A Swinging ’60s Modern Mansard Style Gem

It’s not every day you happen upon a modern mansard style home, especially one that’s been renovated and updated. When Kevin Paul found this 1969 gem in North Oak Lawn he was thrilled, but not for the reason you might expect.

“It was kind of scary,” Kevin said. “There were turquoise and purple walls, and it was dark. I”m going to say it looked like a case of housal abuse.”

Indeed, it took someone with vision to see past a bright red exterior and two giant stone lions guarding the Hollywood Regency door. Kevin’s a corporate design consultant, so he had the vision necessary to bring this Swinging Sixties gal into a new decade.

“The bones were so cool, and I’d been looking for a house that had architectural value and interest,” he said. “I could see through the crazy colors. I immediately knew I wanted to bring this house back to its glory days, and breathe new life into it. And I love a project!”

Kevin’s vision for this modern mansard style home was to design an executive city house. We think he succeeded beyond what anyone could have imagined.

Other than the original terrazzo floors on the first floor, Kevin touched every surface of the house.

“I love the staircase,” he said. “It was originally white metal with gray commercial carpet. I wanted a big scale and couldn’t find anything in a wallpaper that worked. So, I had PVC laser-cut and installed it with tiny black nails, so it looks like an overlay of metal.”

Kevin painted the kitchen black and used a black subway tile. Like most of us, he was sick of white kitchens and wanted the space to feel larger. “Black actually increases the feeling of space in a room,” he said. “It pushes the walls out.”

This modern mansard style home is 1,968-square-feet, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a powder bath.

“Bigger is not always better,” Kevin said. “It can get impersonal. I like big spaces, but I think we need to carve out areas that are more human. This house flows well, especially for party. In fact, it’s an amazing party house.”

That original 1960s vibe has been beautifully reinterpreted in this home. Now it’s time for the next project, so give Coldwell Banker’s Mark Bradford a call and get a peek at 3717 Prescott Avenue. At only $650,000, we think it’s a real find!