The living room features an oriental carpet Bruce’s parents bought in the 1950s. |
Buying Local
Although Brian spends most of his time in San Francisco, he relied mostly on local resources, many of which he developed through his mentor, Dick Poppitt of Feinberg’s Furniture on Market Street in Wilmington, who died in 2013. Maple hardwood flooring throughout the public spaces and carpet in the master bedroom were sourced through Pala Bros. of Wilmington. P.J. Bale of First State Inc. in New Castle served as the contractor on the project. Creamy Carrara marble, purchased at The Tile Market, gives the baths a sense of elegance. Strategically placed grab bars in polished nickel look like decorative accents rather than forward-thinking functional aids that will help the couple to safely age in place.
What was once a third bedroom is now a multi-purpose den, packed with both visual charm and function. Custom cabinetry provides storage and display space for the Dittmars’ collection of blue-and-white china, the inspiration for the color palette throughout the condo. There’s a small, built-in desk for correspondence and paying bills. A table with a wood top carved in the shape of the state of Delaware was a gift from Brian to his parents. The sofa folds out to a full-size bed for guests. Reading lamps on either side are anchored in the cabinetry, conserving precious floor space. Pocket doors with opaque glass panels create instant privacy. “My parents were quite adamant that they did not want to go to a retirement facility or 55-plus community,” Brian says. “So we agreed that we make the condo conducive to possibly having live-in care down the road.” Window treatments are minimal throughout the gathering spaces of the condo so as not to interfere with views of the city and the Delaware Memorial Bridge beyond.
Because the condo is high above the tree line, there’s no source of natural shade. On the sunny side of the unit, windows are equipped with retractable shades that absorb heat. Thanks to technology, Brian was able to supervise much of the project remotely from California. His mother regularly took photographs of the work in progress and emailed them to him. “That’s how we discovered the painters were painting the den the wrong color,” Barbara recalls. “I emailed pictures to Brian and he said, ‘The walls are supposed to be red, not blue.’” He designed a master bedroom that is a private sanctuary for his parents. For the first time in 55 years of marriage, the Dittmars have a king-size bed. An upholstered headboard adds another layer of luxury. Brian borrowed space from a closet in the adjacent guest room to enlarge a smaller secondary closet. He strategically edited his parents’ existing furnishings, identifying what would fit in the new space and what would not. For example, the dining room chairs made the move. But they now surround a new, more compact table.
Clearing Out
In addition to designing his parents’ condo, Brian also spearheaded clearing out the old house, whose attic had become a depository for paperwork that had been passed on by earlier generations. “We found boxes under the eaves that had not been opened for 100 years,” Bruce recalls. “They had been closed for decades before they ever even got to us. Photographs the Dittmars wanted to keep are now preserved in plastic sleeves and organized in albums. In all, 19 banker’s boxes filled with outdated documents went to the shredder. During the clearing-out process, they uncovered such treasures as love letters written by Barbara’s grandparents. A pictorial Birth and Marriage Record dated 1846 is now framed and hangs in the master bedroom. Ceramic smoking pipes, likely brought from Bavaria by Bruce’s great-great-grandfather, also are on display. “When we moved, we made a vow to never again store anything in a box,” Bruce says. His son designed a system that will help his parents resist the temptation to fall back into super storage mode. A large closet is outfitted with floor-to-ceiling shelving, making it easy to identify its contents. “I don’t feel sad at all, giving up all that stuff in the attic,” Bruce says. “We brought all our memories with us to our beautiful new home.”