Restoration vs. Remuddling

Vintage homes offer a unique charm and character that is hard to duplicate today.  Whether it is a Queen Anne victorian, an arts & crafts style bungalow, or a low-slung mid-century modern, each offers it's own unique architectural style & character.

Often times older homes get remodeled with finishes that are not compatible with their architectural style & character.   Owners may later live to regret hurried choices made right after moving in.  Architecturally inappropriate choices can be created by influences such as home improvement shows or even by what the new owners were accustomed to in a previous, newer home & neighborhood.   Personally the home improvement shows are a pet peeve of mine.  They are usually sponsored by one of the big-box retailers and can be nothing more than glorified 30 minute commercials for the sponsor's products.  These shows can make homeowners believe that basically old = bad, so rip out that vintage quality stuff and replace it with our shiny new materials even if they are of lesser quality and workmanship.   

If people are moving closer in from a newer suburb, they may be accustomed to finishes and trims that are appropriate for a newer traditional home, but may be at odds architecturally with certain vintage styles.  Mid-century modern homes fall victim to this very often.  Mid-century modern is more of a minimalist style.  Heavy ornamentation is not part of the look or part of the Architect's original intent for the home.  These homes can be slathered in traditional features such as victorian style leaded glass doors, crown molding & country-style kitchens.  These items only serve to detract from the clean lined look that the home is supposed to have.

These sort of things are what I call "fighting the house." People try to force a totally different design concept on a house that doesn't accept it well.  When ever you fight the house from a design standpoint, you will usually lose and end up with something that just never quite looks right.  More & more the sophisticated buyer recognizes inappropriate alterations and will not pay a higher price for someone else's "remuddling" choices.  This is especially true of mid-century modern homes.

So if you are concerned about making sure your renovations are architecturally appropriate to insure your home's value, or if you just want to see some different perspectives and resources other than the home improvement shows, where do you go?

There are a number of great resources.  For older bungalow styles there are publications like americanbungalow.com and for those in atomic era ranch style and mid-century moderns, there is atomic-ranch.com There are also a number of different web sites you can find on the web that talk about restoring older homes. Sites like retrorenovation.com and even savethepinkbathrooms.com Many sites also have home improvement message boards where you can ask questions.  One of the mid-century sites is lottaliving.com

There are also places that specialize in parts for older homes such as lighting fixtures, doorknobs, hardware, etc., that are all in keeping with the home's true character.  For more traditional bungalow styles places like restorationhardware.com offer some great options, as well as one of my personal favorites, rejuvenation.com. Rejuvenation.com has a companion site specifically for more vintage modern art deco & mid-century modern homes. That site is satellitemodern.com You can even find a brand new vintage style appliance at https://bigchillfridge.com/site/

Everyone should decorate their home in a style that reflects their own tastes & lifestyle, but it is important to educate yourself beyond just what you see on the home improvement shows.  Remember, just because something in your house isn't what is currently sitting on the shelves of your local home improvement store doesn't mean it is "dated" & bad, and just because something is the current "thing" doesn't mean it is an improvement over what you already have.