Bill Wade, Post-Gazette photos Local artist Linda Bladen's mural of a street scene in Bordeaux, France, adds to the ambience of the wine room at Jeff Neubauer's home on the South Side.

By Gretchen McKay
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Of all the Victorian architectural styles, Queen Anne is usually the most colorful, winning the most extravagant examples the name "painted ladies."

But all those bright colors rarely find their way inside, which is why the kitchen of Jeff Neubauer's 115-year-old row house on the South Side is such a delight.

Painted the color of a juicy tangerine, the walls not only "pop" against the original white-painted tin ceilings, but reinforce the notion that kitchens -- a natural gathering spot in modern homes -- are best when they're unabashedly cheerful and fun.

Even more of a crowd-pleaser is the nearby wine room, which stands in a space that was once a dark alley. Brightened by five skylights, this honey of a larder boasts a custom-designed wine closet that can hold upward of 600 bottles of wine.

"And it's stuffed beyond design," says Mr. Neubauer with a laugh.

Jeff Neubauer, going from his lower deck up to the top deck of his home, will open the doors of his house on 17th Street for the annual South Side House Tour. Click photo for larger image. South Side Home Tour When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Saturday. Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 on tour day ($3 off if you arrive by bike or on roller blades); available at South Side Carnegie Library, 2205 E. Carson St., or UPMC South Side, 2000 Mary St. Lunch: Homemade haluski and pierogis, $10 at the Brashear Association on Sarah Street. (Reservations: 412-381-2094.) Information: 412-481-0651 or www.southsidepgh.com.

To give the wine enthusiast something appropriate to look at, one wall features a 19th-century street scene of Bordeaux, France. Mr. Neubauer, a business consultant who earned his MBA from the University of Bordeaux, wanted something to remember his studies by. Muralist Linda Bladen -- also the genius behind the poppy-colored glaze on those orange kitchen walls -- spent about a week re-creating the port city scene from one of Mr. Neubauer's photos, then added some passers-by in Edwardian dress.

"It fits with the age of the house," she says.

The house on South 17th Street is one of eight restored Victorians that will be open next Saturday for the 15th annual Historic South Side Home Tour. The self-guided tour will also feature homes in the SouthSide lofts and Angel's Arms, a new condo development in the former St. Michael the Archangel Church and rectory on Pius Street.

All of the spaces on tour feature architectural details appropriate to the buildings' style and date of construction. But in Mr. Neubauer's house, some of the most interesting details were added after he moved in.

The house's sun room, which opens onto a small courtyard framed by giant butterfly bushes, contains a mural depicting the view one sees from the front of the Grand Theatre de Bordeaux opera house. Mr. Neubauer spent many hours relaxing at Le Cintra, a popular cafe in the heart of the historic district.

He said he was drawn to the three-story house -- and to the South Side -- by its reputation for diversity and eclecticism. The 'burbs are fine for some people, but this native Pittsburgher wanted to be able to walk to restaurants and other activities. He also wanted something old, yet livable. Fitting the bill perfectly was this recently remodeled red-brick row house built in 1891 by Wilhelm Geauf, a cigar merchant and manufacturer.

Among the touches added since he moved in April 2005 are hand-decorated, embossed paper above the white wainscoting in the foyer and raised-pattern paper in the adjoining dining room. Ms. Bladen painted the papers to match the tufted leather chair in the living room and the dining room's camel leather chairs, respectively. She also gave a sandstone look to the walls of the wine room, a temperature-controlled box that carpenter Bob Johns crafted from Masonite. He added a roof and installed lights, allowing for easy wine selection.

Mr. Neubauer also replaced the worn pine floors with hickory flooring and hired interior designer Michelle King to come up with the home's soft and subtle color scheme. A variety of artwork and personal photos add character and flavor.

In the living room, where an arched three-part stained-glass window takes up much of one wall, a mixed-media piece depicting the South Side Slopes by Cynthia Cooley marries watercolors and newsprint. More traditional is a pair of 150-year-old engravings to the left of the pocket doors into the dining room; Mr. Neubauer picked them up in Holland.

The focal point of the dark-red formal dining room is a black marble fireplace with original ceramic tile hearth. The visitor's eye also wanders to the large stained-glass window hanging in an open window to the wine room. When Mr. Neubauer moved in, this decorative piece was being used as a divider in an upstairs bath.

Jeff Neubauer's kitchen has cheerful tangerine-colored walls. Click photo for larger image.

In the kitchen, the stained-glass doors on the massive built-in china closet are just as pretty if a little more modern; they depict climbing cherry tree boughs. This vibrantly painted room, which also features exposed brick and oak parquet floors, is as functional as it is eye-catching, with twin professional-style Magic Chef ranges, a built-in desk with elegant spindled legs and a polished granite countertop.

The second floor is made memorable by a fabulous bath with a 70-gallon Japanese soaking tub and a walk-in shower with a curved glass-block wall and skylight. The room also includes a laundry and separate water closet with a transom. The concept, Mr. Neubauer says, was to create a complete living quarters so "you wouldn't have to go back downstairs."

The middle room, used as an office, has original pine floors and built-in bookcase. The master bedroom, which overlooks the street through shuttered windows, features sky-blue walls and pine floors. An adjoining nursery has been converted into a large walk-in closet.

The third floor is one huge space that Mr. Neubauer, who has three children, turned into a theater room. Mr. Johns modified the built-in bookshelves so they could accommodate a 50-inch plasma TV, and the room is wired with surround sound system. Doors open onto the first of two decks; the upper one offers a birds-eye view of the city skyline.

"I like to think I have something fun on all floors," he says.