The ReVISION House Vegas is a sustainable gem: it has a HERS rating in the negative numbers, celebrates the Nevada sun without the heat gain, boasts a spare yet functional floor plan, and attains excellent indoor air quality.
These and many other important sustainable factors might have been overlooked had an interior designer not been brought in the process at the project’s beginning to coax the look and livability of this mid-century modern rehab into a home suitable for today’s home buyers.
“One of the reasons it’s so important to use an interior designer or stage your green home is that it’s an excellent marketing tool that puts you ahead of the competition,” explains ReVISION Vegas interior designer Pat Gaylor. “Green finishes, down to the flooring, are marketable and give you the opportunity to say, “Did you know this is green on a lot of levels? Let me tell you why ...”
The ReVISION house is sited in a 1950s community that declined over the past few decades but is now on the cusp of revival. Gaylor, who researched the architecture of the community’s homes with project manager Craig Savage of Building Media, found a lot worth saving in these mid-century masterpieces.
“I really fell in love with this house,” Gaylor says. “It’s like an ugly pet; you have to love it. But if you aren’t a fan of mid-century modern, they look weird—kind of like a Dairy Queen.”
Saving the building was a large part of the green messaging for this project. The team envisioned it as an aspirational remodel that would spur the revival of the neighborhood. “We saved instead of rebuilding,” emphasizes Gaylor. “We did it to regenerate this neighborhood, which has gone through bad times. But it’s important because it is the original first of golf course community in Vegas. All the casino managers lived there. It was the place to live. We realized that if we wanted to revitalize the neighborhood, we needed to revitalize the house.”
Bringing back the soul of the house meant honoring what had been while addressing the energy efficiency and health of the house along the way. And while building scientists and experts descended on the house to address the energy-savings side of the equation, Gaylor labored to redefine the home’s spaces while keeping the vibe of the original house.
“We needed to keep the house ‘current,’ but wanted to keep as many of the architectural details,” Gaylor says. “Comfort is more important than it was when this was built in 1964. One of the original photos of the house shows a man sitting in a suit with a tiny TV stuck in the corner. Today, people want an open floor plan but they want it to be comfortable.”
“Being a green designer comes from my heart,” Gaylor adds. “It doesn’t come from wanting to differentiate myself or make money. I have a passion for preservation. Because of the preservation of this house, we can revitalize the neighborhood—it all becomes much bigger.”
For more information on ReVISION House Vegas, other VISION House Projects, and the sponsors who make this series possible, visit our VISION House Page.
