I’ve been BEYOND OBSESSED with old houses for well over three decades now. I can still remember the exact experience in my childhood that sparked my fascination and wonder with these architectural treasures.
I was about 12 years old and a cousin of mine and I had a sleepover at her aunt’s house in Elmhurst, Illinois (near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport). It was the first time I’d ever stayed in a 100-year old home and it was beyond UH-MAZING and such a treat! There was SO much character in that house and every room, nook & cranny felt absolutely magical to me.
But if I’m being super honest here, the whole time I stayed in that house I was nervously waiting for ghosts to pop out at me while climbing the stairs to each floor. Lucky for me (and the pants I didn’t end up soiling), the apparitions from my wild imagination never materialized.
However, what DID materialize during that visit was a newfound undying respect and admiration for these magnificent homes and their timeless craftsmanship. So much so that when I designed our current modern farmhouse, my goal was to make it look like an old house that we brought back to life.
One of my favorite past-times is searching for old fixer-uppers on Realtor.com and Zillow and dreaming about how I would restore each one to its former glory. And since I live in Florida, I thought I’d start with some antique architectural gems I found in my own state.
