Bringing the #mixedusemini back to life

We're thrilled to launch our recent passion project the #mixedusemini: a historic mixed-use building in quaint and picturesque Old Town Marblehead, Massachusetts. As is somewhat common in historic New England towns, this adorable building is actually attached to another single family home, but they are two completely separate properties!

After photo of the exterior

When we first purchased the property, it had been vacant for some time and was in need of serious TLC. Our goal was to bring the building back to life, creating a first floor retail space to be rented out to a commercial tenant and a second floor apartment to be offered as a short-term vacation rental through #dwelloctoberstay.

Before photo of the exterior

Because the building is located in one of Marblehead's Old and Historic Districts, we were required to follow certain guidelines when making exterior updates, in order to ensure the historic appropriateness of the building. This meant choosing single pane true divided light wood windows and using cedar clapboards and real wood to replace any rotted siding, fascia, and soffits.

In addition to making these changes, we painted the exterior white for a fresh, clean look and selected a bold turquoise for the shutters and doors, aiming to create a summery, welcoming feeling. Natural wood window boxes and a galvanized metal gooseneck sconce add curb appeal and help designate the first floor as a retail space.

Door & Shutter Paint / Keyless Entry Lock / House Numbers / Sconce (similar style found here) / Window Boxes

One of the things we love about the property was that the second floor unit has a small outdoor space. When we first purchased the building, the yard was so overgrown that it was starting to take over the house! Ivy had actually broken through one of the windows and was growing inside the house. Plus, a family of raccoons took advantage of the vacant house and overgrown yard and moved into the attic.

Before photo of the outdoor space

After clearing out all the brush and removing several old tree stumps, we were surprised to discover that the outdoor area was larger than we realized. This allowed us to create a little oasis perfect for guests.

First, we built a stone retaining wall to divide the space from the sloped area behind the property. While this was a structural necessity, it also gave the space a more private, finished feel. Next, we added stone pavers to create a large patio perfect for outdoor dining and lounging.

After photo of the outdoor space

Because the outdoor space is adjacent to the second floor unit, there are a few areas that drop off at the edges. We used large planters filled with boxwoods to enclose these areas for guest safety and added privacy. The area underneath the deck conceals trash storage and mechanical equipment.

A round metal table and umbrella offers a shady spot for al fresco dining, while two oversized wooden lounge chairs serve as the perfect place for reading a book or napping.

Sconce (similar style found here) / Planters / Umbrella (similar style found here) / Umbrella Base / Lounge Chairs / End Table

While this property is small in scale, exterior updates provided an opportunity to breathe new life into the building and increase the functionality of the outdoor space.

Sources

Exterior
Door & Shutter Paint: Benjamin Moore Turquoise Powder 2057-50
Door Handle: Schlage F58 CEN 619 Century Exterior Handleset with Deadbolt, Satin Nickel (Exterior Half Only)
Keyless Entry Lock: Yale Security Deadbolt Lock SL with Z-Wave, Satin Nickel Keyless Entry Door Lock with Electronic Touchscreen Keypad for Code
House Numbers: Architectural Mailboxes Brass House Numbers and Letters
Sconce: Millennium Lighting RLM 1 Light Outdoor Wall Sconce with 15" Wide Radial Wave Shade and 10" Gooseneck Stem in Galvanized Steel (discontinued) (similar style found here)
Window Boxes: Custom Cedar Window Box Planters
Planters: Veradek Block Series Span Planter 30'' H X 38'' W X 10'' D in White
Dining Table & Chair Set: Birch Lane Zephyl Round 4 - Person Outdoor Dining Set with Cushions (discontinued) (similar style dining table found here) (similar style chair set found here)
Umbrella: 6.5' x 6.5' Valence Outdoor Patio Umbrella With Trim Blue/ivory - Threshold Designed With Studio McGee (discontinued) (similar style found here)
Umbrella Base: 25lb Steel Square Outdoor Patio Market Table Umbrella Base Black - Room Essentials
Lounge Chairs: Louise Outdoor Armless Lounge Chair with Sunbrella Cushions (Set of 2) with Teak Frame/White Canvas Cushion
End Table: Murray Round Ceramic End Table White - Threshold designed with Studio McGee
Motion Lights: Generation Lighting Metal Flood Lights in White

Get the Look

1 Door & Shutter Paint / 2 Sconce (similar style found here) / 3 Lounge Chair / 4 House Number / 5 Umbrella (similar style found here) & Umbrella Base / 6 Door Handle / 7 Planter