Area Built-ins Recreated!

Holy cow! Yesterday our front room looked like this:



and today it looks like this:


Even though this project has been planned for years, I still can't believe the transformation!

When we first moved in, we knew there should probably be built-in cabinets between the living & dining rooms, and once we started stripping away the ubiquitous white paint, we discovered there had once been cabinets, and got an idea of what they had probably looked like.

We based the design on our neighbor's wonderful built-ins, and after years of watching the local craigslist and ebay, we finally found antique cabinet doors of the right size to use as a starting point.


We handed them off to Rick at Shadowhill Custom Wood, and I set out to sand and refinish the existing posts and beam, (and agonized over how to hide all the damaged wood on the left hand post-- ugh!!) so they would look ok with the new cabinets attached.

Here's the post with the worst damage and discoloration (just after I got it sanded):


Oh, and once I got the wood stained and varnished, it became apparent that it wasn't oak after all! So far the best guess is that it's all chestnut! (I'll someday get a slice under the microscope to tell for sure).



Meanwhile, Rick created the posts and cabinets in his shop, and yesterday Team Shadowhill got everything installed and made it look like it has been part of the house since the 1920's!

Here are a few photos of the installation process:








and a couple closeups of the finished cabinets, which let a lot of light through, and open to either side.




Here's the view from the dining room-- now a separate space from the living room & entranceway!


I have been informed that these cabinets have now upstaged our fireplace as the centerpiece of our house. :D

Clues found beneath layers of paint...

I finally got the paint off the beams between the dining and living rooms and found out how the house is supposed to look. O_O

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*