What’s better than candy or flowers on Valentines Day? An estate sale of course! This year I treated myself to a lunchtime jaunt into the past—I don’t normally make it to Friday sales, so this was a treat.
I subscribe to a couple of resale websites and found a sale very near to work. I was not only excited by the proximity and the selection, but from what I could tell this was a great opportunity to see a home with lots of original features. (And some other vintage bits as well!)
I arrived two hours into the sale to find the place almost entirely cleaned out! The house is now for sale, and I hope and pray it goes to someone who appreciates old and quirky over “open floor plan”…with almost 3,600 square feet there aren’t many small rooms.
There are a lot of post-sale pictures in the listing that give a better sense of what the house looks like (I recommend checking it out while it is still available), but here are some of the fun details that made my V-Day!
Keep in mind the house is in the process of being cleaned out, so there is clutter I didn’t feel the need to move!
The front door. Love.
Tons of original woodwork in this house, mostly unpainted. This pass-through in the dining room…
…led to this amazing cupboard in the kitchen…it just needs some TLC…and a drawer.
Quite the mix of eras in the kitchen: original 1875 cabinetry, 1940s sink unit, 1970s cloth-backed vinyl wallpaper and vinyl flooring, and a modern refrigerator!
Stunning stained glass door leading to a sunroom.
The stairwell was papered (in the Forties?) with this romantic design. What a job–there are three floors and the ceilings are 10 feet high!
The radiator in the third floor hallway was the only one I saw (did they spend a lot of time in the hallway?), but the water tank was still in place in the utility room on that floor.
I just love the nooks and crannies found in old homes. The listing shows how these features relate to each other in the room. I was trying to capture the space through the arch and didn’t think to get the big picture.
I know Mom, I should have moved the vacuum!
I. Want. This. Door.
Now here is one I am putting out for your consideration…what is this? There seemed to be pulley mechanisms (note the cord creeping out of the bottom left door); I tried to open the other doors to get a better look to no avail. My first thought was dumbwaiter, but I couldn’t find one. This is in a bedroom.
Of course I didn’t leave empty handed. I walked out with this mirror and four books for $30! SCORE!
I would love to hear about your resale finds and of course please tell me if you can ID my mystery picture—share your thoughts in the comments below! Happy Hunting!
I LOVE this blog!!! It is everything that I am obsessed with! Have already read every corner of it! Keep them coming—– Great job!
I’m coming sale-ing with you next time! Awesome post!
Just let me know when Jenny Evans! 🙂
That is a beautiful home! If you build a home today you are lucky to get trim around your windows. The art of craftsmanship has died in the mainstream.
A pretty amazing house! I love older houses.
Several years ago, there was a tag sale at a house built in 1895 which is less than a mile from where I live. It has a tower, and sleeping porches on the 3rd floor-which is essentially a ballroom!
There were multiple large rooms on the two floors below, lots of really lovely woodwork and lots of stained glass as interior fixtures. It had a stable with an upper story living space, and the house had a veranda porch which went half way around the house.. I would love to have a house like it, but who could even think about it on my income?
That’s half the fun of estate sale-ing, enjoying an old home without the cost of living in it! 🙂