To tell the story, I should mention that when I first saw the house, the open L-shape of the entranceway, living and dining rooms seemed unnaturally... open. I guessed there had originally been some walls and French doors that the POs removed, and I immediately set my heart on putting in some built-ins on either side to define the space a little better.
How wrong was I on this?? The photos tell the story, I think:
Here is the view from the dining room during the paint-stripping process. (Note helpful spouse in background) ;)
And here's what it looks like right now-- with solid oak exposed beams the size of railroad ties. :) [EDIT: Oops, they aren't solid after all, but I can't tell quite how they're constructed]
But oddly enough, I found some marks on the underside of the overhead beam...
...and two rows of holes along the base of the side posts...
And in a lucky break, we had just visited with some of our new neighbors over the holidays, so I realized that the marks I found correspond EXACTLY to what they have between their dining and living rooms!!! (We went by again yesterday to take photos):
Yep, our house used to have massive beautiful built-in cabinets, and someone went to great trouble to rip them out. *sigh*
I suppose it's nice to know that my instincts were right, even though my prediction was wrong. And now we get to decide what sort of cabinets to build!! It would be fun to try to replicate the original features, but at the moment that seems very intimidating. (I was hoping to use mostly salvaged wood, but I can't quite imagine stumbling upon huge oak timbers that are just the right size =/).
Luckily I've got plenty of time to come up with a design.
*continues to keep an eye out on ebay for sets of old, glass-paned cabinet doors*
(And here are a couple more shots-- no flash, sorry!-- of the woodwork at the neighbors' house for inspiration). *drools*
4 comments:
Regarding "helpful spouse in background."
He looks like he was being very helpful by staying out of your way. You should be more appreciative!
Oh, he was very busy on watching-the-game duty, and trust me-- I very much appreciate him staying out of the way!! :)
(*imagines what it would look like if he was helping*)
Oh wow! Isn't it amazing how somthing so small can make such a huge difference. Definitely quite convenient that your neighbors have some "inspiration" for you to work from, though!
Yeah, it's great! I love having a life-sized example of exactly what it would look/feel like to have the built-ins! It's really inspiring, and also validating-- like maybe we really DID buy a house with the potential and it wasn't just my imagination. :)
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