Before and After
...
It's almost a year since we bought our little 1925 cottage, so it seemed like a few before-and-after photos might be in order.
Here's the dining room, before we bought the house. What made us love this house so much was how little it had been "updated." Nobody had perpetrated the 1970s on this classic Craftsman Cottage. In fact, the last major updates all seem to have been from the 1950s. Unlike some of the re-muddled houses we looked at, there was very little to un-do.
Here we are, a year later.
We've had the floors (lightly) re-finished. Robb ripped out the ugly green carpet in the hallways.
I've re-surfaced the ceilings and re-painted all the front rooms. We matched the original paint colors of the front rooms, which has made more than one friend have a "Oh My Goodness! This is the same color as my Grandmother's house" experience.
We bought a somewhat antique (probably 1950s repro-Colonial) dining room set on Craigslist. You should have seen the two of us -- one paralyzed, and one not particularly strong, carrying this table up our stairs the night we bought it. This was a very slow and cautious maneuver.
We bought some handmade Iranian (Persian) rugs. These rugs are not made in urban workshops (which is probably a polite way of saying "sweat-shop"). They are made at home in rural villages.
We've still got a lot of work to do on our little house, but it's nice to reflect on how well things are proceeding.
It's almost a year since we bought our little 1925 cottage, so it seemed like a few before-and-after photos might be in order.
Here's the dining room, before we bought the house. What made us love this house so much was how little it had been "updated." Nobody had perpetrated the 1970s on this classic Craftsman Cottage. In fact, the last major updates all seem to have been from the 1950s. Unlike some of the re-muddled houses we looked at, there was very little to un-do.
Here we are, a year later.
We've had the floors (lightly) re-finished. Robb ripped out the ugly green carpet in the hallways.
I've re-surfaced the ceilings and re-painted all the front rooms. We matched the original paint colors of the front rooms, which has made more than one friend have a "Oh My Goodness! This is the same color as my Grandmother's house" experience.
We bought a somewhat antique (probably 1950s repro-Colonial) dining room set on Craigslist. You should have seen the two of us -- one paralyzed, and one not particularly strong, carrying this table up our stairs the night we bought it. This was a very slow and cautious maneuver.
We bought some handmade Iranian (Persian) rugs. These rugs are not made in urban workshops (which is probably a polite way of saying "sweat-shop"). They are made at home in rural villages.
We've still got a lot of work to do on our little house, but it's nice to reflect on how well things are proceeding.
Comments
Our first home was a bungalow and we loved it. You've done a great job with this room - it really brings us back.
Well done!
-D
Annalisa
Stefani -- this tiny house is just our speed. A Victorian would be too much responsibility.
CrescentJoy -- I'm going to have to wander around the corner and say hello.
Christine and Claire -- we sure do know how lucky we are to have found this place. We looked at so many sweet old homes that had been *ruined* by their owners. The purple sparkly paint on the craftsman fireplaces come to mind as a good example.
And Meredith -- you're right. The house is a house. Home is made by love, not furniture and paint.