Simon and Linda Eyles love The Heights with its original Victorian homes and
classic Craftsman bungalows. After all, they lived in a 1910 two-story charmer
in this historic neighborhood for 13 years.
But when it came time to build a home, they had distinctively contemporary
ideas.
“We wanted a more modern house, but not something that would be ultra-modern and
disrespectful of the neighborhood,
” says Linda, an interior designer (Linda Eyles Design, Inc.) who knows a bit
about harmonious blending.
“We didn’t want a vintage reproduction style home. And we didn’t want something that would shout at you and not fit in.”
Then one day while driving around, she spotted a home so perfectly in step with
her vision that she looked up city tax records to get the owner
’s name and number. “It was so perfect, I could have picked up that house and dropped it onto my lot,” she recalls.
The home’s architect, she discovered, was Jay Baker. A client-architect relationship was
born.
Sitting on a corner in The Heights, the Eyles home is the perfect modern version
of a traditional house; a dwelling that gracefully blends in with the character
of the neighborhood. Certain exterior elements enhance its compatibility; for
instance, a large front porch, a wood-looking exterior (smooth Hardiplank
siding) and a roof overhang with rafter tails and a cupola.
Old French glass vessels, an early 19th-century French marble urn lamp and a
painting by artist Linda Hofheinz sit atop a vintage French table.
• The Eyles’ home blends well in The Heights. It’s a dwelling that is both classic and contemporary with neighborly features,
like a large front porch.
• A long hallway acts as axis in this home. Standing in the foyer, visitors see
all the way to the back of the house
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