Unique property design ideas...

[Anna Laud]

Hi everyone & thanks in advance for any and all suggestions here;

Usually I'm on the answering side of things, so this is out of pattern for me, I'll admit = ) In design ideas for flips and rehab work, I've never encountered an issue with design ideas and what end users will find appealing- thankfully. Now however, I'm looking at some design ideas for a property that I'm just not certain on, and it's due to the fact that it's simply not like any other property I've dealt with before. 

This is a Class A+ area, ARV of $800K. Now here's the question; All of the woodwork in the house is custom oak. The kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, crown molding, baseboards, banisters, wainscoting, chair rails, built in book cases on each side of the hearth, closet doors (solid oak), bedroom doors (solid oak), window sills, overhead exposed beams, EVERYTHING - down to the spindles in decorative ornamental design, newel posts, even the attic access doors ha- all custom made for the house from solid oak. Absolutely none of it is is disrepair and it's truly one of a kind.

The issue is it seems outdated in design - again never an issue before in flipping as it's very easy to give a 'modern/fresh' look that's so appealing to end users. In this case however, it seems like it would be easier to install stained glass windows in the kitchen to match the custom stone backsplash, wood floors, Tiffany style light fixtures,  and overall more Victorian/gothic feel than to try and make it look 'modern'.  If you can imagine the feel to the B. Harley Bradley House in design by Frank Lloyd Wright, this is what I working with. 

Some of the homes in the area have tried to update and look more modern, painting similar looking (yet not solid/custom oak) wood styles white, adding in more modern looking light fixtures, accent work etc - but it seems 'cheap' looking to me. Maybe this is due however to knowing how much it would cost to have something like all of this made in today's market. 

Do I bite the bullet and try to make it look modern, comprising custom, vintage, one of a kind quality to appeal more to end users,  or truly play up the custom elements by adding in more period design elements such as stained glass, hammered bronze sinks to kitchen & vanities etc. One will appeal to only a few end users, while the other would appeal to a more broad base end user pool it seems. 

If this property were in Chicago (like Oak Park) and not Indianapolis, it might seem more clear to me to stick with the original design concept and truly embrace the more 'old world' feel, for Indianapolis however where modern looking flips are in steady/constant supply, it's more questionable. 

Thanks so much- sorry this was long!