Details

The thing I love most about the house we just moved into is the details. This place is loaded with the most gorgeous Old World touches. If you're not into old or rustic, then you probably wouldn't care for the place. But I love old things and, for me, this house is like living on a movie set. I took some pictures a few days ago. Thought I'd share some. Here is a shot of our front door. It's a lousy pic; I'm not sure why I wasn't standing straight - I'm blaming it on the poison ivy. Yeah, that's it, I was distracted by the itching.

Back to the door. It's a century old - came off some old building - looks like it could have been a church. The door panes and transom window are original leaded glass. The door makes the nicest creaking sound when it opens, too. I love the brick porch and the rock wall. That light fixture, by the way, is huge. Keeping in the old cottage spirit, the front door opens directly into the Hearth Room - no fancy foyer here - but the Hearth Room is a dandy.

This massive stone fireplace greets you when you step inside. Yes, that's a door embedded in the stone above the mantle - an antique 9 foot tall door. The hardwood floors, ceiling beams and mantle timbers are 110 years old and were removed from an old barn. We put a few old family trinkets on the mantle; the lithograph came from my childhood home in Indiana. The big crock on the floor belonged to Mitch's grandfather and the copper kettle came from the old bakery my parents owned years ago. They used to make jelly in it. This fireplace separates the two downstairs living areas - very effectively, I might add. The colors in these rooms are shades of brown and grey - the colors found in the stone and timbers.  That's a perfect color pallate for all our things - I had a whole house full of rustic neutral stuff that never really went in the breezy Florida-style house we own in Tiny Tourist Town. This is a shot of the ceiling. The fireplace goes all the way up  - see there's the top of that 9 foot door way up there. That big light fixture in the upper left is iron. I'm looking for a tall dining table to sit under that light; haven't found the right one yet. I'll know it when I see it.

I am constantly amazed at how much thought went into each little space. There is no such thing as "an empty corner" or "a mundane wall" in this house - no boring spot begging to be covered by some huge potted plant. This place was absolutely perfect when it was empty; I'm just trying not to clutter it up. It does have one fault - it is not family friendly, meaning, if you have small kids you probably wouldn't want to raise them here. Too many high windows to fall out of and it sits right on one of the busiest corners in town. But for Mitch and I, it's a perfect fit. Next, I'll show you the kitchen.

Comments

[Jeanne]

I love the photographs of your home and you.
Blessings.
Love Jeanne