When Peter Blank bought the most expense house in the neighborhood, a 1956 H.B. Wolff in Denver, he never looked back (part 1). Of course, like many midcentury homes on the market, the house was a ghost of its former self, with add ons and changes not fit for the modernist. But when Blank got started, using custom wood panels and unique palettes, there was no stopping him. He approached the yard and interior with the same vigor of any determined atomic ranch owner, and to great effect (part 2). But now, it was time for the lifeblood of the home—one of the most important rooms in the house.
In the kitchen, a checkerboard linoleum floor adds a little whimsy and echoes the grid of the nearby metal stairwell railing—in contrast with the Design Within Reach chairs and table base with a custom cherry top. Counter materials include butcher block, stainless steel and Silestone—a quartz and epoxy material that’s harder than granite.
“I’m not about to preach to somebody what they should like or what they should do with their home, but I want people who are buying these houses to understand what they’re buying and how valuable it can be if they maintain the integrity,” Blank says.
“This part of Americana is disappearing. The good thing is, a lot of people are getting it. Ten years ago people bought here because it was affordable—it was a neglected neighborhood. That’s all changing. I’ve bought and sold homes most of my life, but I want to be here for many years.”
