When I first started working on the book , I knew I wanted to shoot some local Rochester homes.  My friend Cheri’s home was a no-brainer.  But I was hoping for at least one more house that I could photograph.  I ended up finding that house in an unexpected way and I thought I would share this curated, traditional home tour with you.

I had been on the hunt for a settee, small sofa, or daybed to fit in the alcove in our master bedroom for a couple of years when I finally tripped across a wonderful antique daybed on Facebook Marketplace…

You can read more about the daybed HERE and the cushion I made for it HERE.

I messaged the seller right away and set up a time to pick it up later that day.

As we drove through the neighborhood, following the GPS to the seller’s house, I pointed at a beautiful house we were slowly passing.  “Oh man, that house is so beautifully done.”  It looked like someone dropped a New England saltbox house into this suburban neighborhood.  Jeff then turned into the driveway of that very house to pick up the daybed.  We met the sellers and did the usual exchange of money and goods and loaded the daybed into the bed of Jeff’s truck.  I couldn’t resist saying, “You have a gorgeous home!”  The sellers thanked me and we parted ways.

That house stuck with me, though.  I wondered what it looked like on the inside and if it might be a good local home for me to shoot.  I loved the traditional style of the outside of the home, but did the inside of the home reflect that?  Would it be totally weird to ask for a photo tour of the home and, if it suited the style of the book, to ask if I can photograph it?

I decided to risk any rejection or awkwardness and sent a message asking if they would send pictures of the interior of their house and if they would be open to the home being photographed for a book.  Not only did they not know me at all (except as someone who bought their daybed off of Facebook Marketplace), but this was the summer of 2020 when people might be hesitant to let someone into their home anyway!

The homeowners were incredibly gracious and sent along a photo tour of their beautiful traditional home and agreed to let me photograph it.  I was planning on just shooting their mudroom.  They had installed cabinetry removed from an old home to make the space functional and beautiful.  I felt like it would fit perfectly in the chapter on The Rest of the Rooms, which covers halls, laundry rooms, entryways, and bathrooms.  I was also going to photograph a unique bathroom vanity for that same chapter.

Since the mudroom was right as I walked in from the garage, I shot that space first.  I brought a few things to style the space and used some of their things as well.  I wanted to showcase their home but also have it feel cohesive with the photographs of the other homes in the book.

The lighting in this room was tricky since light mostly comes into the room from other rooms, but I was pleased with the pictures and angles I got.  I was wedged into the pantry when I took the picture above!

The family had a huge wooden bowl filled with keys and I swapped it out for a smaller transferware dish filled with just a few keys.  I thought the “playhouse” label on one of the keys was so sweet.  That picture didn’t make it into the final copy of the book, but it was one of my favorite small moments in this traditional house tour.

As we made our way upstairs so I could shoot the vanity, I was taken in by all of the details and how this house, which was built in the 1960s, felt much older.  It had a timeless quality and sturdiness that you usually find in old homes, not mid-century suburban houses.  It was the details and decorating that made this house special.  I asked the homeowner about how they’ve transformed the house since they moved in and they shared their love of architecture, antiques, and telling a story through their home.  We also talked about a mutual favorite architecture book that they used as a guide when remodeling their house – .  (It is an excellent book, by the way.)

I was so in love with other rooms in their house that I asked to photograph a few more.  It was spontaneous and I understood if they said no, but they were great sports and allowed me to shoot any spaces I wanted.  I photographed the foyer (above) looking into the living room and a part of the office (below.)

I took a few pictures of the living room fireplace as well…

I enjoyed taking in all of the details of this space.  It felt historic and carefully curated, yet inviting and comfortable.

I also loved how they featured artwork they’ve collected over the years from auctions, estate sales, and antique stores.

They had original antique paintings and portraits hung throughout the house, even in the kids’ bedrooms.

They let their son pick out the wall color in his room and I gave them kudos for allowing him to pick such a bold color.  It is strong, but it really works!

The use of antiques and “precious” things that are usually reserved for non-kid spaces continued and I admired that.  An ornate dresser and a down-cushioned settee furnished a room that would more typically have a racecar bed and Ikea furniture.

The vanity in their daughter’s ensuite bathroom (formerly a master suite) was purchased for a bargain at a salvage store.  It would’ve been more expensive to buy a ho-hum piece from a home store than to purchase this unique marble-topped antique.

I was there to work, but I immensely enjoyed this traditional home tour as an observer and lover of all things home.  It was the kind of work that didn’t feel like work.

You can see more photos and read more about the Noser’s house, featured in this traditional home tour, in my book .