Risris
Ohwow!ohwow!ohwow! I'm breathless and speechless. That house, those furnishings, those finishes--OMG! Oh for the vision and creativity! (Oh for the $$$$$$ it takes to create the vision!!!) I'm blessed that my hubby is almost that gifted in design and decor, and is an estate sale junkie! Our furnishings aren't quite the caliber of Gatewoods ( who am I kidding?!) Oh WOW the attn to detail he has! Just breathtaking! Thank you for sharing!

One thing I can take away and afford to implement: the dining room grey French doors and lighter grey walls! I was at Ben Moore today getting paint samples in shades of grey for the walls, but never would've thought to paint the French doors! LOVE IT! Will post my afters as they transform!
Risris, you ROCK!

Your wisteria looks like an aged one. If it is in a location that makes sense for a free-standing pergola, consider building one close to it or around it and then let it grow, training it to go up and over it. If not, add a pergola in your rear yard, with sight lines to a view from and through your dog-trot hall, move the plant and train it up and over, making the trunk the central view element in the center of one opening. .... . They really aren't wicked - 10 feet of growth in a season is a healthy vining plant. If you enjoy being outdoors and have a gardening habit, keep a clipper on a hook on one post of your pergola. Its possible that it may give you curtains of leafy green shade walls, a ceiling of hanging blooms and an amazing place to dine al fresco in the warmer months. Just add a table, chairs and friends (and maybe a cool old chandelier) In any case wait and see if its spectacular before doing anything

I'm glad you liked the link! You could totally rock the "well-travelled Oxford-educated Southern old money" look in that house. Here's a link to a pinterest board you might like, as well as a link to the pinner's entire profile which is a gold mine of historical design ideas and inspiration.

http://www.pinterest.com/lmkeefer/furlow-gatewood-southern-cottage/

http://www.pinterest.com/lmkeefer/

Risris, SUCH great stuff!! Beautiful beautiful antiques, artfully decorated rooms! So inspiring!! We closed on our new old home on Thur! The prior owner gave us a book on the history of the little town we now call home, and on one of the pages in the book was an old photo of our house! Turns out it was built by Samuel House in the 1850s!! I'm so excited to have been given another tidbit of history! So we're trying to find out more about Mr. House (stealing away brief moments to peruse our history book between unpacking boxes!) As I glean, I'll share! Thank you again for your many great ideas and resources!

Prince
The landscape is so overgrown with azaleas, so the 2 dome shaped wisteria bushes kind of get lost in the madness of the yard. I've been reading up on how to tame the azaleas, but the wisteria aren't in a place where an arbor or pergola could be. They're opposite corners of the yard, yet kind of in the middle of the yard. Honestly they, and many other random overgrown bushes, will likely be uprooted so we can reorganize the landscape. It's strangely random, and rather untamed presently! We will be sure to hire pros to advise and implement the remedies, but I still think wisteria has to go!

Just be sure to have the utilities marked before you dig. You may find the seemingly random placement of plants actually makes sense if you know where the lines and sewer or septic are. Also with a home this old there may be old cisterns or other buried artifacts you are not aware of.

Who knows what you might be able to find with a metal detector! :0)

Bungalowmo, I had a friend in Mississippi who was a dowser and could find all sorts of things. He said he could find old cisterns and water. But his specialty was a bit different. Graveyards used to hire him if the records weren't clear and he had a pretty good rate of finding bodies in unmarked graves. Kind of a creepy thing to dowse for, but a really interesting guy.

Congratulations on your new home--btw it's a jewel! I can't wait to see your vision take shape! I am a fan of historical homes.


The Atlanta History Center has a roughly restored "plantation" house (early 1800's ?) with its original outbuildings for visitors to walk through and / or tour with guides. Interesting details included on tour--highly recommend.

The front porch area often had a traveler's room to the side, where the traveling circuit ministers and other travelers could rest from their journey, bed made up, wash bowl, some towels, a bit of food.

The kitchen was a separate building in back of the main house, with work table, huge fire place, bread oven, tools and butter food keep cabinets, safes to lock up precious ingredients--sugar, salt etc. The kitchen burned down so often that it was almost considered a temporary building. Water well was nearby ;)

The kitchen/family garden with a mixture of florals and fruits and veggies was kept by the women and fenced in, in the front yard. To keep out thieves and farm animals. Various out buildings around the property included hog house, chicken coop, a smoke house, dairy barn, and grain barn, horse/usually oxen instead stable, a sheep pen, and a slave cabin. All this was on an amazingly smaller stretch of land than people expect a "plantation" to be on. Though, I know the buildings were moved to the current site.

The point of the Atlanta tour was emphasized over and over, this was considered to be a "well to do" family, and was occupied by family members continuously until the late 1970's. Indoor plumbing and electric were not added until the 1960's. Indoor kitchen added in the 40's-50's.

I recently visited family outside the Houston area. Visited another plantation home, built identical in form, dated back to the late 1700's. They kept the outdoor kitchen plan with their next/modern home on the property. ( Early 19th century) It was then called the summer kitchen.

Can't wait to hear about all that you find and learn about your new home.

Beautiful home ,at the time this was built the Kitchen would have been in an out building. the kitchen in the home was most likely a second bed room there were no bath rooms inside out housesonly...here in Maryland many houses like these werebuilt by black slaves who were given 40 acres from the plantation when they were set free... these houses were built in one story like yours and two stories..the rooms out side of the 4 sq.foot print would have been added later.. the 4 sq. was laid out in Rods an old form of measurment ,not feet or yards..Yes it should be considered Historic you can go to your county seat and thru tax records you should be able to trace who owned it since it was build...many places now have all these old records transfered to computer..this can be found thru name of your county.gov taxrecords..... The lady calling it cracker,the term cracker was used for white people.....I would just trim all your trees and bushes and wait a full year so you can see everything you have in bloom...I saw the porch ceiling but I can`t tell if it is gray or blue most that I see here are sky blue....OH, what fun you will have converting it back to its true grandeur....

I envy your old over grown plants!
I remember playing house under such a wisteria in the middle of my Grandma's yard. The smell of them and Gardenias on a sultry Gulf Coast day is a magical memory. Don't do any drastic pruning till you see how things bloom out. Be on the look out for bulbs as you weed. In trimming back the shrubs you may find dormant bulbs under them. I found fall blooming Spider lilies in our back yard that way. It might be worth missing a years blooms to really reshape those Azaleas instead of taking them out completely. I'd love to see spring pictures when everything blooms.

If you need to replace any floor boards many old houses had the same flooring in the attic space...those could go to the main floor and be replaced with something else...

Jessica...that's wild! Dowsing for bodies!

I know when I bought my place (built 1916), within about a month I ran a deed search & got all the names of the PO's. Then I found them all in an old Civil War era cemetery.

I lovingly refer to them as my "Peeps"! They do like to let me know they're around. Moving things, opening cabinets, etc.

It's no one living with me because I live alone....just sayin' :0)

Y'all are AWESOME! I'm so entertained by your posts, perspectives, experiences! Thank you for sharing them!! More! More! More! Jessica--a metal detector is a great idea! The town was settled first centuries ago plus by the Porch Creek Indians the majority of whom we're run out to the deserts of AZ and OK with the Cherokees in the famous Trail of Tears. Those that remain have built the Windcreek Casinos in Alabama. (They built their Wetumpka Casino on their own burial ground, exhuming their dead and burying them elsewhere. One "dowser" came across a skeletal hand with a copper bracelet Eyemed scripted with what was later determined to be Creek symbols. Yep, pretty creepy!

Kathleen, thanks for the great advice re having patience and care as we clean up the yard. Oh that I would be patient! I want tinware a magic wand and make everything perfect, but what joy is there in that?! Right? I so get your vivid memories of the wonderful fragrance of gardenias and just the sultry scent of summer on the Gulf coast. I think I fell in love with this house because it reminded me, in its scent alone, of my Grammys house. We are both blessed to have such fond childhood memories! Thank you for sharing yours, and for gracefully reminding me to stop and smell the gardenias!! :-)

Mary, THANK YOU for recommending we check the attic floorboards! Hopefully you're right, and hopefully nobody's thought of it already and stripped them, as the dining room, living room and bedroom each have floorboards needing replacement. I'm praying there's a gold mine in the attic! (Yet, it may be a space to be renovated at some point!)

Ms-sis, thanks for the tip
On the Atlanta plantations. Do you have a website or the name I can look up? I still live in atlanta and would love to see that before heading to AL for keeps!! Great stories about the era and history of these old homes!! They're truly magical!

The Atlanta History Center runs two locations. The main museum, and the Tullie Smith Farm house (which is what I was remembering in a previous post), and the 1920's Art Deco mansion known as The Swan House is all located in the heart of Buckhead.

As I recall it's surrounded by some older stately homes and has a parking ramp on premises.

The museum has an excellent collection of Native American displays and civil war collections. It has some ever changing collections, and specific displays of Atlanta thru the years. There is a little cafe/grill area to rest because this is going to take a day if you tour both houses with a guide. Also, theatre seating areas are located throughout the collections running video presentations related to topics in the collections.

There is one more house and collection run by the History Center in Midtown. I have not been there yet. It's the Margaret Mitchell House and museum. I think they have acquired a lot of the Gone With the Wind collection at that location; though previously it was kept at a little museum somewhere near Roswell.

Also there are a couple of grand old houses to tour inRoswell or Marrietta. One plantation home I visited before moving to Atlanta was the home of the future Mrs. Teddy Roosevelt. There was an annual quilting exhibition going on when I visited. It was the nicest tour of all the historical homes that I have visited in that area. Many outbuildings to view. Many original furnishings etc.

I so hope you are able to visit these places before moving. I recently read the History Center will begin a huge renovation soon. So call before finalizing your plans. Go to Atlantahistorycenter.com for more info on their tours, parking, and fees. I will try to find the plantation house related to Teddy's wife and post later.

The historical home I mentioned in Roswell area is the Bulloch house. Home of Teddy Roosevelt's mother--not wife. Her name was Mittie Bulloch. Go to Bullochhouse.org for details. I've visited several houses in that area, liked this one the best. However it has been over 15 years since I have seen that one. I think this house has a bigger fundraising group and more funding than some of the others--for upkeep. Built in 1839.

If you spend a day in the area, there are several great restaurants and a super bakery. I visited with my best friend from college, so we had a fun girls day and went to Spa Élan in the late afternoon to treat ourselves to total relaxation. One of the most fun days in my life. I highly recommend a spa visit before you move too : )

Wow! I've lived here my entire life (save the first 12 years) and have only seen the Swan coach house of all those you mentioned! I'd best get busy (as if moving activities aren't enough!) Top it off, I have 3 Massage Envy gift certificates, one Mother's Day spa that expired, and a chateau élan spa yet to take! How will I get all those massages in?! Lord knows I need them!! Hanks again for great info! Perhaps i can meet my mom in town for some home tours and massages.....

So Mo, I mentioned previously that my house has a creepy story to it After closing, I learned more:
In 1926, the prominent local Judge Lamar Smith, who once owned my home, was murdered in his bed--shot to death by an itinerate laborer, a local black man of simple means and simpler intelligence. It was a murder for hire, and it was the husband of Judge Smith's own daughter who commissioned the murder--all for the inheritance the Judge's daughter was to receive.

Af the closingtable, when the ink was sti drying, the selles daughter told me the Judge can be very nice; if only I will nice to him. "He's polite and knocks before entering a room."

I haven't heard the knocks yet, but on our second day in the house, my husband's missing keys were found in the dumpster outside (we'd been searching since shortly after we moved in). Could the Judge have been checking our temperament?

Hmmm...if you don't have time for all those spa visits, I think you could use them to bribe friends and family to help you pack up and move : ) I'm still unpacking in our house and I am thinking bribes might be a useful strategy for me to get more help as well.

Actually, Bungalomo recommended the metal detector. That suggestion reminded me of my friend the dowser. I'm sure there are local history buffs who have metal detectors (pretty common in most areas where there were Civil War battles to find artifacts) and you probably have a local known for their dowsing ability although it's not something you'll find in the phone book. Most dowsers have one or two things they're good at finding, i.e. water - showing people where to drill a well. Most people shrug dowsing off as superstition. For those readers out there who aren't familiar with it here's the wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowsing (photo from the web).

Jessica
Sorry to ascribe to you for Mo's comments. Yes I'm familiar with dowsing rods or channeling rods for the purpose of finding underground water sources and determining where to dig. Interestingly, an "artist" in north atl suburbs used them to "see" and paint the image of her customers' assigned angels. (She'd wave the rods over and around her customers to conjure the image of the angel present). The portraits were ...not angelic, IMO. can't find her online or in business so perhaps a common opinion.but I digress. A metal detector over my yard is a great idea!! I'll let you know if we detect anything fascinating!

Looking forward to hearing what you find - if anything. Old homes like that can often have secrets. There were two places in Aberdeen Mississippi that you can view during Pilgrimage where new owners found the stashes of silver and other valuables that had been hidden by the families during the Civil War and never retrieved. In one they'd been hidden in the walls under the plaster, in the other they had been buried on the property and the story goes that when the union army came through they set up a card table right on top of where the silver was buried and played cards at it for several days until they moved on to another town. http://www.aberdeenpilgrimage.com/

I'm newly motivated now! Silver hidden in the yard?! I love a treasure hunt!
So back to a Houzz design dilemma: The concrete porch wraps around to two entrances, with the corner being uncovered. The concrete has been painted as have the concrete pillars around the house. They appear to be either dark blue or green. The original clapboard siding was covered in white vinyl, and the trim and differs are also white vinyl. I'd love to paint the tr a darker contrasting color.
i don't know which style to embrace. Suggestions and your expertise is greatly appreciated!
What color should the concrete porch be, what about the brick pillars? And what color for the front door, window trim?
Thanks mu

Also something no didn't notice till we moved in: the columns on the original porch are double, smooth surfaced. The columns on the newer porch (concrete is about 2" higher than the original porch) are single, fluted. What gives?!

Thanks much y'all!

Dog appears to approve!

Probably added at different times and the type of wood available from local sawmills may have been different as well as styles changing.

I've been looking through photos of concrete porches. I found a couple of interesting finishes. The one in this link was a fabulous paver design laid on top of concrete, then grouted. I have a couple of other links to share. One is stamped concrete--so don't know if they can do this on top of existing concrete. And another is a thermal bluestone laid over concrete--loved the gray tone idea of it. Will link to those in next comment.

http://houzz.com/photos/444854

So here's the link to a beautiful stamped concrete pattern. Click info button to see description of product.

http://houzz.com/photos/2244008

This is a link to thermal bluestone.

If you click on info button and follow the last question you will find info on this product--comes in several colors.


http://houzz.com/photos/1302020

This is a link to a trim painting idea that reminded me of your white house. The colors could be changed to a gray and black combo--or any combo that inspires you.

http://houzz.com/photos/216272

This is a link just to show how small detail painting inside white sashes and trim can put some wow in an exterior without a lot of colorful painting. But I would put a more colorful paint on the front door.

As already noted your giant bushes are hiding some of the gorgeous details. For instance those platform areas of brick wall leading to the door are just crying out for giant pots of thrill and spill plantings. And taller potted plants or topiaries on either side of one of the doors (back door?) would focus our view on the grandeur of the entries.

Have a link to one set of potted plants with taller plants and spilling ivy--though the same idea could be achieved with more colorful flowers spilling out too. Will link in next comment.



http://houzz.com/photos/1628321

I am looking for this shape in urn planters for my new home. So I've been collecting exterior design pics--beginning my own search for landscaping and potted plant ideas. Thought it might fit well with your historic home too.


http://houzz.com/photos/43971

Didn't mean to say too much; but noted that you correctly tried to refocus the posts on design dilemmas--so wanted to give that effort a boost.

Ms-Sis, thank you for you awesome links! Love the bluestone, but the areas of our porches are huge! And there are 2, with an uncovered connecting corner about half as big as the two porches. It would cost us about as much as the house did!! The stamped concrete I've considered as well. But I'm told in order to get the new later to bond to the existing layer, they have to jackhammer the entire concrete surface, pulverizing the top 1/2". While this would be a costly application at the least, my greatest concern is damaging the piers and the foundation on the process. The one thing that amazes me about this 160+ y-o house is the lack of foundation and wall cracks. I can't imagine what that kind of vibration would do. I think we've accepted the only thing we can affordably do is paint it. And interesting, the color were considering is remarkably similar to the bluestone in the link you shared.

So let's talk trim paint! Ms-Sis, we enthusiastically agree we need to spruce up the bland all White House with some contrasting trim, painting or stoning the steps, and dressing up the front porches.
Trim: ugh! The WHOLE house is vinyl covering over the original clapboard. How I'd LOVE to strip that vinyl off and restore/replace the clapboard siding and windows. Someday. But till then, how the heck do you paint vinyl windows without it peeling and looking horrible within a very short time? Assuming we can, let's give this house a makeover! What color should the trim be? I was thinking a dark gray. Suggestions?
Entrance Doors: the one with the sidelights is wood painted white; the other is a single door stripped of any varnish down the o the bare wood. Some pieces of door trim are missing. Paint both doors the same color? Red? Blue?
Brick Piers: at one time they were painted dark blue; the paint is peeling off. I don't want to repaint in dark blue. I assume we should match the window trim we go with?
Porch floor: was painted gray; it's peeling to white and to bare concrete.
Porch ceiling: it's light blue bead board. I'm told that the blue keeps the wasps from building nests. Seems to be working!
Porch steps: currently they're exposed concrete. Should we stone cover, Brick them or paint them?
Azaleas: I'm told if we cut them to ground level stumps they'll be back to their current ginormous size in 10 years. Do we remove them and redesign the landscape, or go with what's already there?

Next session, let's redesign the kitchen!! :-)
Love y'all!!

Great article re historic paint colors: http://www.bobvila.com/articles/2240-historic-paint-colors/#.U5zr8NhOXq4 I've been out of town & just read about your dowsing friend. Dowsers have been very successful in locating a home's original outhouse. Don't laugh! Outhouses were often used as mini-landfills. They are super sources of pottery, old cookware & sometimes - the family silver! They have been in disuse long enough that digging in them is not that big a deal. Some of your plantings may give you a clue. Fragrant flowers were often planted near the out house for obvious reasons. More help at: http://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/thomas-jefferson-center-historic-plants

Here's a link to a White House exterior that just added a blue door and two painted benches to spruce up without painting all the windows etc. I like the idea of trimming the steps with brick to finish the edges. I like it even more when a brick pattern or edge is added to a walkway up to the entrance. All ways to add interest without painting much of the house.



http://houzz.com/photos/423312

Well, in the category of maybe someday, I found this pic of a charming addition to what I am guessing is the kitchen eating area. I have noticed a couple of things in combing pics of historical white houses, they sometimes connect multiple entries with these gravel and concrete paths that enlarge the walkways and sometimes create interesting outdoor seating areas as well. Also noted that black doors, additions, and window trim (some may be other dark colors that read black in certain light) always add an elegant, stately feel to the white exteriors. I'm going to follow this note with a few links to pics with these ideas.


http://houzz.com/photos/2255154

Here's another example.

http://houzz.com/photos/46396

Another pic of the idea.

http://houzz.com/photos/2064282

On this pic I just liked the gravel path with a central focus design and the smaller scale plantings around the house and path that focus attention on the home's details instead of covering them.


http://houzz.com/photos/1301841

Are you in the midst of the packing and unpacking nightmare?

Here is a link to a white kitchen with similar layout to your new house pic. I LOVE white kitchens--collect pics of them in an idea book and just designed one in my new home--my dream come true kitchen. Not terribly expensive appliances just light, bright, kitchen with space to breathe and work in. However I sometimes think I made a mistake with the built in island and a smaller mobile one would be convenient at times.

Anyway, this kitchen looks/feels spacious because they removed the usual uppers around sink and squared off the corner cabs. And lifted those uppers so there is adequate clearance from the counter to make that more usable space. The final piece is the small mobile "island" that takes little space and doesn't block the vision.

I was thinking an extension of the wood floor in the rest of your house or a tile that looks very similar to your wood floors, squared off corner cabs---removing the bulky sort of cubbies from your counter space and a L shape extension that is a bit shorter would give the kitchen an updated, practical makeover. And the lighter, mobile island might work. And of course the previously mentioned counter depth refrigerator would do wonders.

Good luck with the moving.

http://houzz.com/photos/52335

Another one of those white kitchens that I love, with a small island.

http://houzz.com/photos/622970

What a gem . . .been following and love this place!

Well now...seems I've missed out on a big chunk of updates here!

BamaDawgs...I see you have "Peeps"!!! (that's what I call my ghosties!) From what I've seen, they're just playing with you. Funny, because my first encounter was also with my keys! I'd come in the back door with the groceries & lay my keys on the hutch. Put my stuff away. Maybe go to the living room & turn the tube on....check mail...whatever. Then go back to put the car in the garage...no keys! I'd look for 45 minutes until I walk back into the kitchen & there they were...right where I'd left them.

That happened off & on for about the first year. About 10 days out from my second Christmas, I'd hear what sounded like little mischevious boys giggling downstairs in the living room. I'd sit up in bed & clearly hear them. Every other night & after Christmas eve...nothing.

The one that really got my attention was when I had been back & forth through the house cleaning & doing laundry on my day off. I had passed from the kitchen, through the dining room to get to living room countless times that day. I walked into the dining room one time & in front of me is my large antique wardrobe. The 2 doors were hanging wide open! They have tight, snap closures. I live alone so it wasn't anyone in the house. This was just last summer. I stopped in my tracks & just said...."Hey Peeps....How's it going??"

I have never ever had any bad feelings associated with them. I figure they were here long before I was & I'm totally fine with them looking over me. Yours are sounding the same. Just letting you know they're there. Watching over you.

Too many stories...but they have actually protected me too. Crazy stuff!

Better late than never! Going back to the original pictures posted, the roofline, center hall and age of the house all suggest Regency style. It's lovely.

Gorgeous old house. Hell no, this house way predates craftsman.

Love what you are doing.