Before (left) and after (right) of the living room spiral staircase (all photos by Andrea Paulseth)

One of the most iconic houses in the city of Eau Claire just got a major face lift.

Affectionately deemed the “Turf House” or the “Fake Grass House” because of its deliciously retro fixtures and proliferation of AstroTurf (inside and out), the house at 506 Margaret Street in Eau Claire’s Eastside Hill neighborhood was put up for sale in October 2019.

At the time, Volume One posted the listing on social media, and comments started a-flyin’ from local folks who had long wondered what the inside looked like.

“That blue toilet! Loved it as a droid in Star Wars,” one comment read.

“Something about this house gives me a B film Great Gatsby vibe. Who wants to make a movie?” said another.

“The interior is everything I imagined it would be,” one said.

Before (left) and after (right) of the basement bathroom. The cedar planks on the walls of the renovated bathroom were taken from the exterior siding of the original house.

There was spiral staircases (turf’d of course), an indoor pool, brightly patterned carpets and wallpaper, some leopard print, lots of blues and olive greens. Vintage fixtures and character were all over this thing. Some called it atrocious, some called it gorgeous.

In November of 2019, Karen Shane bought the house, and started an extensive renovation process that turned the Turf House from a colorful and unique, disco-era throwback to a modern marvel with sleek, minimal designs. Shane kindly allowed our staff photographer Andrea Paulseth to get an exclusive look at the inside of the Turf House before and after the renovations.

An electric hand dryer from the original Turf House (left) was preserved for the renovation (right) in the main floor bathroom.

“That house was so amazingly unique! I wanted to save so much,” Shane wrote to Volume One. “But it wasn’t practical, (wasn’t) very functional, and also it was 45 years old. A lot of it broke my heart to take out. But everything we put into that house has a tremendous amount of thought and has a practical reason behind it.”

“Definitely a dream come true,” Shane continued. “I feel this house was a labor of love.”

So here’s an exclusive look at the house, before and after renovations. Enjoy!

BEFORE ...

AFTER ...