Episode 46 – Renovation Story – Little Cottage in the Woods of Chappaqua

Cover graphic for Talking Home Renovations episode 46 "Renovation Story - Little Cottage in the Woods of Chappaqua". The background is a black and white vintage photo of a cottage.

Architect Mark R LePage joined me on the podcast to share his story of his time at the Little Cottage in the Woods of Chappaqua. View the episode transcript. Mark and his architect wife Annmarie McCarthy brought the cottage back to life in a way that architects can especially appreciate. Something about us wants to help these down-on-their luck houses.

A black and white vintage photo of the white door of a cabin, with diamond-shaped miniature glass panes in the window.
A black and white vintage photo of a little cottage in the woods.
Little Cottage in the Woods of Chappaqua, 1945
A photo of the little cottage in the woods in the present day, now with a second floor added to it.
Before and after second floor addition, front
A photo of the little cottage in the woods in the present day, now with a second floor added to it.
A creepy photo of a room inside an old cottage with multiple antique radiators in it.
A photo inside a nursery which is painted bright red.

I don’t know for sure but I’d guess this is a photo of the nursery before and after. I notice that the after photo has a vent in the floor, which means that they switched to an air system after she painted all those radiators!

A photo of the cottage in the woods on a sunny day.
A photo of the cottage in the woods on a sunny day.
A photo of the front door of the cottage from inside. The door is open, revealing a strikingly geometric custom screen door.
A close-up of an antique glass door knob.
A view from below of an antique chandelier style lighting fixture with yellow glass sconces.

Details from around the house. Love that screen door! Beautiful hardware and lighting fixture also.

A kitchen before a renovation, with purple walls and dated cabinets.
An updated kitchen in an old cottage, with gray trim and white walls and a high-end gas stove.

An updated kitchen in an old cottage, with gray trim and white walls and a high-end gas stove.
An updated kitchen in an old cottage, with gray trim and white walls and an enormous glossy black fridge. Orange bar stools sit under a breakfast nook.

The first photo must be the intermediate/temporary kitchen, followed by images of the new kitchen. What is that flooring in the new kitchen?

A photo of a dining room with high white panels on the walls.

View from the new dining room looking toward the secret passageway to the kitchen- that mirrored back of the hutch opens up to the kitchen. I don’t actually know that for sure but you can see that space open where the stools are in the previous kitchen photos. Nice detail!