Home Tour: Caroline Levenson’s 1930’s Garrison Colonial
We love a historic home that’s boasting with personality and authenticity. There’s just something about the feeling it evokes when you step inside and are instantly brought to a certain place and time. Whether it’s preserving some of the original design elements or recreating an aesthetic that speaks to an era, these homes are able to tell a story as they’re given a voice through unique materials, details, color, pattern & more. This is why we are so excited to give you a tour of Interior Designer, Caroline Levenson’s 1930’s Garrison Colonial home which she gutted from the studs!
See what Caroline has to say about her home below!
Caroline Levenson’s 1930’s Garrison Colonial Home, Living Room by Caroline Levenson Design Photo by Adam and Amber Ford
“My family of four lives in a 1930’s Garrison Colonial home in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Knoxville, Tennessee. We renovated the house down to the studs, but mostly left the original floorplan, as I actually find that I like the separateness of spaces in traditional colonial homes. The arches in the foyer were a major inspiration when renovating the space – we added coordinating arches to the kitchen in order to hide the height difference of the flow into the next room.”
Caroline Levenson’s 1930’s Garrison Colonial Home, Kitchen by Caroline Levenson Design Photo by Adam and Amber Ford
“When selecting finishes for the home, I stuck to natural materials and color palettes that were authentic to the 1930’s. In fact, my kids’ bathroom has all the original marble that was quarried locally, and the floors are Tennessee Pink marble. The wall tile was falling off the walls, so we had a preservationist remove each piece, clean it, and put it back up exactly as it was – it was just like a jigsaw puzzle!”
Caroline Levenson’s 1930’s Garrison Colonial Home, Upstairs Bathroom by Caroline Levenson Design Photo by Adam and Amber Ford
“My childrens’ rooms are my favorite of the home as they really reflect their personalities. My daughter’s room is outfitted in soft pinks and purples, with lived-in materials like linen and sisal, that get softer with time and use. Her reading chair was my grandmother’s and I couldn’t bring myself to recover it – the large floral print is so reminiscent of my childhood and so nostalgic to me. The art above the chair are sketches my other grandmother made while at the Art Institute of Chicago as a young woman. I love that this little corner of my daughter’s room is so rich in our family’s history.”
Caroline Levenson’s 1930’s Garrison Colonial Home, Girls Bedroom by Caroline Levenson Design Photo by Adam and Amber Ford
Caroline Levenson is the founder and Principal Designer at Caroline Levenson Design, a boutique woman-owned interior design firm in Knoxville, Tennessee. CLD specializes in restoring historic homes to their former glory. You can follow the progress of my projects on Instagram at @carolinelevensondesign and on my website.