In their bijou Victorian row house, owners Peter and Camille Marrello show us how a little handiwork and a few antique finds goes a long way

Attention to detail

It's hard to imagine that this Victorian house was a '80s reno nightmare when Peter and Camille Marrello got their hands on it two years ago. It had been stripped of all of its charm and character. Yet everything about the house today looks like it's been there for, well, over a hundred years. To bring it back to its former glory, Peter and his reno-savvy dad rolled up their sleeves and added moldings to as much of the house as possible. Then Peter and Camille combed through vintage stores and antique shows to find period pieces to play up the period details. The Carrara marble fireplace was a lucky find at a Habitat store. "They're really hard to find, because they often break when people take them out of old houses - this one was perfect," says Peter, a creative director. Rustic hewn floors and a new floating wood-and-glass staircase add just the right updated touch. The resulting look is a perfect balance of classical and freshly modern.

To lend visual unity to the built-ins, the homeowners placed books spine in - it's a fun way to show off the soft muted tones of book pages. Flea market finds are peppered throughout -everything from an old block and tackle to shoe lasts finds a home. A coffee table made from an old drum punctuates the space.

Get this look: Resin antlers, Restoration Hardware. Birch logs, acorn filials, Sheridan Nurseries. Gold bowl, Elte. Sofa, Casalife. Vintage drum coffee table, Christie's.