sweater. (from last year. similar here and here.) jeans. (my favorite skinnies.) boots.
Okay guys, I know I’ve been promising it and here it is, the first (very rough) tour of our new (very old) farmhouse. Let me just preface this whole post by saying that this is very much a before post. We moved in just over a week ago and still aren’t even all the way unpacked. Things aren’t even that tidy yet, because I’m still figuring out where everything is going to go, and we sold a bunch of furniture that I didn’t like anymore before we left Seattle. It’s also a bigger house than we’ve lived in before, so a lot of the spaces are pretty empty right now while we decide what we want to do with each room, but I wanted to give you a peek at our little New England Farmhouse.
The first thing you have to know about this house is that it is old. Very, very old. Like the ink had only been dry on the constitution for 3 years when our house was built (in 1790), but it has amazing bones. This house is solid, well built and so pretty. Seriously, everyone that comes in the door says something about how pretty it is. I think it’s just so rare to find a home this old that’s in such good shape, and that has been preserved so well.
That being said, there’s lots of “character” and plenty of quirky little things about the house, we’re going to have our work cut out for us, that’s for sure and I cannot wait to dig in and get started. This is seriously my dream house and I love that it’s so old and needs a lot of love and elbow grease. I love to work and this is my favorite kind.
If you scroll to the bottom of the post I’ll show you what I have in mind, and what I’ve been pinning away like a mad woman on my pinterest board.
Okay so, let’s get started.
The Front.
I have always loved white houses and I fell head over heels the first time I saw ours. Isn’t she pretty? I’ve been going back and forth about whether I want to keep the front door red or paint it black, but I think it’ll stay red for now.
My favorite part is our little side front door. It has a little storm area you walk into before you walk into the house and it has the neatest old doorbell right on the door. It also keeps the house so much warmer.
I love our little est. 1790 plaque. That’s another favorite.
Our red barn is up the hill behind our house. Can’t wait to get a horse! Eeek!
Okay the first room you walk into from the side front door is the family room. (See the little doorbell in the middle of the door, the ring is so cute!)
This is a long skinny room and right now Craig and I are trying to decide what to do with this space. The table was left here when we moved in. I’m thinking of doing something cool with it.
And this is the other side of the room. It’s a really long room and I can’t wait to get my hands on it, I’ll share more of our plans for the room in a later post.
The family room lead directly into the formal dining room. (We don’t have a table yet, didn’t have a formal dining in our last house.) It houses the smaller set of stairs, (which are super steep and a little nerve-wracking with kids- so of course everyone uses them the most) and the wood stove.
I want to put a big white farmhouse table in here, but right now it’s just garnished with boxes. ;-)
The dining room leads into the living room (and also the kitchen- more on that in a minute) Could you just die over those original wood beams? This house you guys… anyway, right now I call it the gallery, because all our art and nicknacks are just hanging out on the floor. We sold our old living room furniture before we left Seattle so this room is a blank canvas. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what I want to do in here… It also has our piano (which I am definitely going to paint this year.)
And the more formal set of stairs which are wider, less steep and way easier to climb. (Which means, of course no one uses them.)
On to the kitchen. We’re going to do a complete overhaul in here, in the future, but for now, it’s a nice bright open space (although that fan needs to come down ASAP). There are definitely going to be some tricky design aspects to overcome, but that just comes with having an old house, and I love the challenge.
This breakfast nook is one of my favorite spots in the house. It’s so bright and there are windows with views of our property the whole way around.
I have two swinging doors in my kitchen and I am obsessed with them. I mean, look how cute!
Also off the formal dining is a nice office. Pretty with lots of windows. And I’m intentionally not showing you the corner because it’s got a ton of boxes in it. I want to turn it into a library.
It has some cute french doors too.
If you go down the hallway from the kitchen, you get the laundry/mudroom. Guys this room alone would have sold me on the house. It is HUGE! It’s every mother’s dream come true and I can’t wait to give it an overhaul and some serious personality.
Don’t mind the laundry mess. ;-)
Downstairs/kids bath.
The master bedroom is over the family room, which means it too is nice long room. Right now it doesn’t have a bath, but there’s plenty of square footage to add one and a larger closet, which we plan on doing down the road. For now, it’s just such a pretty bright space. Lots of windows, pretty wood floors…
still haven’t found my bedskirt BTW. Ah the joys of moving.
I love all the halls and doorways upstairs. Lot’s of character, original doors and my kids have a lot of fun with the old latches.
Look at that awesome original floor vent. It lets heat from the wood stove upstairs. Character…
There are three more bedrooms, all a nice size, with lots of windows. The girls share this one, the boys are in another, and the fourth is going to be a guest room.
Upstairs bathroom: this is mine and Craig’s bath until we remodel our room.
And there you have it! Our farmhouse!
What I want to do with the house is honor it’s history and update it so it feels fresh and modern. I’m obsessed with Modern Farmhouse style and luckily we bought the perfect house to bring that style to life.
It’s absolutely beautiful and I know you will make it shine!!! We live in CA (I also grew up in CA) but my in-laws live in New Milford, CT where my husband grew up, which we visit once or twice a year. Every time I’m swooning over the houses there. You just don’t find that in CA!
Looking forward to all of your updates and congrats on finding this beauty!!!
We used the colorful cement floor tile in you inspiration picture and it looks amazing–you’ll love it. This home is really beautiful, can’t wait to see what you do with it. One question, if you use the wood burning fireplace and stove, how do you deal with the smell permeating the whole house? (maybe I’m the only one who doesn’t like the smokey smell on everything?)
Wow! Gorgeous! You hit the home jackpot, I absolutely love it. The wood floors are beautiful, it is so charming! The swinging doors and laundry room are tdf. Lucky duck! I live on the west coast and unfortunately there are not a lot of homes with age, history and character here. I’d love that kind of home. :)
I Love it! New England fact for you: nobody uses their front door. I found it so strange when we moved there. And the various things they put smack dab in front of it such as potted plants and oversized nativity scenes (just wait!). But it became one of my favorite New England idiosyncrasies. As did red doors! So quientessential New England! Keep the red!
Oh my goodness- drooling!!! We are moving from CA to IN this summer and I am looking from my dream farm house. It is absolutely gorgeous-so excited for you. Some of the pictures you have pinned I have pinned to. Can’t wait to follow your journey
Cori, it is swoon-worthy! I love all of it, and can’t wait to see what you do with it! Those ideas are fabulous and I am so excited to see it all come to life! Congrats again, she’s a beaut!!!
my father in law lives in new hampshire and also has a very old big white farmhouse. yours reminds me of it so much – random quirky hallways, skinny doorways, lots of smaller windows. character! i love it.
Love! I am obsessed with old houses. We just bought an 1810 colonial in Vermont, and the prior owners just has so much taste. They added in a propane brick fireplace into the wall of the kitchen. These old homes can be chilly in the winter, and it’s been so functional and charming at the same time!
I would wait util after the summer to remove the ceiling fan. You’ll probably find it’s there for a reason, ugly as it is. We have one similar in our bedroom which I hate, but we use it every summer when the sun has been baking onto the back of the house all day and it’s so hot in there.
The house looks lovely, such a good find!
Cori! I seriously am so jealous of you guys!! You are living my dream! I loved living in New England more than anything and I wish I could move back everyday. I can’t wait to see how you make your adorable farmhouse your home. Good luck on this amazing adventure!!
I love the wide plank flooring, so many charming details in your farmhouse. My husband and I are on the hunt for a farmhouse here in CT. He’s a carpenter and general contractor so we could buy a fixer upper, which is exciting. If you’re looking for anyone in CT to help you out with your home, feel free to look him up http://www.restorationww.com
Gorgeous new (old) house, congratulations! You can’t find construction in today’s homes like in the older one’s. They used to really know how to build a house. I adore the red door, it is so cute, your home’s very own pop of color. Thanks for the tour and I look forward to the updates as you design and rework rooms over time.
This is so neat! I can’t wait to see what you do with it. What a stunning home! I live in South Texas so we have absolutely nothing like that here.
How lovely! My dream, too! I love all the images you pinned and can see those spaces fitting so nicely in your new digs!
It’s absolutely beautiful and I know you will make it shine!!! We live in CA (I also grew up in CA) but my in-laws live in New Milford, CT where my husband grew up, which we visit once or twice a year. Every time I’m swooning over the houses there. You just don’t find that in CA!
Looking forward to all of your updates and congrats on finding this beauty!!!
Cori, it’s beautiful. What a dream come true! And it looks like you e got some great ideas, can’t wait to see!
We used the colorful cement floor tile in you inspiration picture and it looks amazing–you’ll love it. This home is really beautiful, can’t wait to see what you do with it. One question, if you use the wood burning fireplace and stove, how do you deal with the smell permeating the whole house? (maybe I’m the only one who doesn’t like the smokey smell on everything?)
It’s beautiful.
I love the house! It reminded me of this week’s Fixer-up kitchen with I loved as well. I just bought a great round mirror from Target. It’s not as good as the one from Wayfair but it’s more affordable. Target: http://www.target.com/p/round-mirror-brass-28-threshold/-/A-50301089
Wayfair (completely in love with this one) https://www.wayfair.com/Corrigan-Studio%C2%AE-Bronwyn-Round-Mirror-CSTD1816.html
Wow! Gorgeous! You hit the home jackpot, I absolutely love it. The wood floors are beautiful, it is so charming! The swinging doors and laundry room are tdf. Lucky duck! I live on the west coast and unfortunately there are not a lot of homes with age, history and character here. I’d love that kind of home. :)
I Love it! New England fact for you: nobody uses their front door. I found it so strange when we moved there. And the various things they put smack dab in front of it such as potted plants and oversized nativity scenes (just wait!). But it became one of my favorite New England idiosyncrasies. As did red doors! So quientessential New England! Keep the red!
Charming!!! So happy for you guys! Can’t wait to see how you decorate it.
Oh my goodness- drooling!!! We are moving from CA to IN this summer and I am looking from my dream farm house. It is absolutely gorgeous-so excited for you. Some of the pictures you have pinned I have pinned to. Can’t wait to follow your journey
Thanks for sharing! It looks incredible as it is. I love the wood beams and hardy floors. So much personality. Good luck on your new adventure.
Incredible find! I can’t wait to see what you do with it!!
Cori, it is swoon-worthy! I love all of it, and can’t wait to see what you do with it! Those ideas are fabulous and I am so excited to see it all come to life! Congrats again, she’s a beaut!!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your absolutely adorable home with your readers! I cannot wait to see the progress!
Seriously gorgeous house! Love all the character and how beautifully well preserved it is. Can’t wait to see what you will do with it!
Your house is beautiful! Please continue the updates as you work on it! LOVED this post!
my father in law lives in new hampshire and also has a very old big white farmhouse. yours reminds me of it so much – random quirky hallways, skinny doorways, lots of smaller windows. character! i love it.
So cool!
Love your house and can’t wait to see what you do. You have great style so I’m sure it will be great!
Love! I am obsessed with old houses. We just bought an 1810 colonial in Vermont, and the prior owners just has so much taste. They added in a propane brick fireplace into the wall of the kitchen. These old homes can be chilly in the winter, and it’s been so functional and charming at the same time!
I would wait util after the summer to remove the ceiling fan. You’ll probably find it’s there for a reason, ugly as it is. We have one similar in our bedroom which I hate, but we use it every summer when the sun has been baking onto the back of the house all day and it’s so hot in there.
The house looks lovely, such a good find!
That’s a good point! Maybe I’ll just replace with a less ugly (and cleaner) one. ;-)
its beautiful! congrats.
Cori! I seriously am so jealous of you guys!! You are living my dream! I loved living in New England more than anything and I wish I could move back everyday. I can’t wait to see how you make your adorable farmhouse your home. Good luck on this amazing adventure!!
Amazing and lovely!!!
Beautiful! Congrats. I know you will only add to its character and beauty.
Beautiful house! I love the gorgeous floors! So much history there! I also love the red door…. I think it really makes the front elevation.
I love the wide plank flooring, so many charming details in your farmhouse. My husband and I are on the hunt for a farmhouse here in CT. He’s a carpenter and general contractor so we could buy a fixer upper, which is exciting. If you’re looking for anyone in CT to help you out with your home, feel free to look him up http://www.restorationww.com
Gorgeous new (old) house, congratulations! You can’t find construction in today’s homes like in the older one’s. They used to really know how to build a house. I adore the red door, it is so cute, your home’s very own pop of color. Thanks for the tour and I look forward to the updates as you design and rework rooms over time.