaimed joists and studs saved during the renovation.
“The goal was to open up the house and bring light into the front of the house,” he says of the project, which included removing a wall. He bleached the wood floors to bounce light around and also adheres to a minimalist aesthetic that keeps things airy and light.
“A lot of the [design] decisions were cost-driven,” he says. “The kitchen has solid brass hardware that I made myself. It is so expensive to buy ready-made brass hardware. Each piece I made came in under $10. The concrete work I did was less than $500, and I repurposed a lot of materials and used economical construction techniques.” The tour will include a look at Dufilho's spectacular brand-new patio, complete with a brick fireplace he constructed with bricks reclaimed from the kitchen renovation.
The modern update to this classic house will serve as a backdrop to showcase the work of local artists who have donated pieces for display and purchase on the day of the tour.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the tour. Get more details here.
