Willow Home Tour with James “The House” Judge
With a passion for turning houses into homes one judgement at a time, James Judge is a Phoenix-based designer, Realtor, flipper, deal fanatic and all-around house-a-holic. Judge specializes in design solutions that breathe new life into tired, outdated spaces by using the home’s existing features to maximize the innate design aesthetic that, he believes, it was always meant to have. His creative vision, keen eye for innovative concepts and buy-to-design approach have resulted in more than 100 house renovations in recent years ranging from $100,000 dilapidated fixer-uppers to $1.4 million palatial estates. Through each project, his fans and followers are along for the ride as he shares DIY tips, design-on-a-dime methods and overall inspiration for their own home-renovation goals. For more information visit mrjamesjudge.com
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 All right, so the new year is well underway and this is the time for many of us to update
00:05 the look of our homes.
00:06 I know I personally am going through a renovation as we speak.
00:09 So what is the final verdict on style for 2024?
00:13 Well we have the house judge here to give us the details and show us one of his newly
00:17 updated homes.
00:19 Welcome James.
00:22 Hey good morning Lexi.
00:24 Thanks so much for having me on this morning.
00:26 Oh I love talking to you about style.
00:29 Absolutely, I know and there might even be a pop quiz for you at the end.
00:35 But I heard you saying how you wanted someone to give you a historic home.
00:38 I can't give you this one but I'm definitely going to give you a tour because this is my
00:42 most recent finished project.
00:44 Come on in and check it out.
00:45 Okay amazing.
00:46 Look at how gorgeous this is.
00:47 Yeah I love the willow area.
00:49 It's so beautiful.
00:51 Absolutely.
00:53 And this is really special because the Willow Home neighborhood is about to have their 35th
00:58 annual Willow Historic Home Tour and this house is going to be on it.
01:03 I actually just finished it.
01:04 It's an art modern home which is a pretty rare style for the 1930s but as a result you
01:09 can really see some special features.
01:11 It's got really great cove ceilings, these special archways and it even has these etched
01:17 concrete floors.
01:19 So this was a really popular design in the 1930s to have stained concrete.
01:23 We're bringing it back and really enhancing it.
01:26 And for me this project was really so much more about restoration than renovation but
01:32 I made sure to focus on some key style details.
01:36 So here's your pop quiz.
01:37 Do you remember the top five trends of 2024 Lexi?
01:41 Oh okay so I remember some of them.
01:43 I remember red.
01:45 I remember there was something about texture.
01:49 I don't remember all of them but those are a few.
01:52 Okay good.
01:53 Good.
01:54 Okay perfect.
01:55 I'm impressed.
01:56 I'm impressed.
01:57 So yeah so we definitely embraced some red.
01:58 We embraced a lot of texture and some patterns as well.
02:02 Coming in through the rest of the house here, one of the things that I think is really special
02:05 when you're focusing on historic homes is finding that balance between old and new.
02:10 The dining room, I ended up taking this really bold which was another element for the 2024
02:16 trends to really make some bold color statements.
02:19 And it also has a modern flair which caters to that art modern look.
02:23 But my favorite feature in this house really is the kitchen.
02:27 So we focused on actually replicating one of the original archways into the kitchen
02:32 to give a little bit more of a sight line.
02:34 So that way you really feel like the kitchen is a part of the home.
02:38 Stylistically you'll notice there's a bright red range because red is a popular color this
02:43 year.
02:44 Beautiful.
02:45 But also one of my favorite features is the fact that this side of the kitchen is absolutely
02:49 original.
02:50 You have your original cabinets, the original hardware, even the original tile countertops.
02:55 So this goes back to the 1930s.
02:58 It's so rare to see all of this.
03:00 But of course, let's be honest, in a kitchen today you want to have the best of old and
03:04 new.
03:05 So on this side of the kitchen there was nothing here before and I focused on transforming
03:10 it to make it much more convenient for modern day uses.
03:13 This is actually a panel ready refrigerator.
03:15 It tucks in seamlessly, blending in with the old style of the cabinets.
03:20 We also did this custom hood range to really make a statement and make a visual impact
03:25 here.
03:26 So I think a lot of these features caters to the historic elements of the home while
03:30 still enhancing it with a lot of style and design that is appealing to so many people
03:35 today.
03:36 Definitely, James.
03:37 This is so beautiful.
03:38 So I was going to say, so I personally am going through a renovation in my bathrooms
03:43 right now.
03:44 So I know we're going to talk about the bathroom a little bit too.
03:47 But before we get there, can you talk about what the difference is between like an art
03:50 deco and art modern?
03:53 Yeah, so absolutely.
03:56 I think one of the things with an art modern home is it's a lot more streamlined.
04:00 So you get on the exterior specifically a lot more hard edges.
04:04 The corner windows that we saw as we were coming in to the house and having a lot more
04:08 of a streamlined element makes it an art modern home.
04:12 And this was a really rare style in the 30s.
04:14 Of course it became more popular as time went on.
04:17 But to see it in the 1930s, especially in the Willow Historic District, it's much less
04:21 common.
04:22 That's great.
04:23 All right, James, let's get to the bathrooms.
04:24 So peeking over this way, we've got the laundry room.
04:27 Awesome.
04:29 And yeah, great wallpaper there.
04:31 And one of the things too I think is always so fun, if you take a peek there, you've got
04:35 the historic milk door.
04:37 What is that?
04:39 And believe it or not, you used to be able to get eggs, milk, cream, all of that through
04:43 the milk door, which I always think is so funny and such a special feature for these
04:47 homes.
04:48 That is really cool.
04:49 All right, James, well thank you for showing us these really incredible, unique pieces
04:53 to this home that is super historic but also has some fun new elements to it.
04:58 And everybody can come and see this home on the Willow Tour on the 18th.
05:03 Absolutely.
05:06 Check out, you can buy tickets on eventbrite.com for $25 or get them the day of.
05:11 There's 12 houses on tour and you're not going to want to miss them.
05:13 And Lexi, if you come, I'll make sure to show you the bathrooms in this house and we can
05:17 plan your project too.
05:18 Okay, I love that.
05:20 Yes, James, I would be honored to get some of your touches in my bathroom.
05:24 But thank you so much for showing us this house.
05:26 The Willow Tour is always so fun, you guys.
05:28 If you haven't been, you absolutely have to go.
05:29 [BLANK_AUDIO]