From the outside, Finnson Oaks in Staunton's historic district is your typical classical revival structure: Built in 1940, the two-story brick house with its ornate columns, entryway arches and decorative molding has a stately, traditional look. But once visitors open the front door and step inside, they enter a very different era, thanks to the efforts of contractors Chuck and Robert Vailes and interior designer Lisa Tucker, all of Staunton.

"When you walk in the house, you think you will find a traditional interior," notes Tucker, who also is an architect. "Then you step inside and see this Art Deco kitchen and these wild bathrooms" tiled in purples and greens and blues and browns. "The house," she says, "is very surprising."

Maintaining that element of surprise became a top priority for the Vailes brothers when they signed on to the restoration project last September. At that time Finnson Oaks (formerly the Klotz house, the surname of its prominent original owners), had just been sold to Roger and Kathy Peterson, who planned to move into the 3,200-square-foot house by Thanksgiving. That gave the brothers about three months to strip wallpaper, repair plaster, refinish floors, fix plumbing, polish fixtures, and remodel the existing kitchen.

"Our goal basically was to put everything back the way it was when it was originally built and make sure it was in mint condition," noted Robert Vailes. "The only exception was to update the kitchen, which was very small."

Relying on Tucker's design expertise, the Vailes opted to retain the original kitchen's black-and-white color scheme while virtually gutting the original room, keeping only the ceramic tile wall. The contractors also decided to replace metal cabinets with custom-built wood cabinetry, cut an arched pass-through into the adjoining breakfast room, install countertops in a combination of laminate and marble, and lay down a vinyl composition black-and-white tile floor. To make the kitchen functional as well as attractive, stainless-steel professional-grade appliances were selected. "The idea was that it was supposed to look Art Deco," explains Tucker. "That's the look I was going for" in keeping the original colors.

That same look was echoed in other touches throughout the house. The color schemes of bathroom tiles and fixtures were not altered; walls, floors, sinks and toilets simply were cleaned, repaired and at times, enhanced. (For instance, new toilet seats were painted to match the hard-to-find colors of the originals, notes Robert, and the walls of the two bedrooms adjoining an upstairs bath were painted in colors complementary to the purple-and-green tiles and fixtures.)

Attention to detail helped carry the same Art Deco feel throughout the more traditional-looking rooms in the house, says Tucker. Stainless-steel floor lamps, lacquered-look furniture and carefully chosen rugs and window treatments all helped to blend the two very different decorating styles, she explains. Seamlessly mixing Finnson Oaks' traditional elements with its Art Deco touches was a task Tucker says she found challenging - but ultimately manageable.

To keep delays to a minimum throughout the project, Robert and Chuck drew up a detailed plan before any of the actual labor began. "That included identifying everything the owners wanted done, predicting what additional work might come up and how to deal with it when it did, placing all special orders correctly and scheduling the different trades to flow smoothly," says Robert.

All of that planning paid off. Despite the need to move quickly and the extensive amount of work involved, says Robert, "there was nothing that really floored us."

Experience was another big factor in the project's success. Since teaming up in 1987 to launch their remodeling firm, Vailes Brothers, Inc., Chuck and Robert have become experts in historic restoration. Although they do a wide variety of work to homes both old and new, about 25 percent of their work qualifies as historic restoration. "We like the unique character of older homes," says Robert. "Many of them are like fine antiques that are irreplaceable. When we restore one of these houses everyone involved comes away with a very satisfied feeling of accomplishment."

Historic restoration is the perfect specialty for a pair of brothers living and working in Staunton, a city that values its heritage and has been striving to preserve historic buildings for the past two decades. In 1995, to help with this goal, Staunton joined Virginia's Main Street program, which provides technical assistance to communities that want to renovate historic structures as a way to strengthen the economic development potential of their downtown business district.

The Vailes first got their feet wet in historic restoration in 1988, when they began work on the former Kenwood Bed and Breakfast in Staunton. It was during this project that they learned many of the ins and outs of making old buildings look as good as new while retaining all of the irreplaceable character that comes with these. "We learned a lot on that one," says Robert.

The contractors' own offices are a testament to the brothers' dedication to historic restoration. In 1992, they purchased a duplex on the perimeter of downtown to use for their growing business. Built in 1880, the structure had been expanded around 1920 with the addition of Victorian-style porches and bay windows. "We repaired plaster, refinished floors, and mainly spruced it up on the inside," notes Robert. And, before beginning work on the exterior, the brothers sat down with members of the Historic Staunton Foundation to get the Victorian color scheme- five different shades of spice float and cream- just right.

It's obvious the Vailes have found their niche. In the 13 years since they launched their remodeling career by tinkering on an old gutted house in Waynesboro- all the while leafing through the pages of Time-Life "How to" books- they have hired 16 employees to work in the field, an office manager and a part-time assistant. Typically, they are working on six to nine projects at a time- and they often have a waiting list.

What's the secret to their success? It's simple, says Chuck. "Robert and I are the perfect match as partners. We're best friends first and brothers by coincidence."

And, he adds, "We both share a passion for historic restoration and a respect for older properties."