609 Grant Street
The year: 1891. The architect: George F Barber. The plan book: Cottage Souvenir Number 2, A Repository of Artistic Cottage Architecture and Miscellaneous Designs.Welcome to “Callalyn,” homeowners Mike and Carolyn Dufano’s literal interpretation of a late 19th century “spindlework” Queen Anne Victorian plan from the famed architect who became one of the most successful home designers in the United States though his mail order blueprint business.
Featured on HGTV’s “Dreambuilders” and “What’s With That House,” Callalyn was actually finished in 2001 with a combination of old and new pieces. The mantel in the front parlor is from the 1920s; all the doors downstairs are antiques from different periods and hail from as far away as North Carolina and as close as Lakewood Fairgrounds; and the “witch’s hat” roof on the turret was made by Mike at his house in Lawrenceville before the actual construction of the home started in 2000. The home also features both antique and reproduction furniture throughout the first floor.
As you enter Callalyn’s foyer, you’ll see the Bradbury & Bradbury wall and ceiling papers, typical of a fine home from this period. Be sure to look up when you enter the dining room to see Mike’s plaster medallion – a piece he spent years creating before finally putting it up – which was featured on the back cover of Fine Home Building magazine this past July. Many of the light fixtures throughout the home were also created by Mike.
Adorning the dining room walls are four “counted cross-stitch” works created for Carolyn by her mother-in-law. The front parlor is adorned with a colorful stuffed peacock, while the rear parlor features large portraits painted by artist Leslie Gardner. Other features not to be missed are the two wood spandrels in the rear parlor and the tin ceiling in the kitchen.
To really set the holiday spirit this season, the homeowners have hauled in two full-sized Christmas trees downstairs as well as two upstairs, all with different themes. There are several smaller trees and holiday adornments throughout the house as well, including Carolyn’s large collection of nutcrackers (which originally belonged to her father) displayed in the rear parlor. To top it off, a Norman Rockwell Holiday Express train runs around the tree and through a miniature Victorian village in the upstairs tower, while the dining room table is elegantly set for a traditional Christmas feast!
Previous