A young couple returning to the husband’s childhood home—a historic lakefront Tudor with a dark, Gothic interior—envisioned a lighter, brighter contemporary environment. The responsibility for a generational shift in stewardship brought emotional as well as design challenges, but through a respectful approach, the clients and design team were able to transform both the vocabulary and spirit of the once-formal space. ​Layering the environment with new materials such as marble, bronze, and light painted finishes enabled the excessive ornamentation—found in arches, paneling and period tile—to be reimagined.