Let’s just get this out of the way: I have no plans to paint the woodwork in the house. I know that I have become notorious for painting wood because I did it to the trim in my last house, but that wood was awful. This wood is not.
Onward! Pictures of the house! Here is the front entryway.
I KNOW. We’re still pinching ourselves.
To the left of the entry is the first parlor. Hello, charming curved windows!
The pocket doors between the first and second parlor mostly work. I imagine they’ll be open most of the time though.
Continuing on, to the second parlor. We have a fireplace! I’ve never lived in a house with a fireplace before.
Another pocket door that almost closes all the way. (Not bad for a house from 1891.)
The dining room is on the other side. The beams are not original, but they were well-matched to the existing honey oak trim. The freestanding breakfront wasn’t going to be included with the house, but the sellers felt it should stay and surprised us by leaving it.
Here’s the dining room, looking back toward the entry. The door on the left is a coat closet, beneath the stairs. You can refer to the partial floor plan I shared yesterday and everything should make sense.
The white walls are such a beautiful blank slate. I have a million ideas for the house, but our furniture won’t be coming until Friday and I want to see how everything starts to come together before making paint/wallpaper decisions.
Tomorrow, I’ll share the rest of the first floor. Wallpaper ahoy!
121 comments
Darryl
My wife and I just bought a house FULL of oak trim, oak columns, oak cabinets, etc. and a house full of carpet which we just ripped out because we want hardwood floors. While the oak is very high quality it is just overwhelming. We have decided to paint the walls a light blue/gray called Silvermist (Sherwin Williams) and we may pint “some” of the oak to reduce the amount of it…. but we are struggling with the type of hardwood and finish to use. Yours looks a lighter more yellow shade of floors (is that oak?). Any advice or input on how to choose the right flooring?
Vivian
Oh my goodness. This house is amazing. I am in love!! And so excited about all the things / posts you will be doing for your new home. Congrats!
Heather Nolting
I am so happy this beautiful home is in your hands! It will be exciting to see what you do with it.
Melissa de la Fuente
So happy for you that you found a house that you adore! We found and bought our Victorian 4 years ago ( 1898) and I love all of our old gal’s character and beauty. Our pockets doors are almost always open so, don’t worry about those “almost working” ones! :) Can’t wait to see what you do with it! So exciting!
xo
Melissa
Laura
Nicole, is the fireplace original? I can visualize your family enjoying it during cold winter days!
I love seeing the inside of such a gorgeous Victorian home, one that has been lived in and is not just a museum piece. It is amazing that shoddy “updates” haven’t been done over the years; it looks authentic. Absolutely gorgeous woodwork and doors. I cannot wait to see what you will do with this striking home.
Violet
It’s ridiculous how excited I am for you and happy to see these pics. I can’t wait to see what you do to this place. I bet christmas there is going to be magical!
Miss Charming
Such a gorgeous home! Congrats on finding this gem!
decor8 holly
Nicole your home screams YOU already. It’s so YOU and you’ve not even touched it. I can’t wait to see how you decorate it all and what choices you make. Will you leave the brown woodwork? I see your home and dream of owning my own someday but we’ve had a very hard time finding one here that isn’t around $1M and I’m not even being that picky. We could move into the country or a village and get a giant home for $200K-500K but I love living in the city. It’s really going to be hard for me to eventually make a choice so for now, I’m just going to have my baby, work REALLY hard and save save save as much as I can so I can also realize my dream someday. CONGRATS on everything! You are such an inspiration as a breadwinner and mom!
xo
Holly
Meghan
I can’t wait to see what wall colours you use with your natural woodwork. We just moved into an older home with the wood trim as well, and I’ve been looking for some inspiration :)
Lara
Oh my, she’s gorgeous! It’s like your very own dollhouse:) Looking forward to seeing the many wonderful rooms transformed by your magic touch. Congratulations to you and your family on your lovely home.
Christine
Ahh! I am so giddy about this amazing house. I can’t believe you live here!!
Jessee Maloney
When I just saw the first photo and then the second I smiled and then when I saw the floor plan I squealed!! This is almost the exact same floor plan and even woodworking as the house I spent most of my childhood in! We even had the second set of stairs in the back!!!
I’m even more excited now to see how you decorate it!!!
Congrats on this new gorgeous home btw!!
Alex - Hydrangea Girl
Oh my god your new home is my absolute dream. I can’t even look directly at it, that’s how insanely romantic it is.
xx A
p.s. Is that a plug socket on the floor in the hallway? I adore silly details like that.
Making it Lovely
It is! I might swap out the sockets and plate for something that blends with the floor, but I like that it’s there. :)
KarenAnita
What an absolutely stunning house! Can’t wait to see what you do with it x
Rach
Oh my! So much detail in that wood. It would have been a total nightmare to paint any way. You guys will love this place!
Lesley staples-Sturge
Wow! What a beautiful place. I would be pinching myself also. Congrats.
Laura @ the shorehouse
This is ammmaaazzzinngg! I’d be pinching myself, too. :-) A huge congratulations and I’m so excited to follow you on another house journey!!
Lauren
It’s gorgeous! I can’t wait to see what you do with it! Congrats to y’all!
Robin
Congratulations!! This is absolutely gorgeous. Nice work!
Meredith
Lovely! I grew up in a house with pocket doors…my parents found them useful if they were meeting with someone and needed to be able to keep my sister and me close, but with our own space. They also came in handy for adult & kid get togethers when we were a little older – the adults got one room, the kids got the other and all were content!
Karen
Words cannot express my jealousy! That house and that woodwork is beyond gorgeous, congrats!!
Natalie
It’s SO beautiful ~ congrats! :)
RebeccaNYC
What you have here is what we call a bona-fide MANSION! So beautiful, and I can’t wait to see what you are going to do with it! Thank goodness you are not planning on painting wood…because there is just so much of it! Congrats!!!
Josephine
Sweet Georgia Brown! I have to admit Nicole, I was a bit surprised when you announced you were leaving your old house, but… Mother of Pearl!!! What a glorious home you’ve landed! I could just keep going with the exclamations, but I’ll just say I can’t wait to see what happens next. Thanks for sharing :)
Lucy
Oh my! You’re living my dream. This place is gorgeous! Even I wouldn’t paint those stairs and the wood paneling. It’s perfect!
Megan @ Two Live Colorfully
So so so gorgeous! I’m dying over here!!!
Nicole, I cannot even friggin’ wait to see what you guys do with this house!!! Ahh! :)
patricia
You guys, this is a dream house! I’m in love! Welcome home darlings!
Shelly kennedy
It’s so gorgeous! Congrats!
You are in the Chicago area- no?
I’m curious what area- I lived there for 10 yrs-
Many different neighborhoods- I feel like I’ve seen this house!
We purchased an 1896 farmhouse last yr
Full of beautiful woodwork (unpainted)
I don’t have the heart to paint it either- but it really
Does make decorating a challenge!
Can’t wait to see your progress!
Shell
Holly
What a beautiful house! The entryway is especially stunning. I can’t wait to read more about your plans.
Yvonne / Yvestown
Your new home is amazingly beautiful. Many congratulations you’ll turn it even more beautiful with all your magic.
Ronda
Wow! So beautiful! Cannot wait to see what you guys do to the place, it is just beautiful!
Sava
We have two staircases! I’m stealing the Huxtables line. But seriously, who has two staircases in a 1950s ranch (with basement)?
Lovely house, I always dreamed of living in a Victorian, but they are very rare on the West Coast. *Sigh*
Janet
Oh yeah. This is going to be fun to watch! Beautiful home, congrats.
Marcee
Fantastic & marvelous ….. ! All good things for sure Nicole. Your lives will change and be different with the personality of this fabulous home. It happened to us! Hopefully you will not be too overwhelmed with so many things on the agenda.
Best of & enjoy!
Jessica
Beautiful! And even with so much wood, it looks bright and airy and lovely! Enjoy!
Amanda
Gorgeous! So happy for you guys and excited to watch the transformation from dream house to home.
La rapporteuse
Wow, that’s going to be a nice playground for you! Can’t wait to see how you’re going to transform this place.
Tina@TravelingMama
I am so excited for you guys that I can barely stand it! Moving in is so much fun and I cannot wait to see what you do with your gorgeous new home!
alisa from ca
I absolutely LOVE the house. Once in a blue moon would you come across something this old and beautiful where we live (picture 1950’s california).
Just wanted to tell you we worked on our pocket door last weekend. It was stuck for ever, someone finally got it unstuck, and then hubs finally pulled off just one piece of the moulding to get into the track. Once he did, it was easy to repair without even having to take the door out. Just put another coat of fun color on it (yay for quirky accents!) and it is now a working door, and we love it.
Just wanted to say that I could easily see Brandon being able to fix those doors. If my hubs can do it…
Lori
What a thrill! I am so looking forward to you making this house even more lovely.
MamaBear
Your new home is beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous! I can’t wait to see how you personalize it. I know it will be fantastic! Congratulations!!
Cristina
I am so excited to see what you do with this house! Congrats!!
Juliane at Modern Mural
It’s absolutely romantic. I’m excited to see where you take this house with its white walls. Wallpaper? Art? New paint colors? I’m sure it’s going to be amazing.
Making it Lovely
All of the above!
Jeanne Cameron Washburn
The house is just magical…it is sitting poised, waiting for your special sprinkling of fairy dust – the photos took my breath away! Congratulations!
sarah b
lovely, by the way. that woodwork is amazing!
sarah b
So seeing your floor plan and photos makes me realize that my house probably had a double parlor back in the day. The house was built in 1905, but over the years the downstairs has been opened up almost completely, with a few support walls still in place. If the space were rebuilt w/ walls, the layout would be almost similar to yours, except the stairs in my house are off the 2nd parlor, not the entry. I’ve lived here 2 years (to the day!) and all this time I couldn’t understand why the fireplace wasn’t in the “living room” and now I realize that it probably was a 2nd parlor.
Kristy Daum
I am seriously drooling over here, it is BEAUTIFUL!!!! I’m looking forward to see how it all comes together.
Catherine
This is freaking FABULOUS!!! I am so thrilled for you guys!!!
Lauren @ chezerbey
It’s beautiful and looks like it was well-cared for over the years. Can’t wait to see what you guys do! Yay for old houses!
jenn aka the picky girl
Whoa. This is AMAZING. I cannot wait to see the rest of it!
McCaulie
I am so jealous!! This is MY DREAM house!! Congrats!! I know you guys will love it as much as I would ;) P.S. How awsome is your built in halltree! BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!
Desiree Fawn
Ooh I can’t wait to see you work your magic, making that gorgeous house a home! <3
Laurie
Good Lord that house is achingly beautiful! That is really a lot of pressure actually to live in a house so beautiful. At least my crummy 70s Ranch is kind of a blank slate because anything I do will make it look better!
I can’t wait to see what you are going to do because I’m sure it will be fantastic and surprising and I love that!
Making it Lovely
There is a weird pressure to it. If it was in disrepair, then who cares what I do to it because ‘four months ago, the walls were caving in’ (or whatever)!
Laura Gilbreath
Congratulations, Nicole and family. It is fabulous!!!!! I know you will be very happy there and make the house into a warm and loving home.,
Arli
Holy cow, Batman! That is one heckofa house!
Artsy Forager
Such a beautiful canvas! Some of my favorite things about these vintage homes is the artful touches, ingenuity, and attention to detail. Looks like you have a healthy dose of all three! Very much looking forward to seeing you transform your new home.
Rebecca H
WHAT!?!?!? OMG, this is absolutely breathtaking! Congratu-friggin-lations! Well done. I cannot wait for all of the designing to be had.
Sandra
What is on that “door” in picture #2 and especially #3 with the round mirror? Is it a coat rack with a built in umbrella stand? Does it open? Thanks!
Making it Lovely
It’s affixed to the wall, so the only part that opens is the small compartment directly below the mirror. It’s a coat rack with a built-in umbrella stand, yes!
Claire
I’m the 100th person to say this but: breathtaking! I grew up in a Victorian house and it made for great memories. It was hard to believe anyone growing up in a new construction box would have the rich experiences. (Though I know they can and did, but for me the house’s character gave it a larger leading role in my memories.) I hope it’ll be the same for your little ones. And good note on not painting the wood; one of my signature memories of growing up in a Victorian house was my mother painstakingly stripping the paint (someone else had added) off of three flights of stairs and three rooms of trim. I swear that’s where she spent 2-3 years of my childhood.
Making it Lovely
Ha! If my kids remember any of the work I did at our old house, it will be of their mother painstakingly priming and painting the trim throughout. ;)
Eileen
Wowwwwwwwwwwwww…
Elisabeth
Oh it’s so lovely! I’m excited to go rug shopping “with” you.
Laura @ Rather Square
Really breathtaking. Actually the first thing I noticed are the floors, they look like they are in such great condition. I like the tonal variety going on there.
Alana
Oh Nicole! It’s beautiful. What a great place to start. Looking forward to seeing what you do.
Nancy
*Gasp* Wowie! Such an amazing home. Can’t wait to see all the magic you bring to the home!
carrie @ brick city love
It is so completely, utterly, and amazingly beautiful. Congratulations!!
Courtney
What a gorgeous home! I’m thrilled that the woodwork will be left as is – it is unique and beautiful as is. I can’t wait to see what you will be doing in this house! Congratulations!
Nicole L
Oh my goodness. The details in the word work, just wow!
And I’m very curious as to what that mirrored wood piece (coat rack?) is in the front hall – I’ve never seen anything like that before!
Making it Lovely
It’s a coat rack, yes! I love it.
Sissy Pants
Oh my goodness! The house looks beautiful! I can’t wait to see it! :)
-Ashley
Janine
This is way too exciting, and is pretty much the BEST way to start a week. *makes popcorn*
I cannot even deal with how gorgeous this blank slate is. Cannot cope.
ARGH is it tomorrow yet??
Making it Lovely
Janine
Janine
THIS.
With the opera glasses.
YES.
Sophie
Beautiful house! I guess I lost my English seeing your front entryway.
Ta maison est sublime :)
I wish we had Victorian houses in France.
Not that I can complain about beeing able to find nice houses here.
Clair
Is it weird that I don’t know you and am thrilled for you guys! Congrats!
Kimberly
Wow. So beautiful! That staircase is beyond words. Everything is in such fantastic shape for how old the house is.
Christina
WOW! That’s amazing.
I love those funky light fixtures too. But they are always so small and disproportionate to the rooms in Victorians. Will you be replacing and/or relocating them? The two light one could be a pretty nice pendant over the kitchen sink if it fits in with your decor plans.
Making it Lovely
Many will be replaced. I love the layout of Victorian homes, but lighting from that period doesn’t do it for me.
julia
Oh my goodness, how beautiful!! I agree–definitely don’t paint the trim! Oh and I think the pocket doors open are a good thing. My husband actually adjusted ours so they don’t shut all the way (no little ones with pinched fingers)
Making it Lovely
Maybe it’s a good thing that there’s a little gap then, ha!
Paul
How do you feel about the light fixtures? Many of them seem authentic or reproductions of pieces appropriate to a Victorian home.
That said, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing more modern lighting in your Victorian.
Making it Lovely
I don’t love the lighting. They are appropriate, and I think that many are actual antiques, but I like modern lighting in older homes.
Joii C.
OH MY GOODNESS! It’s amazing.
Lindsay
OMG. I love it!!! Thanks for sharing pictures with us. I live in the South where stained woodwork is so rare in older homes – much of the trim is painted pine since those trees were/are most abundant here. You lucky midwesterners!
Making it Lovely
Only the first floor gets the good wood. Upstairs, it’s all pine, and it typically would have been painted in a faux-finish to look like better wood!
Sarah
Oh my goodness! It’s a dream!
Jodi
absolutely stunning!!!!
Amber
Wow! It’s beautiful!
Xenia
WOW!!! You have a beautiful home!!!! A very nice woman who found my blog a couple of days ago wrote to me and said that I have an envy inducing home. I would say the same thing about yours. If I did not have my own Victorian house I would still be happy and excited for you, but maybe feeling a little sorry for myself…ha ha :-)
After nine years so far of living in my house I have never, not even for a second, taken it for granted. I give thanks daily, and I just know that you will always appreciate yours too.
The woodwork in your house looks fabulous. I have to admit that I would most likely paint it. I know that some people look at that as on the same level as committing a crime, but I think there is no right or wrong. I think that whatever one’s preference is is fine. The reason that I would paint all the wood is because I find over the long term I cannot live with so much dark wood all over the place. After a while I cannot stand it, so I went with high gloss white for my wood trim. That is just me though. If you are fine with it more power to you. It does look absolutely beautiful!
The only other thing I would change is the look of the fireplace. The mantle does not look original to me. In Victorians you usually had either marble mantles or wood with an over-mantle and mirror in the center. My brownstone had all marble mantles but they were stolen out of it during the 12 years the house stood empty before I bought it. I am not really sorry about that though because I don’t particularly like marble mantles. They seem cold looking to me. I prefer wood mantles that come with a mirrored over-mantle. I am still on the lookout for 4 more. I actually have a fireplace in my kitchen that I have temporarily covered up to prevent bats (or anything else) from coming down the chimney. I will uncover it and get it working some day and it will have a dramatic over-mantle.
You are such a talented decorator and I look forward to witnessing your personal transformation of your beautiful home.
Making it Lovely
I always love your attitude towards your house and its stewardship. And I’m all for painting wood white when desired. It’s not a crime at all, but I know what you mean about people reacting strongly!
And I doubt that the mantle is original. It’s not very ornate for a Victorian, and so many details have been changed over time that I suspect the fireplace was one of them. I think I rather like it though, in its relative simplicity.
Emma (Broke Ass Home)
I literally just swooned over your stairs. I have wood stairs too and I can’t imagine having anything else. Everything is in such amazing shape!
Sarah @ 702 Park Project
This house is amazing!! It reminds me a lot of the house we are restoring. We have a ton of woodwork and amazing 12-foot pocket doors…unfortunately, someone in the 70’s decided to paint all the trim GREEN!! So that’s what we’re dealing with. Good luck, and congrats on the beautiful house! :)
Making it Lovely
I saw the green. You’ll have a pretty dramatic before and after when they’ve all gone white!
Lindsay
OMG. That is one GORGEOUS house.
Sarah
LOVE! I can’t wait to see how you turn this gorgeous house into a home. It’s beautiful! (And as a side note, I was totally on board with you painting the trim in your last house, but I can also see why you wouldn’t touch the trim in this house).
Sarah
Shannon
Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off of my desk and stop drooling like a dog being taunted with a piece of delicious, crispy bacon!!
HOLY GORGEOUS!!! I am SO excited for you guys!!!
Mandy DeTurk
WOW! It is amazing! Congrats!
whitney
absolutely gorgeous!
selfish comment: I also own a Victorian and have struggled to find decorating inspiration for my natural wood trim. Can’t wait to see what you do with the place. YAY!
Making it Lovely
Have you seen Jessica Jones’ Old House Ideas Pinterest board? She just bought an old house with natural wood trim too!
Ali Burtt
Wow. I can’t wait to see this take shape!
Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms
WOW! This is a stunning house – and so you!! Can’t wait to see more!
Making it Lovely
It is very me, but also very much like the house that Brandon grew up in.
Heidi S.
WOW and Congratulations! It looks amazing and in such good condition! It is such a blank slate just waiting to happen (I can’t wait to see what you come up with). You don’t even have to remove any bad wallpaper! I’m curious whether you think the mantel is original.
Making it Lovely
You haven’t seen the wallpaper yet! There are six rooms with it, though I have to say none of it is particularly ‘bad.’
Jenny
Drooling…. I would be peeing my pants! Congratulations!!!
Anne Schwartz
I just said, “Holy Crap.” Out loud in office.
Miranda
You are not alone.
Whoa. Congratulations! I cannot wait to see how this home evolves!
me of course
It’s like your previous house has grown up and had kids! It’s gorgeous. Congrats!
Making it Lovely
I like that idea.
Comments are closed.