Restoring Dorothy Dean: New owners of Edna Mae Brown’s home bring her kitchen back to its cozy glory

Erin Haskell Gourde had long admired the French architectural design of the stately South Hill home she and her husband Zach Gourde purchased in October.

“I’ve wanted this house since I was 5 years old,” the Spokane native said.

Her affinity for beautiful homes led to a career in interior design and architecture. She and Gourde, who played basketball for Gonzaga University in 1999-2003, own Design for the PPL, a design studio and retail store in downtown Spokane.

When they bought the 1925 home, Haskell Gourde wanted to know about its past.

“I’m a curious person,” she said. “I just had to know who shaped the history of the house.”

That’s when she discovered Edna Mae Brown, The Spokesman-Review’s second Dorothy Dean, had lived there for 40 years.

Dorothy Dean was the pseudonym of a series of women who headed the newspaper’s Homemakers Service from 1935 to 1983, when the department closed.

Brown served as Dorothy Dean in 1938-41. Her responsibilities included hosting cooking demonstrations, publishing recipe leaflets and writing the popular “Ask Dorothy Dean” column.

The home was designed by noted Spokane architectural firm Whitehouse & Price. In the early ’50s Brown had it remodeled by the same firm. The house hadn’t been inhabited since Brown’s death in 2005.

When Haskell Gourde moved in she was enchanted by the kitchen. Tucked toward the back of the home, its lemon-yellow backsplash tiles, mustard-colored wall oven and dual Hotpoint refrigerators spoke of the no-fuss practicality of the time. Instead of completely remodeling it, she decided to restore the kitchen to its cozy glory.

“I liked the functionality of it. It made a lot of sense. There’s so much counter space!” she said. “There’s two large sinks close to each other and lots of storage.”

For design elements, Haskell Gourde wanted to get a sense of the former owner’s style and personality.

“I talked with Edna Mae’s daughter, Dee Dee Brown Keating,” she said. “I learned Edna Mae was a very simple, practical person, yet elegant, so I added vintage wallpaper.”

The golden Birds of Paradise paper serves as a backdrop for two unique items that date to the year the house was built – the original 1925-era telephone and the house phone complete with floor buzzers in the dining and living rooms. That phone was used to summon the servants.

“It still works,” Haskell Gourde said, smiling. “But Edna Mae never had a maid. She did everything herself.”

The wallpaper, lighting, art and décor came from the couple’s store.

Some things like the aging linoleum floor and chipped countertops had to be replaced.

“I used period-correct black wood flooring and added quartz countertops,” she said.

The kitchen features ample cabinets, so Haskell Gourde simply replaced the hardware on them.

Restoring the kitchen to its ’50s-era charm got the designer thinking about contemporary kitchen design.

“I’m not a fan of the open floor plan,” she said. “I’m rethinking the kitchen of the future – maybe it shouldn’t be the focal point of the house.”

As far as how she’ll use the space, Haskell Gourde acknowledged she’s no Dorothy Dean.

“I don’t cook, but Zach does. I assemble things and make great cocktails.”

She said Brown’s daughter told her she was confident her mother would be pleased with the work they’ve done.

“We’ve celebrated the existing footprint and history of the house,” Haskell Gourde said. “It’s a good combination of beauty and simplicity.”

Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com