A 1926 Tudor Home Refresh

In this 1926 Tudor home refresh, the architecture leads the design choices for this Michigan couple.

When your house has a particular style of architecture, it’s helpful to let that architecture lead the direction of your décor. This was the case for homeowners Josh Gratz and Vanessa Chaverri-Gratz. They were living in a mid-century ranch house in Texas when they happened to be scrolling through real estate listings one night during a date night in. “[Josh] is from this area, Detroit, and always looked back here. He happened upon this listing,” Vanessa says. “You usually can’t afford those perfect listings, but we were shocked to see that we could. We happened to be coming into town to visit his family, so we went to see it and made an offer that day.” They’ve been in the house two years now, and Vanessa has decorated with a style that fits perfectly in the 1926 home.

exterior view of 1926 Tudor home refresh in Michigan

Culture Transition to the 1926 Tudor Home

Going from a mid-century ranch in Texas to a historic Tudor in Michigan is a big change. “We’ve moved around a ton over the last ten years,” Vanessa says. “We found ourselves working remote and could go anywhere.” But she’s been happy with the transition. “It was the craziest, most thoughtless thing we’ve ever done, but has been the best thing for our lives,” she says. “I’d always dreamed of living in a place with four seasons, and I’m loving it. Michigan has so many cold weather activities.” The house is on an island called Grosse Isle, which has about 10,000 residents. “The people here are the kindest people I’ve ever met,” Vanessa says.

A Tudor Transition

One of the draws of this particular house was that although it’s 99 years old, it has been very well kept. “We are the fifth owners; the fourth owners lived here 40 years, and did probably $200,000 worth of renovations,” she says. “It’s the best of both worlds. There are still so many original aspects: the molding, flooring, the layout. But it was essentially turnkey.”

botanical stencil wall design with large framed mirror and bouquet of white hydrangeas. — Perfectly Imperfect. What looks like wallpaper in the stairwell is actually a pattern Vanessa handpainted with a stencil. “I wanted wallpaper so much, but the vast majority of the house is the original plaster walls that aren’t smooth and we’re not major diyers so we weren’t going to redo the walls,” Vanessa explains. “My mom is a stenciling expert and my mother-in-law happened to have a spare stencil. It’s imperfect, but the house is imperfect too, so it works.”

With the structure of the house already updated, Vanessa could focus on the décor. “Our previous house was a 1980s Texas ranch, so totally different style,” she says. “We sold a few items off when we moved, but the vast majority we did bring and made it work until I find something that works better.” Some remnants of her mid-century ranch home are still in residence, but Vanessa has slowly let this style of architecture go. “I’ve evolved here and layered in more vintage antique and old English style, letting the house dictate where that leads me.”

covered entryway with paved walkways, climbing ivy and wood overhang in 1926 Tudor home

exterior view of 1926 Tudor home with floral wreath flag and sculpture of man holding a lamp

The style that now dominates is a mix of vintage and modern, with lots of secondhand finds. “I’m very inspired by different décor and styles,” Vanessa says. Some of those include Old English style, with vintage antiques and knickknacks, and French modern design. “I look for a deal in everything I do, so my house is really pieced together from estate sales and auctions,” she says. “I don’t design for the general public, though it turns out they really like it!” She shares her style with her Instagram followers at The Gratz Life and has had several local magazines feature the house as well as being featured on Magnolia Network’s “Diary of an Old House” show.

framed art in 1926 Tudor home refresh adds period appropriate decor — CURATED ART. The living room is home to one of Vanessa’s tastefully curated art wall galleries. “I start with a color family,” she says. “This is within three colors; I wanted it to feel really cohesive.” The art is a combination of reproduction prints, and original and vintage pieces. “I collected the center piece and the three to four pieces around it,” Vanessa says. “For the first six months there were only the four pieces on the wall. I don’t do a lot of planning with art. I change my mind so often and move things around all the time.”

Like most décor enthusiasts, Vanessa isn’t done with her home’s evolution. She and Josh still have many plans, including updating the kitchen cabinets, repainting the home’s exterior and other interior fixes. “I’m never opposed to changing or adding,” she says.

white kitchen with decorative green plates and white cabinetry in 1926 Tudor home refresh

white kitchen with subway tile and stained glass in door in 1926 Tudor home — YET TO COME. The kitchen is a space Vanessa hasn’t touched much yet. “It’s the original footprint, and the previous homeowners did a remodel in here,” she says. “Hopefully that’s a 2025 project. I want to paint the cabinets green and change the backsplash.”

pet dog in green dining room of 1926 Tudor home refresh

green dining room with large white bust and framed landscape painting in 1926 Tudor home refresh — AWARD-WINNING GREEN. The dining room is an award-winning space, but it didn’t start off that way. “I had this vision for the room that no one agreed with,” Vanessa says. “Even the painter asked if I was sure.” She chose a dark green for the walls and ceiling, and paired it with equally green curtains. “Now everyone understands what I had in my head. Sherwin-Williams even named me their Designer of the Month in September 2024 [because of this room].”

framed art and hydrangeas in boots for decor in refreshed 1926 Tudor home

hutch in green dining room of refreshed 1926 Tudor home

living room with view to hallway with pet dog and a decorative horse bust

long angle view of dining room with black dining chairs and black chandelier lampshades in historic Tudor home — JEWEL-TONED DINING. The transformation of the dining room is Vanessa’s favorite in the house. “It was lovely before, everyone has their own style,” she says. “But it’s my favorite transformation.” The furniture is a combination of secondhand pieces and those she got from brands as partner collaborations because of her Instagram account, The Gratz Life.

green bedroom with white bedding, saffron armchair and black and white botanical rug — The primary bedroom is a space Vanessa is still working on. “It’s a hilariously giant bedroom,” she says. “Usually in old houses, the bedrooms are small, but the people who built this house made the bathrooms tiny and the bedrooms huge.” For now, the room has the same green Vanessa used in the bedroom of their last house. “I’m still working on it and figuring out how best to use the space,” she says. Some of the mid-century pieces she brought from her old house are still in residence here, like the dresser. IABOVE, LEFT AND RIGHTI UNEXPECTED RED. This guest bedroom is very red. “It’s another example of the Internet being a wonderful place,” Vanessa says. “My friend painted her living room this color. I don’t have red tones anywhere in my house, but I knew I wanted to replicate it. I color-drenched it with matte paint. It shows the true color really well.”

deep maroon painted walls and iron bedframe with saffron and green bedding and antique trunk at the foot of the bed for storage

maroon guest bedroom in 1926 Tudor home refresh — UNEXPECTED RED. This guest bedroom is very red. “It’s another example of the Internet being a wonderful place,” Vanessa says. “My friend painted her living room this color. I don’t have red tones anywhere in my house, but I knew I wanted to replicate it. I color-drenched it with matte paint. It shows the true color really well.”

bathroom with green wallpaper with sideways chevron and framed art of Shakespearean era man — SWANK AND MOODY. The powder bathroom downstairs was the perfect place for dramatic wallpaper. “I love going into restaurants and bars with swanky dark bathrooms, and that was my vision,” Vanessa says. “It’s a marble vanity but with modern legs, because I wanted [the room] to feel bigger, and the metal legs do that.” The ceiling is a black with high gloss. “The light shines off of it,” Vanessa says. “It’s darker but now it feels so much bigger.”

gallery wall along stairway with maps and paintings

sunroom addition to 1926 Tudor home with hanging plants and green furniture — A 1950S ORIGINAL. The sunroom was an addition made to the house in 1940s. “They wanted a space that would be a family room and where they would grow food in the middle of winter,” Vanessa says. The built the room with an in-ground plant bed that goes down three feet. “They grew potatoes and berries in the winter,” she says. “I now have a lemon tree. It was the first room built like this, and was featured in the Detroit Free Press magazine in the 1950s.”

homeowners of the 1926 Tudor home refresh stand outside their home in Michigan

landscape mural on sunroom wall and green painted ceiling in Tudor home — The sunroom is an indoor space but built to resemble a greenhouse or screened-in porch. Vanessa painted the ceiling beadboard green, and she and her husband added wallpaper that looks like a mural. “A lot of people thought we painted that, so my husband likes to confirm that,” she laughs. “But it’s just wallpaper.” Now the couple uses it as a casual family room. “This is where we watch football games and play video games.”

patio with outdoor sectional, dining area covered with umbrellas

paved patio and lush landscaping in 1926 Tudor home — The home has a beautiful backyard with landscape design left from the previous owner. “They lived here for 40 years, and they did an incredible job,” Vanessa says. “We brought in the exterior furniture to create a cozy entertaining space. It’s not finished, I have some ideas of things we can continue to do.”

If you loved this 1926 Tudor home refresh, check out A Colorful and Quirky 1930 Tudor Home. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to get your daily dose of cottage inspiration!