Twenty years ago, the residents of Greenland Hills, more commonly known as the M Streets, officially converted their historic neighborhood into a conservation district. The area had a long history of storybook Tudor houses, and the locals didn’t want tacky remodels and ill-fitting oversized new builds bulldozing their character-rich homes.
About the same time, Belmont Homes was constructing 5245 Merrimac Ave., but the builder was careful to consider its surroundings and created a classic Tudor Revival house—with all the bells and whistles of a larger home.
“He did a really good job leaning into the Tudor style in a very sophisticated and tasteful way,” says listing agent Skylar Champion. “I do think it fits really well on the street with some of the older, more original homes.”
That street, Merrimac Avenue, is lined with historic Tudors and magnolia trees. It’s especially beautiful during the holidays. “You can see all the Christmas trees in their big front windows,” she says. And it’s sleepy. It’s not a through-street to Central, so there’s very little traffic coming up and down the road.
“You have to turn the wrong way or know where you’re going to fall onto Merrimac,” says Champion.
The current owners bought the 2003 property in 2021. After they moved in, the homeowners considered several renovations to imbue their personality into the house. Then their house flooded during the freeze, so Champion says they “decided to go ahead and pull the trigger on all of their updates that they want it to do.”
They hired interior designer Taylor Murphy to help. They tore out and redid the downstairs, as well as the primary bathroom. “Every surface was painted,” Champion says. Many of those spaces feature shades of green, like the front door, the fireplaces, built-ins, and the downstairs powder bath. “I just love the pops of green throughout this house,” she says. “I’m not a big green person, but this house makes me love the color green.”
Instead of going ultra-sleek and modern, Champion says they opted for a more old-school, classic look. They sourced marble and red oak hardwood for the floors. They ordered designer wallpaper and installed lighting from brands like Rejuvenation and Serena & Lily. They also installed a pool. After everything, the home is still cozy and approachable for the owners, who have young children, she says, but it’s still formal enough for entertaining. The interiors and exteriors fit in with the neighborhood of Tudors.
“Really leaning in on the Tudor style is, honestly in my opinion, kind of a breath of fresh air from all the modern accents that I’m seeing more in the new builds and stuff these days,” Champion says. “It’s the best of both worlds having a home that was built in [2003], but still as the charm and one of the older Tudors that you would see.”
Scroll through the gallery to learn more about the home. You can also see it for yourself at an open house Sunday, December 17, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Author
