Our New Old Home

It is a 1890’s Colonial that has so much character. It has the most beautiful woodwork, solid wooden doors, high ceilings, original wood floors that need refinished, original wallpaper that…yes, is damaged in places, but beautiful in its own vintage charming way.

I loved the house the moment I walked in. I could see myself living there. I could see my family living there. I could see my kids growing up there. So, you can imagine the huge amount of disappointment I felt, when the owners originally told me their next-door neighbor/tenant would be moving in there. They invited us down to see the house that the “said” next door neighbor was currently living in with the chance that we may want to buy that from them instead. We looked at that house, and it was lovely, but just not large enough for our family. The current resident, had it decorated absolutely perfect. She honored the house’s personality and furnished it with a vintage style that honored the home’s timeless feeling and esthetic. We didn’t meet her then, but ironically have now become friends with her and she’s happy that we are now the ones who are purchasing the house that she had originally also wanted to live in.

We left the potential house knowing that it just wouldn’t work for us. I waited a few days to let the owners know that and he said he understood.

Then a few months later, the owners texted me to tell me they were now planning to move into this historic beauty, and they wouldn’t be selling it after all. Their next-door neighbor and tenant had decided to not move. I couldn’t blame her at all, you see, she was pregnant and the thought of moving with a newborn wasn’t all that appealing to her. I understood that more than anyone. We moved from a two-bedroom, two bath condo to a single-family home that needed quite a bit of work done to it with seven-month-old twins, not all that long ago. It wasn’t easy and I know better than anyone how much work and exhausting babies are.

Although I was disappointed, I accepted it and went about making our small country cottage feel homier and got to organizing things so that it didn’t feel like the walls were closing in on me. Although…they were. While I was busy doing that in my free time, I kept dreaming of moving into a larger house…someday.

A few months had passed. I thought this home’s door had closed for us, until one day, a phone call from that same owner came. Saying that things had changed and he and his wife were now moving in with his father, into his home. They wouldn’t be moving into the beautiful, vintage, stately colonial home after all.

His father is 96 and until recently lived alone and got around great. He’s one of my hometown’s oldest living residents and he and his late wife, at one time, many years ago now, were good friends with my grandparents. I have always adored him. I was sad to hear that he was declining and needed the owner of the lovely historic home to move in with him. But this news opened the door again for us to potentially purchase the historic, stately home that I had previously fallen in love with.

Fast forward to today, closing day for us. This is the fifth house/home that my husband and I will now own. This one feels a bit different than the others. It has been a staple in our small community. It was always a stately home that was well kept and stood proud on main street for all to admire. I plan to bring it back to its glory and add even more beauty to it. I love the historic touches. I love the charm. I love the large yard. I love the detached garage that I plan to turn into my workshop. You see…I really want to learn how to use power tools and plan to build things that will remain on this property and improve it for future generations.

Some things you can expect while I am working on renovating this historic, beautiful, stately home in my hometown are:

Renovating before and after photos of the kitchen
Renovating before and after photos of the main bathroom
Decorating before and after photos of the dining room
Decorating before and after photos of the living room
Decorating before and after photos of the mud room
Decorating before and after photos of the twin’s bedroom and playroom
Adding a walk-in shower and linen closet in the upstairs half bath but keeping the original 1950’s feel and look of the blue toilet and vintage vanity. I want to remain loyal to the vintage style that this home deserves.

and so much more….I have many projects in mind.

Outside, I plan to have a white picket fence with a few gates installed. I also plan to plant a beautiful cutting garden out front with fragrant, bee and hummingbird loving flowering bushes and plants. I want to plant what is native to this part of the United States and that will bloom season after season, and at different times during the year.

You see. I LOVE flowers. My grandmother…my Nana…was a florist and I used to help her in her shop when I visited here as a child and young adult. I always loved being in her shop with her. She was a talented floral artist, and she had a successful business in this area for years. People still speak of her flower shop and how her arrangements made them feel. After all, if you can leave someone with a pleasant feeling, what better thing is there. People will remember how you made them feel over what you may have said to them. I hope that with me sharing my new home projects with you I will be able to leave you with a feeling of beauty. A feeling of what homes used to be made like. True craftmanship. History. Pride of home and so much more.

In the meantime, here is a photo of the outside of the house we closed on today. This spring, the front facade will be transformed a bit. Using paint and the original shutters, I plan to bring it back to a semblance of how it may have looked back in the day, but with a new modern color palette. Think really pale pinks and teal blue/greens…I can’t wait for the weather to improve enough to break out my sandpaper and paint brushes!

I hope I have piqued your curiosity, and you will follow along on the most dramatic transformation of any real estate purchase so far in my lifetime. I’m super excited to share the ins and outs, successes and challenges with you!

XO,

Meg, aka…Little Miss Idea