The purchase of a new home is often an emotional rollercoaster, tinged by both joy and regret, and the process was no different for North Shore couple Nick and Annie Blair, who have spent the last year and a half renovating their midcentury modern abode.
The pair, who share four children, lived in a midcentury house just down the street, but had long admired their future home from afar.
“Nick had always told me about this house – and that it had a courtyard inside and a bomb shelter in the basement,” explains Annie. “We loved our old house, but Nick always said the only house he would ever leave our [old] house for was this house.”
And so, in a very neighborly way, Annie approached the former owner while she was walking her dog, casually mentioned their interest, and asked if she’d ever sell and grant them first right of refusal. She agreed, and two years later the home was theirs.
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Designed by architect Roland Kurtz, the house was built in 1961 for Louise and Ralph Eder, who relocated to Milwaukee from the North Shore of Chicago to raise their four children. (Interestingly, Louise’s grandfather, Max Adler, donated the Adler Planetarium to the city of Chicago, and the Eders were well-regarded locally for their philanthropic efforts.)
Its second owner kept nearly every detail untouched, says Annie, which meant the potential was limitless – but perhaps overwhelmingly so. “The house was in disrepair when we bought it,” she admits. “The day we got the keys, I sobbed. I thought, ‘What did I do? What have we done?’”
“We had done so much to our old house,” Annie adds, “making it exactly what we wanted, and the new house needed a lot of work. But the courtyard drew us in, and we love a good project.”
They immediately began said work, thoughtfully renovating the home room by room. A former school psychologist, Annie is now a design and real estate entrepreneur – and the helm of Blair House Design, their interior design firm and short-term rental business.
Nick is an industrial designer by day, but collaborates with Annie on all projects, frequently moonlighting as the finish carpenter. Much of their journey, in both design and real estate, is chronicled via Annie’s Instagram, @blairhousedesign, which has more than 117,000 followers.
Many of Annie’s followers, she adds, are midcentury modern purists and advocate for preserving all original features. “I want to honor as much as I can,” she says, “but we live very differently now.” A 1960s kitchen, for example, was typically small and tucked away, Annie continues, while today the kitchen often functions as the heart of the home. As such, the renovation process was a balancing act – preserving original features and prioritizing restoration over replacement, but also modernizing the home to meet their present needs.
In the primary living areas, original carpet was removed and replaced with maple hardwood floors. The entryway’s terrazzo tile flooring was kept, however, as was the original cork flooring found in three of the five bedrooms. The kitchen, which Annie says was renovated by the previous owner, was completely gutted and remodeled – and is now a hub of activity.
Eight-foot-tall ceilings once populated the majority of the home, but the Blairs chose to loft them where possible, enhancing the openness of each room. “I love seeing the potential in a space and letting the bones of the house dictate the design direction of the house,” adds Annie. “Maintaining the integrity of the house, while bringing it to the modern era, is the sweet spot.”
The decor and furnishings are largely influenced by Annie’s desire to bring warmth to characteristically cooler spaces. She favors a more Scandinavian-inspired aesthetic, using natural textures and organic accents – e.g., linen and sheepskin textiles, lighter-toned woods and an abundance of plant life – to soften clean lines and foster a hygge-like ambiance. Both this aesthetic and her affinity for midcentury modern design were largely shaped by childhood summers spent vacationing at her grandparents’ midcentury modern cottage in the Upper Peninsula.
“The cottage was built in 1960 and seemed like it was suspended in time, since they never changed anything in it,” Annie says. “I didn’t know it when I was younger, but the older I got, I realized they had a really good eye for design, [and] that had a big impact on me.”
As for the aforementioned bomb shelter, it does indeed exist. Nick transformed the soundproof space into his man cave and recording studio. Colorful tropical decor exudes a Tiki-hut vibe, making it the one exception to Annie’s well-curated eye. But she’s more than fine with that.
Despite the bumpy start, the family has finally settled into their new home, with no buyer’s remorse.
“After a year and a half of renovations, I’m now so happy we live here,” says Annie, smiling.
