The book highlights the history behind 21 city-home renovations. They range from old-meets-new "Simply French" in Brooklyn Heights to "minimalonialism" in Philadelphia's Society Hill. The wide range of homeowners include actress Julianne Moore and a photographer.
While working on the book, Abramovitch was referred to the Minima Gallery in Old City. When she contacted the gallery, Minima had just finished designing a 3,300-square-foot Colonial house from 1763 in Society Hill. The renovation took nine months, in a style called minimalonialism, a bold blend of minimalism and historic colonialism that Minima presented during a 2005 show at the gallery.
Minima owner Eugenie Perret said that, as in most renovations, unforeseen issues arose.
"We had many hidden structural issues," she said. " . . . The shutters were painted so many times they didn't function anymore, and the windows didn't open. But it's about taking those and making that work."
In addition to providing guidance on solving such problems, a focal point of the book is bringing life and sometimes modern flair to old homes.
"There's something romantic about old spaces," Abramovitch said. "A lot of people covet the old spaces people have. There's something about the lifestyle of living in an old house that's very appealing to a lot of people."
Between the histories of the homes are informative restoration notes - how to work with windows, woodwork, brickwork.
One aspect of restoring is keeping to a budget. Abramovitch offers recommendations for getting inspectors and making a priority list; the stories of others who restored their homes provide pointers, too.
