Bay Village, Ohio is a western suburb of Cleveland, and not far from where Karen grew up. We know the area, and know that much of the housing stock is small homes, like this 1948 updated Colonial cottage. Looks like they've done quite a bit of work on this one! The biggest change appears to be opening up the interior. A new kitchen flows into a sunlit dining space, and … [Read more...]
Time-Traveling In A New Orleans French Quarter Townhouse
We've all thought about traveling back in time, haven't we? What would you change? Who would you meet? How much Apple stock would you buy? Unfortunately, physicists say we can only go forward in time, not back. But we can glimpse a bit of the past through well-preserved homes, like this fairly incredible French Quarter townhouse in New Orleans. Built around 1790, this … [Read more...]
We Can’t Get Enough of Charleston, SC or This Cute Little Downtown Cottage
Stop me if you've heard this one before - Charleston, SC is one of our favorite places. Honestly, the number of cute little Modest Mansions in that town seems endless. Like this Charleston cottage home, only 1,914 sf with three bedrooms and three baths, and full of modestly-wonderful details. Like this winding stair, for example. Building codes don't allow stairs just … [Read more...]
Restored and Updated New Orleans French Quarter Townhouse
We don't often get to see inside a classic, iconic New Orleans French Quarter townhouse - you know, the ones with all the wrought iron on the balconies, the ones you see in the background of the Mardi Gras celebrations. So it's a treat to peek inside this one, just 2,100 square feet, with floor-to-ceiling windows. … [Read more...]
Restored Charleston Two Story Home with a Lot of Updated Features
The South of Broad district in lovely Charleston South Carolina is the heart of the Historic District, at the tip of the peninsula, and the most charming part of the city (in our humble opinions). This restored 1905 Charleston two story home is typical of the homes you'll find there, with a mixture of stylistic elements from Colonial Revival to Craftsman. In Charleston, … [Read more...]
A Restored 19th Century House on a Tiny Lot in Charleston, SC
Our recent trip to Charleston has got us a little fixated on the city and the wonderful historic homes in it. This restored 19th century house isn't in the historic district, but it's super cute anyway, and someone's done a very nice job restoring it. Some people might have ripped out this tongue and groove panelling and replaced it with drywall or something … [Read more...]
Restored Victorian-era Home In Galveston, Texas
Older homes in hot climates depend on plenty of porches to make the summer months bearable. This restored Victorian-era home in Galveston, Texas has charming porches on the front and the back, and a pretty incredible backyard. Two levels of porches overlook the backyard (see photos of the backyard at the end of this post). Inside the front door … [Read more...]
Rocky River Updated Dutch Center Hall Colonial Full of Original Charm
Rocky River is a beautiful old suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, right up against Lake Erie. It's a very familiar place to us - close to where Karen grew up, and where a few of the custom homes I've designed are built. It's a small city of 20,000 people and it's filled with hundreds of classic early 20th-century homes like this updated Dutch center hall Colonial. We saw this come … [Read more...]
Low Country White Siding Cottage – We Could Live on the Screened Porch!
This is the low country white siding cottage we've always dreamed of - nice and compact, just 2,200 square feet, with a metal roof and a live-in screened porch. It's in Bluffton, South Carolina, just a short drive from Hilton Head Island (one of our favorite places anyway!). The cozy family room is centered around a lovely fireplace, with built-in shelving on … [Read more...]
An Updated Colonial Revival Home (no, it’s not a Victorian) in Minneapolis
This handsome home in Minneapolis is the kind of house that a lot of people might call "Victorian" because of the multi-color paint scheme and steep center gable. But it's not - it's another example of the wide variety of Colonial Revival style, America's most popular house style. There are a number of clues that suggest this is an updated Colonial Revival home - the first … [Read more...]