In 2009, Nancy Gracia innocently drove by a Newtown home — long abandoned — and was immediately smitten. In The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sally A. Downey reported on Gracia’s purchase of the property and her transformation of it.

The home’s architectural history wasn’t exactly linear. The original structure was erected in 1800; a clapboard addition followed a century later.

And more than a century after that, from rooftop to basement, the structure needed work.

Gracia’s first renovations were simply to make the home habitable.

By 2012, however, she had enough funding and knowledge (gained by her BFA from the New York School of Interior Design) to move ahead with a full-scale redo.

She hired Amish contractors to build another addition, which held a great room, additional bathroom facilities, and a basement office.

Then came the new kitchen, where her improvements to the electrical system enabled modern appliances.

Gracia carefully addressed the overall vibe of the interior, not wanting to “overpower [it] with modern design.” She used plenty of warm-toned wood furniture, wood trims, and white- and red-oak flooring.

She even kept the vintage, embossed-metal radiators.

More on this residential exercise in balancing old and new is at The Philadelphia Inquirer.