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I would modernize its heating, windows, insulate the attic & such to save on energy bills.
But keep the historic look of say the Victorian Corbels, moldings... keep a stain glass window / two etc.
But, usually that much older home that needs TLC & updates would not interest me as much as a move in one.
I own a 1930s Arts & Crafts house and my kitchen looks alot like the "Before" pic. Have not touched it yet as I am contemplating what exactly to do. But I do want to save my cabinets. They are massive and thick and maybe just need some paint, new hardware, etc.
My own personal tastes? If I had an older home I would probably modernize the kitchen and bathrooms, and leave the rest pretty much the same. With an older home, you have the opportunity to choose the best of old and new. I have lived with a claw foot tub and all I can say is, never again! I see no redeeming qualities in older bathrooms and I would love a spacious, modern bathroom with a big tile shower instead. Modern kitchens eliminate so much work, and look bright and pretty. I would want a completely remodeled kitchen with granite and all the "bells and whistles".
On the other hand, nothing is a bigger turn-off to me than a beautiful historic living room painted some weird, bright color like they do so often on HGTV -- I'd leave it white or cream, something that doesn't draw the attention away from the beautiful architectural details, like molding, medallions, windows, and built-ins. I'd leave all of that sort of thing alone. I might even add some authentic architectural details from a salvage store if they were missing, but I would try to be as faithful to the original style as possible.
After scanning through this thread briefly, I can see that opinions vary greatly on this. But then, thank goodness that we aren't all of the same mind about everything. If we were, we'd have nothing to discuss!
On the other hand, nothing is a bigger turn-off to me than a beautiful historic living room painted some weird, bright color like they do so often on HGTV -- I'd leave it white or cream . . .
Found this pic of a historic home and fab kitchen. Puts a different twist on the use of color. And definitely not HGTV:
My own personal tastes? If I had an older home I would probably modernize the kitchen and bathrooms, and leave the rest pretty much the same. With an older home, you have the opportunity to choose the best of old and new. I have lived with a claw foot tub and all I can say is, never again! I see no redeeming qualities in older bathrooms and I would love a spacious, modern bathroom with a big tile shower instead. Modern kitchens eliminate so much work, and look bright and pretty. I would want a completely remodeled kitchen with granite and all the "bells and whistles".
On the other hand, nothing is a bigger turn-off to me than a beautiful historic living room painted some weird, bright color like they do so often on HGTV -- I'd leave it white or cream, something that doesn't draw the attention away from the beautiful architectural details, like molding, medallions, windows, and built-ins. I'd leave all of that sort of thing alone. I might even add some authentic architectural details from a salvage store if they were missing, but I would try to be as faithful to the original style as possible.
After scanning through this thread briefly, I can see that opinions vary greatly on this. But then, thank goodness that we aren't all of the same mind about everything. If we were, we'd have nothing to discuss!
This is simply a matter of taste, but I prefer colors. (I rarely watch HGTV, so I don't know if the colors I prefer are that weird and bright, though.) I choose colors that highlight the woodwork. When I moved into my current house, all of the walls were off-white, and the woodwork just looked dark brown. So, I chose colors to bring out the golden hues of the original oak.
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