If you like drinking games, I dare to try to count how often I say ‘character’ or ‘charm’ in this message – maybe just water in those boat glasses? Someone recently asked which pieces are original to house and although there is no ton, it was actually much more than I originally thought. So I thought I would go all out and add a few furniture that we have converted. An enormous thanks to Arciform that led this aim. They have a lot of experience to restore everything, so I felt in very good hands. I bought most of them from Aurora Mills, and then Arciform found a few at an auction, but all locally and for the most part super affordable for how charming they are. While we have really turned off the house, these pieces helped to rebuild the character that we like about old houses. Here you go:
The bag (and mud room) doors
I found these two matching school doors and loved the glass in it. I feel pretty strong about adding pieces with a lot of architectural integrity and Anne (from Arciform) really enabled me to go with the doors without needing them on all match. I don’t know how much these were anymore (I think each a few hundred) and then they had to be patched, tidy and painted (which frankly is the most expensive part of the process, so if you are not willing to spend a few thousand and expertise of someone else).
I love them so much. Eventually we removed the copper kick plate and the push plate -goded (I think they should remove them to baptize them) and to be honest they were so beaten that we had painted once, we knew it would be distracting. Now vintage doors (especially this) are super heavy, so if you try, make sure you get the right pocket hardware that she can contain. The door of the mud room is not a bag, only the door of the family room at the dining area.
Although we loved the idea of retaining the original patina, it was not a very nice color. I think that in another house not -poor doors can work like these, but not in this 🙂
I think the panels and the glass give it so much character and it is clear that they are vintage without having every age.
We painted the inside of this the same color as the family room (and split the door jam, 1/2 and 1/2 blue and white). I just couldn’t love them anymore (although I sometimes wondered if I should have painted some doors a nice color).
The upper floor washing doors
Although the washing cabinet certainly did not have to have a glass, I felt that these would just be so charming if I found them at Aurora Mills.
And they are! Although it apparently hurts me, we have not taken a stationary photo of this closed since we have finished the bathroom and the washing box. Here you can see them open 🙂
Upper floor room doors (cupboards and bathroom)
The rest of the bedroom cabinet doors were all recovered. Shout at Marty (from Arciform) who found all of them at an auction, because I think $ 50 each or so.
I usually just trusted that they would work because I would not be the one they installed.
I was certainly nervous about how lean that door was, but it is so incredibly cute (and ensures a little more wall space in the bathroom).
That is the inside of the bathroom as you know – I don’t think I’ve ever shot the door completely closed (probably because there is the world’s largest TV on the wall next to the wall in the LOL guest room).
Charlie’s Cabinet Doors
No, we don’t use that as a stuffy cupboard – I think we just stylized it this way for the shoot? I don’t know anymore. But yes, all his cupboard doors are also stored.
I did not notice that these were shorter when I approved them, so when I saw them installed, I was certainly nervous that it was a mistake.
But once they were inside (and now that we have lived here for a while) I actually think the peculiarity is so sweet. It was such a great memory that old houses have strange things about them and if you make them all perfect, they may not have the same character. So even placing these strange things in the house has really strengthened the charm (imho).
Original interior windows
We loved the original Double Dutch diamond windows, but we wanted to open that wall for the back garden. So we actually kept them all and used them in three other places in the house.
We took the two that matched and they installed vertically as windows in the pantry. Couldn’t love it anymore, to be honest.
The glass is old and shaky (and certainly looks dirty here, lol). But I love them.
From the inside I also like to look at the kitchen. We have also found an extra vintage window that had some of the same diamond motifs and installed it in the pantry to add some natural light (it is non-operable).
The stock door
Oh another door 🙂 You have all used many secure doors in this house! I love them a lot.
The Kitchen Island
My favorite storage room was probably the kitchen island. I found it at Aurora Mills for around $ 3K. It has a lot of function (those loading, although heavy work complete) and arciform seamlessly added to the top, I should add to give it the overhang that we wanted so that we could eat with it (what we do, a ton).
Moirste island I have ever seen. And the red tones are so beautiful – I was so afraid that it would clash in a bad way, but it really adds a lot of warmth and character.
Two converted vanities
We did not stop there and have a dresser and a table converted into vanities for two of our bathrooms.
The child’s bath was an old pine rigant who was in our house in LA (and the Berghuis) and although it was a bit shallow for the sink, it worked well because we had a wall track. I wrote a whole message about how we converted here.
For the powder bath I really struggled with this until our kitchen make -over client (hi julie!) Literally gave me this farm table. So nice. So then Dave took out the hind legs and assured them on the wall around the wall -hose sink.
If you have an old house and renovate, but want to ensure that it remains charming, this is such a great strategy. Of course it takes more time to find and probably more money than just buying 10 matching doors, but Boy does so much character and adding charm to every house. 🙂
*Unless otherwise known photos of Kaitlin Green