Woman Pays Top Dollar for a Renovated 1920s Home. Then She Immediately Starts Ripping Everything Out
Living history.
A woman just bought a fully renovated 1926 home and immediately started ripping out the updates to restore its original charm.
According to PEOPLE, Nina Menke, 32, said she always loved old homes but felt something was missing in her newly flipped house. The moment she pulled up a section of carpet, she knew she was about to spend months, or years, bringing back the character that had been covered up. Menke and her boyfriend, Taylor Nagel, 35, fell in love with the home’s age and full-brick exterior. Normally, she would have preferred a house that hadn’t been updated at all, but this one gave her a chance to take on the kind of restoration projects she enjoys.
The home already had modern kitchens, bathrooms, appliances, and major systems, but to Menke, it still felt hollow. “While it is nice to have modern amenities, I want to honor its age and feel like it’s closer to what it would have looked like when it was built,” she said.
Menke’s realtor called her a “purist” during a tour, and she now realizes he was right
She isn’t rejecting every modern improvement, though. She’s grateful the hardwood floors were refinished and the roof, plumbing, and electrical systems were updated. But she wants the house to feel like it belongs to its era, not just its current one. Future plans include stripping paint from the fireplace brick, restoring the original staircase banister, and hunting for hidden traces of older features.
While exploring the basement, she found old Detroit magazine pages stuffed into the ceiling as insulation. The find gave her a small but tangible connection to the home’s past. Neighbors have also shared stories, including one about a previous owner named Stella, who immigrated from Poland. The coincidence stuck with Menke because Stella is also the name of her dog.
The home’s history fascinates her. The neighborhood was first platted in 1923 and remained mostly agricultural for years, meaning her house was likely one of the first built there. She’s in no rush to finish the work.
For Menke, success isn’t about how quickly a room comes together. It’s about whether the finished home feels like it has always belonged to the era that inspired it. “I hope people can come into our home and see things we have done and think that they are original to the home,” she said.
Menke is one of many homeowners interested in ‘unflipping’
According to Business Insider, Niki Marie Taylor, 31, bought a 1920s home in Detroit and immediately began “unflipping” it to restore its historic charm. Taylor, a destination wedding photographer, was scrolling on Zillow when she found the house. It was love at first sight.
“The moment we drove up, I just had a good gut feeling about it,” she said. The four-bedroom home was in a historic neighborhood, and though it had been modernized, Taylor knew she wanted to bring back its original character. Taylor and her husband took on the renovation room by room, aiming to make the home feel authentic rather than forced.
She said, “Our goal was to make it old but new in a sense.” They hired help for some of the work but DIYed as much as possible, with Taylor’s father and husband handling much of the labor. Her aunt, a well-known artist in Chicago, also contributed by painting custom murals and scrollwork.
One of the first changes Taylor made was in the entryway
Here, faux marble tile clashed with the grand staircase. “The staircase was basically one of the main things that sold me on the house,” she said. She replaced the tile with a black-and-white checkered marble-and-granite floor. The fireplace, which also had faux marble, got a new mantle – one Taylor repurposed from her old condo. She added molding, a statement chandelier, and hand-painted scrollwork on the ceiling to brighten the room.
The dining room had plenty of natural light but needed more character. Taylor added crown molding and a crystal light fixture to give it a retro feel. She filled the space with a mix of modern and vintage furniture, sourcing pieces from high-end stores and Facebook Marketplace.
The kitchen was the first major renovation project. Its butcher-block countertops and white cabinetry didn’t fit Taylor’s vision for the formal space. She replaced the counters with white, textured ones and added new upper cabinets while keeping the lower ones but swapping out the hardware. “I really wanted the cabinets to go to the ceiling,” she said. She also installed statement lighting fixtures and a new archway.
The tile floor in the kitchen was one of the few original features
“It’s a really cool element that we really love,” she said. “Since it’s one of the few original features of the house we have left, we like to hold on to it.” The room off the kitchen became a bright library, with built-in bookshelves painted sage green to match the walls. Taylor’s aunt painted a floral mural on the ceiling, and a statement chandelier completed the space.
“Give yourself the time and the space to live in your house and to see how you live in it and to see what you’re drawn to,” Taylor advises. For her, the small details – like light-switch plates that matched the home’s era – made all the difference. Before buying the house, she had been drawn to modern, neutral decor, but restoring the 1920s home brought back the cozy, lived-in feeling she wanted.
Both Menke and Taylor share a deep appreciation for the history of their homes. They’re not just renovating. They’re uncovering stories and preserving character. For Menke, it’s about honoring the home’s past. For Taylor, it’s about blending old and new in a way that feels authentic. Neither of them rushed the process, and both ended up with homes that feel uniquely theirs.
(Featured image: TikTok)
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