In the Spirit of the Season!

Outside, inside, almost every room has a bit of Christmas spirit on display.  Instead of using a few items to decorate this year, I opened up all the boxes that had been stored away to see what there was.  Some of the treasures had not seen the light of day for a long time.  It feels nice to reminisce about how some of these items came into my life.  Nothing like it to get you in celebratory mood!

Wishing everyone the best kind of Christmas this year--surrounded by people you love and things that make you happy!

Vintage toys as decor....

For years I worked as a children's wear designer and used vintage toys and other items for show displays.  Before long I became a BIT obsessed with these items so these collections spilled into my private life.  There are quite a few "whimsical" doodads scattered throughout the house but I confine most of the old games and wood toys to our family room where we also keep our modern collection of family fun items--board games, puzzles, lawn games, etc. etc.

With light colored walls and tile in the kitchen, I have collected a variety of old rusty metal items--some less rusty than others--that I enjoy displaying to add dimension and texture to the room and make the overall feel less contemporary.  The dark colors play nicely with the soapstone counter tops too!

I was pretty happy when I found two of these great old fish molds--one would not have been nearly as interesting.  The trick was how to mount them without putting any holes in the fish.  Let's just say I am pretty handy with 16-gauge wire!

I am also quite fond of pinecones--anything organic with texture frankly--these are perfect for fall decor and the bit of sparkle lets me know Christmas is not far away without going full holiday just yet...soon though, very soon!

BEAM ME UP

From the main living areas of the house the beams create a dramatic effect that give a rustic element to the light colored walls and ceiling.  

There are many walls waiting to be "decorated" but just when I think I have made a "final" decision on what to hang I change my mind.  Too many choices apparently....The "Marsh Mellow" sign is one of the few things that has stayed in it's first location.

The only way to show the contrast of before and after with the family room is to share these pictures!  I lost count of the different wallpaper designs that we discovered in this room.  Hidden underneath the "interesting" harbor mural shown in the two pictures above were these fanciful treats below!  The red, white, and blue eagle design was my fave!

We weren't really sure how to use this room when we moved in.  It was connected to the kitchen and the dining room so we used it as a temporary "den" of sorts.  Mostly it was a dumping ground for odds and ends as you can see from the photo above.  What you can't see is the view from that tiny window.  It was one of the smallest ground floor windows and it happened to have the BEST view of the backyard, which is one of the highlights of the property.  Of course you had to press your nose against the window to see that great view, but it was there...with...so...much...potential.

When they cut out the opening for the French door I wanted to cry with happiness!  Of all the changes we had done to the house this was the most transformative.  Not only did it let in a LOT of light, it finally connected the main living area to the brick patio outside that has been one of my favorite additions to the property.  We put the cart in front of the horse by doing the patio first but it all worked out in the end.  

In the summer months we throw open these doors and the breeze from the marsh cools down most of the first floor and the views make me so HAPPY.  It is also Ginger's favorite place to sit and watch critters.

Images of local beaches are scattered throughout the house.  Some as wall art others displayed in unique ways like this photo pillow.  The newly exposed beams in the living room add a rustic touch to the pale wall colors.  Mid-century style furniture fit nicely in this antique house with its low ceilings and modest-sized rooms.

This is the room before renovations began.  We bought the house with furniture in it, which included the items shown above.  Most of these pieces are now in the family room and one of the bedrooms.  I play a bit of "musical" furniture and move things around when I want a new look.  

Deconstruction Part I

We had no idea what was hidden above the dropped ceiling in our old house but feared the worst.  We were thrilled when we discovered original beams that were relatively unscathed.  That happy find began the rest of the "great reveal".  

Our original plan was to renovate the outdated kitchen using the floorpan that existed with some minor "tweaks".  With the beams being in such good shape we found that there was adequate support to remove an assortment of partial walls in the kitchen.  Basically we took down every wall that had chopped up the space creating an 18x20 foot kitchen that was originally 6x12!  

Looking west--future location of breakfast nook with powder room at left and future laundry closet at right.

Looking north at future stove wall.  Look at the silhouette of an old staircase in the corner--one of many interesting historical markers unveiled in the process!

Looking east.  We moved the door to the right to  lengthen counter space and create better "flow" in the new space.  This area was formally a old pass-through pantry that had been converted to a laundry area--not a great way to get to the dining room!  That rectangle of light colored flooring was the formally walled-in entrance to the basement.  We decided to create a "hatch" instead to open up the kitchen area since we don't visit the unfinished basement often.

It never snows on Cape Cod!

At least that is what we were told when were looking for a house.  I don't mind as it is incredibly beautiful here when it does.  Usually it doesn't last long, except in winter 2014/15 when these photos were taken!

This spring we added window boxes to the original cape side of the house.  It made such a difference!  The Old Girl looks so "dressed up" now!  This is the first time in a very long time that the "true front" of the house is being utilized.  

Many antique homes on Cape Cod do not use the original front doors.  It was something we discovered after looking at dozens of old houses here.  

As soon as we moved in it was my goal to focus on the original front.  The "onion" lamp was the first thing we bought for the house to get the mission started! 

Next was getting rid of the overgrown shrubs, they had covered the front door at one point! They have been replaced by dwarf boxwoods, azaleas, and dianthus.  This year we planted geraniums and dusty miller in the boxes.  Need to figure out what to do this winter.....

This series of photos shows before and after images side by side--the first photo is the only one with the before on the left. 

This tiny powder room had the first corner toilet I had ever seen!  When we discovered they are still manufactured we replaced the "harvest gold" for a crisp new white one!  It was a unique feature that we didn't mind keeping and made the best use of the small space.  The pedestal sink not only made the small space feel bigger, it is a sculptural delight!

The kitchen area was a compact galley shape until we took down a lot of walls, which enlarged the room to a spacious 18x20--not bad for an antique house!

This shot of the breakfast nook shows how tight the space was before we removed the wall.  

This is the same annoying wall from the outside of the breakfast nook.  The dutch door gives us another way to gaze at our favorite back yard view!

The new location of the fridge was where the exterior door was originally.  Moving it gave a much larger work area in the kitchen.  The island is currently double the size of the temporary one in this picture.

This view shows how much larger the kitchen space is. The old photo was taken from a narrow passageway that contained the washer and dryer.  Not a nice view to get to the dining room!

The location of "The Old Girl" was a big attraction but so was this amazing Greek Revival barn on the property!  The doors now face south but originally faced east as shown in the old pictures dated from 1880 to 1900.

This is the second floor of the barn--to me it is loaded with rustic potential! So many ideas.....

This is the back of the house when we first moved in.  The cedar shingles had just been redone and is the reason for the yellow color.  They turn gray over time just like us!

We love the back yard and wanted to make it comfortable before we started on the interior of the house.  Plus it was a lot easier finding a landscaper than it is to find a contractor here!  The first thing we did was add gutters to the house, then a split-rail fence around the property, and finally the brick patio.  I dug up old bricks from the original walkway and around the property, which we used for our own DIY project--a walkway on the front of the house.  We were happy to discover that the company that made them was still in business. The new patio is made from the same bricks, which are still handmade in wood forms!

The yellow has already mellowed a bit!

This photo was taken in 1888 and shows the east side of the "Old Girl".  There were three "ells" or additions to the house when this photo was taken with three chimneys!

In 2010 there was one less ell on the north end of the house and the roof has been raised on both sides of the largest ell in a shed-dormer style.  Now there are two chimneys!

From the west side of the house the shed-dormer is not as noticeable as it is above the porch on the opposite side.  Here it gives the house a more colonial look.  Notice the shed-dormer that was added to the original cape side of the house!  

The "Old Girl" has multiple personalities!  From the east she looks like a farm house, from the south she looks like a cape house, and from the west she looks like a colonial.  

This Old Cape House: This is the "Old Girl", as we affectionately refe...

This Old Cape House:
This is the "Old Girl", as we affectionately refe...: This is the "Old Girl", as we affectionately refer to her, circa 1900.  She was built in 1775. The barn's age, shown on t...

This is the "Old Girl", as we affectionately refer to her, circa 1900.  She was built in 1775. The barn, at left in picture, was built sometime between 1800 and 1850. 

There have been many additions and a few subtractions to this old cape house through the years but this part, a 3/4 cape, has remained through all the changes.  More on the history of these old cape houses later.