A DEFT REFURBISHMENT

With features missing or unsalvageable, the house needed a facelift-in keeping with the architecture.

- Jaclyn Isaac

I'm an interior designer; my husband, Anthony Frasciello, and I specialize in renovating houses that need a lot of work. We bought this 1910 Free Classic Queen Anne, in Rutherford, New Jersey, and set about recapturing its soul while refreshing the interior for modern living.

At first we hoped to find original elements such as wood floors and tile. Unfortunately, the house had been altered and poorly maintained so we ended up gutting much of it. The stair balustrade, fireplace brick, and beadboard porch ceiling are original, as is the floor plan.