A Colorful and Quirky 1930 Tudor Home

Old and new magic combine in this quirky redesign of a 1930 Tudor home, complete with dinosaur
wallpaper, scalloped edges and whimsical tile.

Once upon a time, an imaginative and quirky couple named Megan and Austin met and fell in love at Dragon-Con, a sci-fi event. They ended up purchasing a 1930s Tudor home together in Georgia’s East Atlanta Village, a neighborhood that’s as quirky as they are and is known for its music scene, coffee shops and unique restaurants. But while the home was in the perfect location and full of history, it simply didn’t fit the couples’ magical personalities.

homeowners stand in their renovated 1930 Tudor home's kitchen

built-in hutch with scalloped edges in 1930 Tudor home with bright floral wallpaper — sweet Scallops. A newly crafted, scalloped built-in cabinet was introduced into the butler’s pantry. It was tailored to occupy a space that originally housed a built-in. “After 90 years, the drawers and doors of the original piece were showing signs of wear and tear, and they no longer met the couple’s storage requirements,” Micaela says. “We undertook a redesign, aiming to stay true to the essence of the original design while addressing the functional needs of the present.”

dining room with floral wallpaper and blue trim in 1930 Tudor home — Separate Spaces. Open floorplans are popular, but Megan and Austin have a deep appreciation for their historic residence and were keen on preserving the spatial layout and certain architectural features. “They had no inclination to relocate the kitchen or expand it for additional space,” Micaela says. While an original arch existed between the kitchen and the butler’s pantry, its placement didn’t align with the full galley kitchen design. “As a solution, we removed it and introduced a new centered arch, meticulously replicating the size, scale and shape of the original,” Micaela says.

They knew they needed help in achieving their unique vision, but not just any designer would do. Enter Micaela Quinton of Copper Sky Design + Remodel. “In the commercial world, I’ve worked on many restaurants, specifically with a restaurant franchise that is known for its quirky, colorful and playful interiors,” Micaela says. “I believe that experience set me up well for this project.” Megan requested a home renovation that embodied a fusion of 1930s and 1960s styles with lots of colors, patterns and details, and Micaela eagerly embraced the vision. The results are symphonically masterful, featuring not only artful uses of paint and wallpaper but built-in details like a door with a round window, scalloping on the brass kitchen hood, a floating dish rack in the kitchen and a jaw-dropping Japanese soaking tub.

Creating With Color

Color is a huge component of the design and the project had more hours go toward paint selections than any project Micaela has ever worked on “by a long shot,” she says. It took several paint meetings on site with the couple to decide which colors would go where and how they would flow from one room to another. The paint chart was huge and complex. “We had to use sticky notes on the walls to show which paint color was assigned to the wall, ceiling and trim, and in what sheen,” Micaela recalls. “In some areas, we have the same color but in satin, semi-gloss and flat.” Wallpapers were another fantastically whimsical addition. Each one was selected for their historical essence and fun twists. Megan brought samples to the first design meeting that she had been admiring and both featured dinosaurs, which were ultimately selected for the powder bath and butler’s pantry.

view to dining room from living room in renovated 1930 home — ship shape. The butler’s pantry door is a beautiful shade of blue and has a porthole window. It’s truly a conversation piece but also subtly doubles as a space separation. Megan and Austin requested it to separate the smells and sounds of the kitchen from the rest of the home.

scalloped edges on bronze range hood in renovated 1930 Tudor home

pink cabinetry with built-in plate storage in renovated 1930 Tudor home

pink cabinetry in renovated 1930 Tudor kitchen — Dish wish. The dish rack over the sink, a characteristic from the 1930s, was crafted to showcase the couple’s extensive collection of Depression-era glass and antique china. It looks like it has always been there.

Pattern Play

Another compelling aspect of the project is the tilework seen throughout the home. Several digital mock-ups were done during the design process. The pattern of the floor tile in the kitchen and butler’s pantry was custom laid on site by the designers and Megan. “It creates an interesting customized pattern while still providing a lot of white space to give a nice rest for the eye,” Micaela explains. “It also balances out all the color, pattern and detail of the cabinets and wallpaper.” The primary bathroom follows a similar approach, featuring a substantial expanse of white wall tiles that serve as a calming respite and contrast to the custom-designed mosaic on the floor and the elaborate pattern on the shower walls.

dining room with blue cabinetry and yellow chair upholstery

1930 Tudor home with yellow half wall and cabinetry and blue wood trim — Raising the Bar. Adjacent to the dining room, there’s a hallway with a pre-existing arched opening. “Austin and Megan love entertaining and used this area as a bar. They wanted to keep its same purpose,” Micaela says. During the redesign of this space, she envisioned it as an ideal blend of a bar and a coffee station. The drawers on the left both house and hide refrigerator and freezer drawers. The freezer drawer was specifically chosen as an ice cream storage drawer. An antique mirror is used as a backsplash and inside the wall cabinet to differentiate this area from the kitchen.

pink and powder blue entryway of renovated 1930 Tudor home — Space Case. In the mudroom, the focus was on optimizing storage space. The cabinet at the end features a tilt-out door dedicated to recycling storage. Numerous hooks were strategically placed, offering Megan convenient storage and a visually appealing display for her vintage apron collection and distinctive assortment of umbrellas.

pink cabinetry, stand mixer and pig tea kettle in renovated Tudor home kitchen — Top Brass. A scalloped brass range hood makes a dynamic statement and ties in with other scalloped motifs seen throughout the home. “Both the scallops and the pink cabinetry draw inspiration from the 1960s aesthetic,” Micaela says.

powder blue ceiling and accent walls with pink cabinetry in 1930 Tudor home entryway and kitchen — Beyond Barbie. Pink isn’t just for Barbie! This project was Copper Sky’s inaugural venture into crafting a pink kitchen. However, the firm is well-acquainted with embracing a spectrum of colors. “Copper Sky takes pleasure in infusing our designs with vibrant colors, intricate patterns, unique details and elements inspired by history,” Micaela says. Add in the fact that Megan, with her background in fashion and dressmaking, has an eye for color, and the creative collaboration was unstoppable.

pink cabinetry and double oven in renovated 1930 Tudor home — CREATIVE KITCHEN. Meticulous attention to detail went into the kitchen. “We delved into kitchen designs from the 1930s and 1960s, incorporating elements from both eras into our cabinetry design,” Micaela says. The floral cutouts on the cabinet doors and refrigerator panels pay homage to the 1930s era of the home.

A Good Soak

One part of the project that was particularly ambitious was implementing a Japanese-style soaking tub into the primary bathroom. The tub is a style, shape and scale Micaela had never encountered before, but she eagerly tackled the challenge. The tub holds 158 gallons of water. The weight of all that water, plus a person soaking in the tub, totals over 1,500 pounds.

bathroom with hexagonal chinese checkers pattern and soaking tub — Beautified Bathroom. Designing the layout of the primary bathroom presented a challenge as Micaela worked to incorporate a sizable tub, a sufficiently sized shower, a toilet, a bidet and a modestly proportioned vanity. However, after lots of meticulous design, the perfect layout was achieved and not a single desired feature had to be sacrificed.

“We had to reinforce the structural integrity of the floor below to handle that load,” Micaela says. “The tub had to be brought in before we framed the walls of the room because it is too large to fit through a doorway.” A dedicated instant hot-water heater also had to be added just for the tub. “Lots of planning was involved,” Micaela says. “It’s truly spectacular.”

Dinsauria wallpaper in powder room with green shiplap half walls — Go Extinct. The powder room not only pays homage to historic-inspired design, but also prehistoric design! The House of Hackney “Dinosauria” wallpaper has vintage-style dinosaur illustrations. The design for the powder bath kicked off with the captivating dinosaur wallpaper and the distinctive bifold antique mirror. The green walls and wood stain for the oak cabinetry were selected to embrace the organic and natural feel of the wallpaper.

1930 Tudor home with pale pink half wall, white subway tile and blue vanity — Styled and Tiled. “We collaborated with an exceptional company specializing in custom-patterned mosaics for the one-inch hexagon tile floor,” Micaela says. Multiple iterations of mock-ups were undertaken. Everything was fine-tuned until the pattern and colors felt geometric, organic and playful. The wall-tile pattern in the shower underwent meticulous designing and was impeccably executed by Copper Sky’s skilled tile installer. “Achieving symmetry and precision is crucial for a pattern of this nature, and we are thrilled with the impeccable results,” Micaela adds.

The home is now filled with antiques and collectibles—and, of course, lots of magic. “As a designer, this was an exciting and fulfilling project full of whimsy,” Micaela says. “I certainly won’t ever forget it.”

If you loved this colorful and quirky 1930 Tudor home, you may also love How to Preserve Historical Charm During a Renovation and Old-World Style in A Tudor Cottage. Of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get your daily dose of cottage inspiration!