Partner Spotlight
Caroline Levenson Design
Caroline Levenson Design is a full-service interior design firm based in Knoxville. The firm’s founder, Caroline Levenson, is a longtime Knox Heritage supporter and committee member, as well as one of our newest Business Members.
Below, Caroline shared her tips on how to update the interior of your historic home!
Renovating a Historic Home Without Losing Its Soul
Renovating a historic home is very different from remodeling a newer one.
When someone calls me about updating a house built in 1910, 1925, or even 1960, the first thing I say is this: before you change anything, you need to understand what makes it special.
Historic homes have rhythm. They have proportion. They have millwork that was drawn by hand, floors that have creaked for decades, fireplaces that have anchored generations of families. If you remove those things without thinking, you don’t just modernize the home. You erase it.
So, where do you begin?
Start By Studying the House
Before demolition, walk through slowly. Photograph the trim. Measure the casing profiles. Notice how tall the baseboards are. Pay attention to how rooms connect to one another and how light moves through the house.
When we add something new, whether it’s cabinetry, built-ins, or even a reworked doorway, we let the original architecture lead. We look at scale, trim depth, panel proportions, and repeat that language in subtle ways. Not to copy it exactly, but to honor it.
When new work respects those cues, it doesn’t feel inserted. It just feels natural. That’s always the goal.
Be Careful With Kitchens
Kitchens are where historic homes often lose their identity.
It’s tempting to remove walls, raise ceilings, and install oversized islands that belong in new construction. But historic homes were designed around different scales. If you overpower those proportions, the house never quite feels right again.
That doesn’t mean you can’t rework the layout. We absolutely do. But we try to maintain window placements whenever possible. In Colonials and Tudors, we design inset cabinetry because that’s what would have existed. We choose hardware that feels grounded and time-tested, even if it’s newly made.
The function can be completely modern. The feeling should not be.
Think Twice Before Removing Walls
Open concept living is popular, but historic homes were designed with intentional room sequences. Trim frames openings deliberately. Light enters in specific ways.
Instead of eliminating walls entirely, sometimes we widen openings or create cased transitions so the home breathes more easily without losing its structure.
Once original architecture is removed, it is rarely recreated with the same integrity.
Choose Materials That Feel Honest
Trends move quickly. Historic homes do not.
I encourage homeowners to ask: would this material feel at home here? Not in a literal, museum sense, but in a way that respects the age and architecture.
Marble, limestone, proper hardwood, plaster, real brass, tile that isn’t overly ornate or overly minimal. In mid-century homes, we often preserve original parquet floors or wood paneling and layer in fresh textiles and lighting that complement rather than compete.
Restraint is powerful in a historic house.
The Exterior Matters
When you change windows, doors, or exterior lighting, you aren’t just affecting your home. You’re affecting the street.
Repairing original wood windows whenever possible preserves character in a way replacements often cannot. Matching muntin patterns and proportions matters. Exterior lighting should reflect the architecture, not whatever happens to be trending.
Organizations like Knox Heritage provide valuable guidance for homeowners navigating preservation decisions. Renovation is not about freezing a home in time. It is about making thoughtful choices that respect its place in the broader architectural fabric of Knoxville.
Where to Spend and Where to Save
If you are budgeting for a historic renovation, spend money on the bones.
Protect the trim. Restore the floors. Repair the plaster. Invest in craftsmanship.
Paint colors and light fixtures can evolve. Architectural integrity cannot.
I often tell clients: splurge on what you cannot easily replace.
A Final Thought
Owning a historic home is not simply ownership. It is stewardship.
These homes shape Knoxville’s neighborhoods and carry stories forward. When renovations are done thoughtfully, they do not feel renovated at all. They feel seamless, as though the house has simply grown into its next chapter.