A Look Into This Century-Old Shorewood Home’s Transformation

The promise of what could be – in this case, an inviting front porch, perfect for spontaneous gatherings with friends or neighbors – is what initially attracted homeowners Phu Ngo and John Cassanos to their 101-year-old bungalow, a former duplex located in Shorewood.

“We own another house down the street, and we kept walking by [the duplex],” recalls Ngo. “Originally, it had a three-season room in the front. We loved the shape of the house but it looked a little closed up. We said, ‘Wow, if we ever had a chance to buy it, we would just rip out [the three-season room] and put back the porch.’ We’re kind of chatty and love to meet neighbors.”  

Formerly a three-season room, the front porch is now a hub of activity, where friends and neighbors drop by and linger. Vintage chairs, purchased from Home Again on North Fratney Street, are positioned atop newly laid brick pavers, while a hand-stamped table covering, sourced from Les Indiennes, a home goods store in Hudson, New York, nods to the couple’s previous life. Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

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And so, when the opportunity to purchase the property arose in early 2023, the pair dove in, entering a nine-months-long renovation process with Ngo, an apparel industry veteran who now dabbles in interior design, as designer and Paloma Construction as general contractor for most of the project. (Cassanos served as “live-in task rabbit,” he adds with a laugh.)

Phu Ngo, left, and John Cassanos in the dining room of their newly renovated Shorewood home. the couple relocated to Milwaukee during the onset of the Covid pandemic, after having lived in New York City, Atlanta and New York’s Hudson Valley. Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

The original architectural features of the home – e.g., the curved doorways, coved ceilings, and built-in cabinetry and shelving – were kept or restored, and every room was repainted. Wall-to-wall carpeting was removed to reveal honey-oak hardwood floors; Ngo opted to refinish them, choosing an airy white-oak sealant. 

The most ambitious part of the renovation, however, was the transformation of the footprint, from duplex to single-family home.

“This was originally two rooms,” says Ngo of the lounge and bar area. “We had to take out the wall and the cabinets so we could create an interior staircase, but that gave us the opportunity to create one larger room.” One day, he adds, it may function as a bedroom for aging parents or in-laws, but today, he and Cassanos enjoy it as a place to relax. Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

Entrances to the kitchen were relocated to allow for improved flow, a staircase that formerly connected the upstairs unit to an exterior side door was reconfigured, and the bathrooms and kitchens were gutted and repurposed or renovated. Furthermore, many of the design decisions, such as the choice to fully update the lower-
level bathroom, were made with multi-generational living in mind.

The kitchen was entirely gutted and reimagined, with a desire for durability and practicality top of mind. “We figured, one day, a family is going to want to buy this house, and they’re going to want it to be indestructible,” explains Ngo. A Zellige tile backsplash adds interest and dimension, while other selections – e.g., durable quartz countertops, Shaker-style cabinets, and a forgiving ceramic tile floor — are both timeless and pragmatic. Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

“One day, somebody is really going to appreciate the fact that there is a full bathroom downstairs,” Ngo notes, adding that several neighborhood families often host their parents or grandparents. 

“We had owned an 1850s house in upstate New York, in the Hudson Valley, and it really gets driven home that you are just a caretaker [of a house],” Cassanos explains. “The previous family lived there for 50 years, so you have this notion that you’re going to pass it along to whoever is going to take care of it later. We’re building it, taking care of it, for the next family to enjoy it.” 

The upstairs unit’s kitchen was transformed into the primary bathroom. A larger footprint — a rarity in homes of this size and age — allowed for the inclusion of modern-day luxuries, such as a double vanity, large walk-in shower, heated floors, and free-standing soaking tub.  Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

The project was deemed complete in January of 2024, and the result is a home composed of carefully edited spaces – each filled with decor, whether art, object, or otherwise, that has a story to tell.

In the dining room, for example, a vintage ceramic chandelier, sourced via an overseas dealer on Etsy, arrived with one broken arm, but was repaired locally at BBC Lighting. “When I picked it up, I didn’t even know what arm it was that had broken,” Ngo recalls. 

Previously the upstairs unit’s dining room, this area now functions as a reading room — and the entrance to the primary suite. A collection of vintage cameras, some of which belonged to Cassanos’ father, sits atop the restored built-ins, and a pair of sliding barn doors offers privacy, providing a stylish yet practical way to define the spaces. Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

Upstairs, a collection of instruments, which Ngo says were crafted from everyday objects such as cigar boxes and date back to 1800s Appalachia, are displayed on the primary suite’s eastern wall, serving as a visual representation of Ngo’s uncanny ability to seamlessly mix old and new.

“People found a way to make music, regardless of what they had,” he says of the instruments.  

The primary bedroom is cozy and intimate — a place to unwind and recharge. The painting of the musicians, says Cassanos, is by Jeffrey Ketcham, a San Francisco-based artist and friend, whose brush with death influenced the somberness of his work.   Photo by Kevin J Miyazaki

The guest bedroom, which Ngo affectionately refers to as the “garden/lady room,” is bathed in a peachy hue. It was the sky of one painting in particular — the landscape furthest to the right — that provided inspiration for the wall’s paint color.   Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

A great deal of the decor carries personal weight, as well. Cassanos’ vast collection of books, for example, is artfully displayed throughout the house, with specific genres often complementing the room in which they reside.

A meticulously styled stack of cookbooks fills an otherwise-bare corner of the dining room, while the majority of Cassanos’ travel books call the library home.

A midcentury cabinet, sourced from BC Modern in Milwaukee, has dual functions: As a bar area, where guests are offered a cocktail upon entry to the home, and as a place to display the pair’s ever-expanding — and decidedly colorful — collection of post-war, West German pottery.  Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

“When pulling together a house [for clients],” explains Ngo, “I ask everybody, ‘What kind of books do you have?’ I think books really tell a story – of not just your interests, but your whole life.”   

Regarding furniture and furnishings, it’s clear Ngo is drawn to a midcentury modern aesthetic. “I like clean forms, but with interesting details,” he muses. “[Each midcentury piece] feels more individual, and not so industrially made.” And yet, comfort remains imperative. “One of John’s requirements ,” Ngo continues, a smile emerging, “is that it can look nice, but it also has to be super comfortable. There is no suffering for design.”