Homes: Hidden gem

Homes
Hidden gem
Hannah Quigg likes to flip unique homes in Champaign.
Story: Christine Walsh
Photos: Rick Danzl
Hannah Quigg likes to flip unique homes in Champaign.
“I find something that’s a hidden gem and make it shine again,” the 27-year-old business owner said.
Quigg has lived in her condo in a historic building on Park Street for almost five years. She and her parents have done a complete renovation to the space, nestled along a brick street lined by the original streetlights.
“It really only took us 27 days,” Quigg said.
Dad David Quigg is a homebuilder, and his construction skills came in handy. In fact, he built the house Hannah grew up in.
Hannah Quigg found the home while looking online at about 4 a.m.
“We looked at other places on State Street,” Hannah Quigg’s mom, Ann Quigg, said. “We bought it pretty much that day. It’s just kind of a neat place for a young entrepreneur.”
Hannah, who was born and raised in Champaign, likes the home’s proximity to the city’s downtown area; she can walk there in exactly 12 minutes.
“It has that Chicago city feel to it,” Hannah said.
The condo is one of 12 units in what’s known as the Oxford Building, which was built in 1935. Some of the units have fireplaces and multiple bedrooms.
“Every place has its own look,” Hannah said. “It’s interesting what they keep or modernize.”
The Quiggs took out the condo’s carpet and refinished the hardwood floors. They did some electrical and plumbing work and installed different light fixtures and overhead fans, as well as modernizing the kitchen.
The 1,000-square-foot condo boasts 10-foot-high ceilings accented by crown molding.
“The crown molding was probably one of my most favorite things about the space,” Hannah said.
Hannah and Ann furnished the home through finds at Carter’s in Urbana, Checkered Moon in Champaign and through their hobby of antiquing.
“I like to mix a little of the modern with the old,” Hannah Quigg said, describing her decorating style as “farmhouse city.” “I like to think I have an old heart.”
Hannah Quigg has repurposed a lot of antiques to make them fit into her eclectic style.
“I can see past what they are sometimes,” Hannah Quigg said.
A white cabinet in the dining room came from Third Sunday Market in Bloomington. A coffee table in the living room was a basement find. A cart in the sunroom came from a construction site that David Quigg was working on. A pair of 70-year-old canoe paddles resting against a wall came from a bait shop that David frequents and turned out to be from a Canadian company called Grey Owl.
The sunroom’s couch was in the TV room of David and Ann’s home in Cherry Hills. Some items came from the Junk Gypsy Company in Texas. Hoopeston artist Ashlee Bruens created a paper doll piece that highlights the dining room. Sharon Crow at Checkered Moon helped with some of the design, particularly the colorful and bold wallpaper.
The building’s original windows let in a lot of natural light to the dining room and sunroom, Hannah’s favorite rooms.
“It’s very bright and cheery,” she said.
Hannah Quigg writes a blog called Park Avenue Poppy on which she showcases projects she’s done, letting people know that remodeling can be fun and doesn’t have to be stressful.
“I have an eye for interior design,” she said. “I want to influence. I’ve had Target show a lot of my style on their website.”
The blog also touches on fashion.
“I use all this as my backdrop,” she said.
Hannah Quigg has brought her decorating style to her business, the Just Be Salon in Champaign, which she fulfilled a longtime dream by buying about a year ago.
“This was a great opportunity for me to take it on,” she said. “When you work hard for it, it’s nice.”