Open House Sunday

 historic bungalow

built 1920

This little gem has been fully renovated. 

It's been stage in a very modern way which will appeal to young buyers.

 Lovely open rooms. Whoever staged this did a fantastic job!

 A very pretty color scheme going on in this room. The celery colored velvet chair is a nice touch.

This room is pretty, feminine and modern.

Of course those drapes need to be hung higher and 

they need to be longer but this is just staged, not permanent.

 Love those french doors that are common in bungalows.

 The layering of rugs is nice. I know young people like those macrame wall hangings but I still

remember them from my childhood. I didn't like them then either.

 So glad they left the partial wall in between the living room and dining room.

So many times in a renovation they remove this. Which is a total shame because it's such

a specific design feature to a craftsman bungalow.

This is the office through the french doors. I have been thinking of adding closets in this fashion 

to my front bedroom. I need the storage and I think it's quaint.

 Odd thing about this renovation is that it's staged modern but they chose old world lighting and bathroom finishes.

 A mid century modern light fixture would look wonderful over the table here.

 But that's an easy fix for the new owners.

I really like those bar stools.

 Love the original built in.

 That gold bar cart is just right against that wall.

 The flooring is very pretty here. Counter tops are too busy with the vibe of this house.

And another old world fixture over the sink.

 Really like the floor.

 A big miss in the bathrooms. They looked totally out of place.

This is the other bathroom. A pretty cabinet but does not go at all with the vibe of this house. 

It's pretty but just not right.

See the full listing here.

Tweet

Open House Sunday

Today...a Modern Bungalow...sort of...

built 1917

Well, this is an old house...for sure...but inside it's brand new!

This little bungalow is in the Plaza District neighborhood of Oklahoma City.

Twenty years ago this neighborhood was really down on it's luck but now it's one of the most popular areas of town for dining and shopping and just hanging out.

All the old homes that were long neglected are being renovated in this neighborhood.

 This neighborhood is not on the register for historic places so anything can be done to a house and anything is being done to houses in the Plaza.

This one is cute...of course. But new modern windows replace the original wood windows.

In my neighborhood if it's decided a window is in such poor condition that it needs to be replaced a new one must be made of wood just like the old ones. 

Thankfully there is a company in town that does a fantastic job at this.

Wood Window Rescue

They restore and repair historic windows. They did my neighbor's house a few years ago and they did an amazing job!

 So if your house is designated Historic and is on the Historic register - you are not allowed to willy nilly do whatever you like on the outside. I'm happy about that...it keeps people from doing weird renovations. But on the other hand there are things I'd like to do to my house that are period appropriate but because my house didn't have them to begin with...I'm not allowed.

Like I'd like to turn my windows in front into french doors going out on to the front patio.

This was something that was done to other houses when my house was built but because my house didn't have this...I can never do it.

Oh...well...I'll survive. I understand they want to keep it all authentic to the time period. 

 Back to this house...it's very light and bright inside. I love that but....

Bungalows traditionally were not light and bright.

They were cozy and dark. 

So I wonder about renovations that take all the original inside character out and replace it with modern things. Like that modern wall fireplace. It's cool...I suppose...but I'd rather the original fireplace if there was one. 

 This house is staged and it's a crazy mix of furniture. I do like that it's fun.

But if I bought this house - the first thing I'd do is put in a more traditional looking fireplace.

 So the wall is gone between living room and dining room and kitchen. One of the things I love about bungalows is they usually have a pretty divided wall between living and dining. Maybe this one didn't but I hate to see those gone. 

But it is a nice open space.

I do like this kitchen ...but it's so modern farmhouse. I love a white kitchen. My own kitchen is white but this kitchen doesn't look like it would be in a bungalow at all.

And that bothers me.

But a lot of people will love it.

 I guess that's all that matters. Actually...I should try to design a bungalow kitchen that is light and bright but still feels like a bungalow..that would be a nice challenge for me.

The tile is fun. I'd get tired of it very fast though.

 I really like this mirrors and the lights over them...again..this does not feel like a bungalow at all.

 Very cool shower and tub.

 Very modern

 They created rooms in the attic...so it's a two story now.

The backyard has a ways to go to reach it's full potential. That's for the new owners to work on.

 see full listing here

 What's your feelings on renovations like this? Do you think they should stay more true to the original character of the house or go with what's trending at the moment?

Personally, I think it's better to mimic the original vibe of the house than to go with trends that will be dated quickly. 

But I know it's mainly younger buyers in this neighborhood and they have to do what appeals to them. 

Happy Sunday!

Tweet

Of Rain Chains

and such...

 Last week I finally got around to 

hanging my rain chain I bought months ago.

I decided I must have one after viewing them

hung from the gutters of a bungalow not far from me.

I'll show that bungalow below.

I got this rain chain at ROSS for $9.99!

I was thrilled at the price till I went to hang it and realized it

was about half the length it needed to be.

I didn't have a spot for it from my gutters anyway.

Now it hangs from a tree in my front yard. 

I think it makes a nice feature.

I've struggled with bare spots under my yaupon holly 

tree in the front flower bed for years.

The roots are so thick...I can't plant anything there.

I finally got smart and realized I could put containers

on top of the root filled soil.

It's a shady spot so hostas and ferns are happy 

in their pots under the tree.

 This little dragonfly I bought at a local art festival.

He's made of vintage silverware.

 Ok, so here is why I needed a rain chain. 

I happened upon this bungalow one day last spring.

It was just before Easter. These photos show large Easter Eggs

here and there. The trees were just starting to bud out in these

photos.

A few weeks later I was driving buy and 

saw the owners out working in the yard.

I pulled over so fast - they thought I was a crazy person.

I just had to tell them how beautiful their yard is 

and how lovely their bungalow is painted.

 They hadn't taken the covers off their patio furniture yet.

Isn't that the cutest rain chain?

I told them how much I admire their bungalow and 

they said they tried to make it look like a bungalow that you 

would find in Oregon or northern California.

They added the stacked stone.

All the bungalows here have brick rather than stone.

I told them I loved the color combination they'd done for 

the exterior paint.

They said several of the neighbors complained about 

their paint choice when they first did it.

They thought too wild. 

I think it's just right.

The day I stopped the owner had just planted her container

a top the pedestal.
 

A sweet path.

I could have spent all afternoon on this porch.

 The owner planted purple irises in honor of the

previous owner who'd lived there many years.

Her name was Iris.

This house and yard is such an inspiration for me.

The owners have done all of this themselves.

And were full of gardening knowledge.

I was so glad I stopped on the spur of the moment to chat 

and take photos.

 

Tweet