Saturday 24 March 2012

they don’t build them like they used to

I recently came across this painting project by Charlotte over at The Modern Midwestern Home:

charlotte 1

Charloltte did a great job creating the herringbone pattern on a wall in her kitchen. Pretty fantastic, don’t you think? And also pretty fantastic is that grid detail on the door. I assumed that it was a DIY project, but Charlotte said that the doors are original to her 1941 house.

charlotte 2

charlotte 3

Soooooooo much better than the typical raised panel doors that are the go-to doors for builders today. They definitely knew how to add character to homes 60 years ago! Another case in point – this abandoned old house near the village of Benburb, Co. Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Just look at that great door and all the amazing window details…

door flickrPhoto by ©NIreland eye, via Flickr

Here are some more amazing abandoned houses & buildings from Design Your Way:

Abandoned Dilapidated House Photography

Abandoned Bennett College Photography

abandoned hotel, Abkhazia Photography

West park abandoned hospital Photography

abandoned institute Photography

Abandoned House HDR Photography

Filthy, money, and amount of elbow grease required aside, I would LOVE to get my hands on an old house and restore it to its former glory.

Do you live in an old house with the original details?

kelly sig

5 comments:

  1. Yes, the old homes certainly have more character. Before retiring and building our home in the country, we lived in an old Victorian home in the city. It was over 100 years old and had character in every room. High ceilings, tall baseboards, a huge attic loft which was our T.V., little knook and crannies everywhere. Stained glass windows in the staircase and above the front door. Loved it but love my new home even more.

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  2. Mine is from the 30's and I have a dome in my ceiling where the light hangs from - I did not know I had the lovely dome till I moved in - I had not even noticed on the two inspections I did before buying !!

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  3. I still dream of the home I looked at in the Boston area when a grad student. High ceilings, gorgeously framed windows and doors, wonderful wood floors, large farmhouse kitchen. I was in love. Location won out, and we ended up renting in a modern highrise. Have never forgotten the light in that old home. *sigh*

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  4. Wow, those are quite the abandoned beauties! So interesting to imagine them in their prime. We think we are building too big these days, but these homes show us that it is nothing new. (Of course probably 4 generations of family lived in one). :)

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  5. Gorgeous Cinderellas all waiting to come back to life! There is an enormous, old Queen Anne I always pass in Alameda that is in ruins. I always dream of what it once was and what it could be again!

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