< Previous80 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2023 HOMEPORT and kitchen. An abundance of natural light pours in from the 14 tall windows, each of them arched in brick. The walls all are the original brick, too, which gives the spacious room a warm atmosphere. Original ship’s captain beams, with rough- cut lines and ridges, line the 11-foot-tall ceilings. The warmth in the rooms continues with the wide-plank floors and the reclaimed cypress wood barn doors hanging to form the entrance to a primary bedroom, which was carved out of a corner of the room. A large staircase was built, using reclaimed wood Von Blon trucked in from Gonzales, Texas, to give the room an authentic look. A massive antler chandelier hangs over the stairs, leading down to the first floor. The large room on the main floor is styl- ishly decorated. One cabinet is filled with memorabilia collected from the Marschners’ grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2023 81 well as photos of the original building’s inte- riors when it was a bottling company. An 8-foot-long wood dining table, which comfortably seats eight, is in the center of the room. A little bar in the kitchen — actu- ally an antique cabinet from a grocery store — is topped by yet another barn door, this one being used as a tabletop. The kitchen is illuminated with an eight-light fixture of large mason jars. Downstairs, which had been the mechanical operation of the bottling company and later the showroom for the museum, now is three bedrooms, including a bunkroom that sleeps (Clockwise from far left) A large chandelier made of antlers hangs over a corner stairwell. The staircase is made of reclaimed wood from Gonzales, Texas; a small island bar in the kitchen is an antique cabinet from an old grocery store; A long dining table, which seats eight, spans the open space between the kitchen and living room.82 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2023 HOMEPORT COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2023 83 With a Top Producing Team, we provide you with increased efficiency, productivity, and a wider range of expertise and availability. More Than A Home, It’s A Way Of Life Providing the Elite Service that you deserve! Contact Us or Go Online TODAY! Serving the HOUSTON - GALVESTON communities Primary or Secondary Homes • Condominiums • STR Investment Properties four and a recreation area with a pool table. It’s the perfect place for the Von Blons’ four seats rescued from the Houston Astrodome. “I finally found a place for my Astros seats,” Brett said. A huge arched wooden double-door where the horses and carriages once entered the building to make deliveries in the early 20th century is now a pedestrian entrance- way. A second, similar doorway had been in the front of the house but was removed by one of the earlier restorations. “We just love living here,” Veronica said. “When we get here, we park our car, take out the golf cart, and use it to go to dinner, the supermarket, the beach or downtown. It is so much fun here — our entire family enjoys it.” In 1984, the building was recorded in the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1997 the Texas Historical Commission erected a marker heralding the Charles F. Marschner Building a recorded Texas historic landmark. And now the Von Blon family has made it their landmark. (Above) A recreation area on the first floor features a pool table and seats from the Astrodome. (Opposite, from top) Veronica and Brett Von Blon created a bunkroom on the first floor for their grandchildren that sleeps four; another first-floor bedroom is deco- rated with an angel motif.84 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2023 A massive quartz waterfall island is the centerpiece of the updated kitchen in Tom and Dina Roane’s Galveston home. COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2023 85 COUNTER CULTURE A STYLISH SOLUTION With a few creative changes, islanders solve their kitchen space problem story by BARBARA CANETTI photos by STUART VILLANUEVA I t’s a well-known fact guests always congre- gate in kitchens during house parties. Dina and Tom Roane experienced this in their 1888 Galveston home. Their kitchen just wasn’t large enough for friends or family invited for a party. But they had a solution: Move the adjacent dining room to another nearby area and create a “lounge” attached to the kitchen so people could spread out and not miss any of the conversation or food. “We have lived here three years and we never could figure out a way to expand the kitchen,” Dina said. “It just gets so crowded with everyone con- gregating in that one space. A girlfriend suggested turning the dining room into a lounge. And it was the best solution for what we were trying to do.” By removing the large table and replacing it with four comfortable swivel chairs, the space became part of the kitchen. They added a large wooden cabinet against a wall that opens into a fully equipped bar for their adult beverages, wine glasses and other stemware, as well as supplies for mixing drinks. “The swivel chairs make this a good conversa- tion place, too,” she said. They decorated the walls with art — a triptych in blues and grays and an abstract painting of an oyster shell. They added a muted-color rug and a “fandelier,” which is a fixture that combines the style of a chandelier with the functionality of a ceiling fan. Their space problem was solved. Dina loves the kitchen, which features a mono- tone light gray with brass hardware and white calacatta quartz countertops with a waterfall effect on the ends. The cabinets, some of them reaching the ceil-86 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2023 COUNTER CULTURE ing, hold her grandmother’s china and other family pieces. Instead of closed shelves, most of the cabinetry is composed of drawers in all sizes. The walls are shiplap, as is the ceiling, and the range hood is custom made with matching wood. A wine rack is built into the wall. Three large black and brass pendants hang over the long bar, where four brass barstools are used by the family for small gatherings. The rooms are encircled with thick crown molding along the ceilings and wide baseboards around the flooring. The downstairs to the house isn’t original, Tom said. Sometime during the 20th century, the house was raised and the COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2023 87 (Above) Tom and Dina Roane converted a formal dining room into a lounge, complete with four swivel chairs, adjacent to the kitchen so people can spread out and not miss any of the conversation or food. (Far left, from top) A fandelier, a ceiling fan with retractable blades, in the lounge area features industrial-style lighting; a large wooden cabinet in the lounge opens into a fully equipped bar. existing rooms became the upper floor. The new downstairs included the kitchen, lounge, living room and the new dining room. The only problem the Roanes have with the new dining room is the bathroom is attached to it because it used to be a bedroom. “It can be a bit awkward,” he said.88 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2023 COUNTER CULTURE (From top) Tom and Dina Roane love the lounge they created to expand the kitchen in their historic Galveston home and allow more space for guests; three large black and brass pendants hang over the long white calacatta quartz island; four brass barstools add seating options at the kitchen island for small gatherings; a built-in wine rack. COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2023 89 GUZMAN’S CUSTOM CONTAINERS & TOTAL REMODELING Commercial | Residential • Licensed | Insured | Bonded TOTAL REMODELING Indoor/Outdoor Kitchens & Baths CUSTOM CONTAINERS Tiny Homes or Storage YOU DREAM IT, WE BUILD IT!! 409-256-6257 DON’T HESITATE TO CALL BECAUSE WE DO IT ALL. GUZMANSCUSTOMCONTAINERS.COM Award Winning Complimentary Decorating Service Solid Wood Furniture Zero Down - Zero Interest Financing Delivery & Set-Up Open 7 Days A Week The new dining room is fewer than 20 feet from the kitchen, which makes it accessible when they have larger gatherings and want a sit-down meal. “We can lay out the food here on the is- land, prepare our plates in the kitchen, then bring them into the dining room,” Dina said. “It is still convenient.” The couple and daughter Riley, along with their two French bulldogs, Waylon and Patsy, enjoy the added space in the house. “This is not an open-concept house, but this is the best way to open it up to keep it flowing,” Dina said. “I wish we had done it three years ago. We just had to figure it out.” This is the perfect recipe for summer months when tomatoes are abundant. DINA’S DELICIOUS HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD 1 pound heirloom tomatoes, different colors and sizes, cut into quarters 1 pound grape tomatoes, assorted colors 1 red onion, sliced thin 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar Crumbled mozzarella, feta or blue cheese Sprigs of fresh basil and parsley for garnish Salt and pepper Arrange tomatoes in a bowl along with red onion. Season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top. Add either crumbled blue cheese, fresh mozzarella or feta cheese. Top with freshly chopped basil and parsley.Next >