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If you know me in real life, you may know that it has been a dream of mine to restore an old house top to bottom. Some kids watched Loony Tunes on Saturday mornings, I watched This Old House. In my last post, I gave you a little teaser about a house we recently purchased with the intent to restore and sell. AKA the flip house (#TKPKflip for those of you following along on Instagram). The flip is now in full swing and it’s so much fun. Some days I feel like I’m going to throw up, but most days it’s fun.
And here she is folks! Isn’t she cute? Call me crazy, but I am in love with this little lady.
A close second to my old-house obsession, is my shopping-for-real-estate obsession. This means that I go to A LOT of open houses. And I have walked through countless old homes that have been flipped and it makes me so depressed. Besides poor design choices – please stop with the generic boob lights!! They are no one’s first choice! – often times the elements that give a house its soul are replaced in favor of the new and shiny because it’s what “appeals to buyers” (I’m looking at you, vinyl windows). Really? I give buyers more credit than that.
My neighbor and I used to commiserate about this very topic after seeing one generic flip after another in our neighborhood, and we swore we could do it better and that buyers want something different and unique. So we put our money where our collective mouth is, and we bought this sweet four bedroom bungalow in Takoma Park to restore to its former glory.
How do you like this front door? Cute, right? The green and white paint is not optimal, but the door itself is super pretty. And I respect that someone took the time to paint that front door so precisely and beautifully. This house may be old, but the pride of ownership is clear. You can tell that it was loved.
Nevermind that drop ceiling (why was this ever a thing?), all the wallpaper, and that scary leak coming from the ceiling. Instead, let’s focus on those pretty red oak floors and mid-century light fixtures!
Oh, hello there built-in linen closet. What’s that you say? You want to be spruced up with some new hardware and a fresh coat of paint? And some pretty paper lining in your drawers? No problem, cutie. We got you.
Okay, so the kitchen might be a little scary. Except for that cast iron drain board sink. That is very very good.
The last photo I’ll show you is of one of my favorite rooms in the house.
Can you guess why? Yep – that wallpaper. I love love love that wallpaper. Sadly, it’s not in great shape and we can’t save much of it, but I took lots of photos to remember her and maybe I’ll be able to find something similar somewhere. The other reason this is my favorite room is that brass light fixture hanging out in the background. I don’t know where it’s going yet, but I am hoarding that baby. I will find a spot where it will live happily ever after. And I am going to donate those sconces if anyone is interested. There are actually two but you can only see one in the photo. Seriously, let me know!
All right, so what’s our plan?
I pulled together some inspiration boards to show you the vibe we’re going for in the kitchen and bathrooms as well as the exterior. Our goal is to respect the home’s architecture and age (it was built in the 1920s so about 100 years old) and to save and restore as much as possible. For those of you who don’t know, Takoma Park is a beautiful neighborhood filled with historic Craftsman homes and we want to be sure that we don’t stray too far from the aesthetic of the overall neighborhood. Design wise, we want to keep a classic black and white color palette and keep finishes simple – this is not a fancy house – but high quality.
Here are some exteriors that we’re digging. We are hoping we can strip that front door to get to the wood, but we’re still working out that possibility. Fingers crossed!
I hope that you can see from this post that this is not your average flip. Not because it’s super high end (it’s not), but because it’s thoughtful and intentional and we’re coming from a place of love and respect. We really want to do what’s right for the house, for the family that spent a lifetime here, and for the family that will live here once we’re done. Old houses and families make me sentimental…Sorry if it’s too corny. I am corny.
What do you guys think? How do you feel about the plan? The house? Do you love it? Hate it? Think we’re nuts? Don’t be shy! I’d love to get your thoughts, and suggestions!
Also you might have noticed that I have taken a bit of a hiatus from the blog for a few months, which was not planned but as things get hectic the blog is among the first tasks that get pushed to the back of the line right after running and yoga. All things that I love and that make me feel better, yet I do not prioritize them. But I’m getting back into the groove and I have some good content teed up for 2018 that I am excited to share over the coming moths. So thanks for sticking with me and I will try very hard to make it worth stopping by.
xx