Delaware Home and Garden: Ellen Passman of Washington, D.C., renovates a Victorian house in Milton, Sussex County

A D.C. transplant rescues a Victorian in Milton.

by Eileen Smith Dallabrida Published September 8, 2011 at 03:01 PM

(page 5 of 6)

Get the Look

Be a visionary. Ellen Passman had never renovated a home but she saw the potential in the hardwood floors, tall ceilings and welcoming flow of the Victorian house she bought in Milton.

Rethink your favorite pieces. For years, a Chinoiserie desk, French provincial cabinets and a carved and painted mantel set the tone in Barbara Lilien’s living room in suburban South Jersey. Today, they are at home in a serene and feminine bedroom.

Get sentimental. Both Lilien and Passman cherish china handed down through their families, displaying their combined collection in a large breakfront in the dining room.

Be open minded—as in looking for opportunities to create open spaces. Passman took down walls and combined three cramped rooms on the second floor to make an expansive master suite. Replacing a small window with French doors in the kitchen ushered in more natural light.

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