Green Scene: Old Allegheny tour features home decked and draped in the real deal
"It's too hangy here," said Carole Malakoff to fellow decorators as they worked on Debra Kelly and Douglas Debelak's house on the North Side.
Without saying a word, Barbara Peer and Gay Teitelbaum changed the way they were swagging greens on the ornate staircase Thursday. Even if they're not using real words, everyone understands the language of design on the 30th annual Old Allegheny Victorian Christmas House Tour, which continues today from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Allegheny West neighborhood.
This house on North Lincoln Avenue is one of a half-dozen restored Victorians on the popular tour. But it's the only one to be decorated by a team of volunteers led by Laura Schoch, a horticulturist from Phipps Conservatory. This is the third year in which she has helped dress a not-always Painted Lady for the tour. In this case, the house is Victorian vintage, built in 1861, but it received a Mission make-over in the early 1900s.
In addition to mixing periods, the trick is to combine natural materials with homeowners' decor, Ms. Schoch said.
"You have to be open to what they want and work with what homeowners have."
The period mix starts before you walk in the front door. A century ago, Spanish Revival-style stucco and red barrel roof tiles transformed what was likely an Italianate exterior. Thanks to Schoch and company, the front door, porch and railings are now draped with cedar and white pine roping. Inside, the natural greens also include ground pine, balsam, incense cedar, Port Orford cedar, boxwood, variegated holly and seeded eucalyptus.
In the living room, Phipps greenhouse technician Alisa Zisman and Mt. Lebanon neighbors Nancy Jones and Kathy Graham were decorating a 9-foot Fraser fir. The ornaments belong to Mr. Debelak and Ms. Kelly. They laugh as they reveal their source: Sam's Club.
"I saw them and said 'Aren't those elegant!' " Ms. Kelly said.
This room has a Victorian feel, with elaborate crown molding and a turn-of-the-20th-century diamond dust mirror, named for the way its backing was silvered with mercury. But the dark oak woodwork so popular in Craftsman and Mission-style houses is also there. The owners have managed to find furniture, paint colors and artwork that blend both styles. The decorators have done the same.
A small spruce tree anchors the corner of the dining room, which is awash in a sea of greens. pomegranates, clove-studded Clementine oranges and walnuts highlight the centerpiece on the antique Stickley table and the mantel of the Craftsman-style fireplace. Standing nearby, in the same dark stain but a much more sculptural style is a carved French breakfront made in the 1880s. The homeowners use it as a bar.
The blending continues in the kitchen, where Kerry Kelty worked on gingerbread houses while Ms. Schoch created arrangements of red roses, cedar and holly on a center island made from a locally manufactured antique table. Ms. Kelly pulled out a drawer to show a brass nameplate that reads: "Dauler Close & Janus, Pittsburg, Pa." The couple had the island and counters topped with Rain Forest marble.
Ms. Kelty asked Ms. Kelly's opinion of a gingerbread roof shingled with sprinkles and smeared frosting.
"It was a mistake, but then I thought, 'Hey, that looks pretty good.' " Ms. Kelty said.
"Sometimes mistakes work out better," Ms. Kelly said approvingly.
This is the first year her house has been on the tour. After many years living in a typical suburban house in Armstrong County, the empty-nesters decided in 2007 to cut down on their commute and rent an apartment on North Lincoln during the week. They immediately felt welcome.
"I met more people in 30 days here than I met in 30 years in Armstrong County," Ms. Kelly said.
"They welcomed us with open arms," Mr. Debelak agreed.
They had just begun looking for a house to buy when they met the owners of this house, right across the street. Learning that the man had just been transferred, they made an offer that day. A handshake sealed the purchase.
The close-knit neighborhood needs little excuse for a gathering. Mr. Debelak said it usually takes nothing more than a bottle of wine and sitting on their porch swing.
"I call it inciting a party," he said.
Neighborliness extends to decorating, too. After they had admired the lava rock sculpture of neighbor Gary Sutton, Ms. Kelly and Mr. Debelak finally convinced him to sell them a few pieces. They now reside in the backyard, surrounded by pine roping.
