Some of the Best Features in Our Victorian Fixer-Upper

Posted in Design, Gallery, Latest By Rehab Dorks On January 17, 2016

When we first walked through our new house there were a lot of problems that could have, and maybe should have, made us walk right back out the doors. The house had been empty for three years of brutal winters and humid summers so it wreaked of mildew. There were issues of all sorts that needed to be addressed . . . electrical, flooring, plumbing, painting, appliances, you name it. The more we looked at the house though, we realized that the work wasn’t insurmountable and we saw some amazing features that sold us on the house’s potential.

Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t buy a house for just doors and fireplaces, but these things were reminders of what this house once was and what it could be again. It’s the little things that motivate you to put in the hard work necessary to bring this house back to life. For me, I just like to think about the people who opened our front door with that hardware back in 1920 and how they must have loved this house back then. It’s that kind of history that makes fixer-uppers so appealing.

Some of the best features of a 1920's Victorian fixer upper.

The gorgeous natural patina on our 100-year-old door hardware reminds me of what this forgotten beauty once was.

The house has the original thin double doors with this jaw-dropping decorative glass.

Just imagine what these doors will look like without the old aluminum storm doors and with a beautiful dark stain!

Sadly, this is a coal-burning fireplace so we can’t light a fire in it, but I still love it just for the beautiful tile!

Look at the variegated tones of teal and cream in the crackle tile. They just don’t make ’em like this anymore.

The wallpaper is hiding behind the paint in our stairway. It will have to come down, but I love imagining how the stairway must have looked when it was first put up.