My house was built in 1902. As Queen Victoria died in 1901, I suppose it is officially an Edwardian, but just on the cusp. Made from a kit, it is the mirror image of the house next door, although time and various paint jobs, add-ons and decorating schemes now create quite a dissimilar appearance.
With both a sun porch and a mudroom (a necessary little porch frequently used throughout winter for galoshes and dirty dog towels), it is cozy and filled with light:
The back door has a doorbell I believe used for deliveries by the local milkman from
the dairy that used to be down the block (now a gourmet grocery).
On the the front curb there are small rings used to tie up one's course whilst visiting neighbors. Our garage could have easily doubled as a stable.
The attic contains various worn leather suitcases traveled to exotic locales more than a century ago.
There are channels built in to house pocket doors used to open the parlor only for "company."
The kitchen counter has a bottlecap opener built in and our original full Victorian bar matches the formal dining area so nicely (moved to Portland from two different aparments in the San Francisco Bay Area including a third floor walk-up) and provides a shelving unit for a full two-turntable DJ setup.
This tribute to my home occurs as my roses bloom, my raspberry bush blossoms and my grape arbor buds. There's no place like home.
Pictured is my tribute to summer--bare legs and a skirt with cute shoes to match, Edwardian style. Maybe she walked through my house almost 100 years ago....
24 comments:
omg omg omg omg. This is my post, omg. I might have to live in your house.
Can you hang this painting in my room?!!
(PS. our house--flat--was built in 1917, does that count as Edwardian?)
How lovely. I'd love to have an old home like that--so many spirits.
Beautiful illustration! My house I just moved from was built in 1902 but wasn't Edwardian-it was a four-square with a mud-room and wrap-around porch. There's nothing better than a beautiful old house!
such a lovely tribute. Your house sounds like a historical masterpiece...mine on the other hand seems to have been stript of its sweet character...I still have the sweet rings on the curb. Oh Portland and those wonderful rings!
It sounds like you have a lovely home. Great illustration, too!
great description of your house - and the flowers a bloomin' - i live in an old house too but much more of a cottage - not quite as refined as what you describe- pocket doors - would love some of those. I remember the milk man days - when i was a girl he would walk right into the house and put the milk in the fridge - how about that for service!
I used to live in an Edwardian House that was built in 1904 I loved the little bits of Victorian that were put in, made it somehow eclectic
love your blog! very original! I was wondering if you could check out my blog and maybe if we could do a link exchange...
I covet thy house! My kitchen still has the built-in slide-out cutting board from the 50's. The rest of it's charm has evaporated.
Oh your latest is gorgeous! Love the color especially. The color of her legs looks like mine on the first skirt wearing of summer. What luck to have those suitcases in the house, very cool!!
Sounds lovely..there is something about old homes..they have so many tales to tell..Love your drawing, as usual..
Love the legs, so sassy! How was Albert Art Hop?
What a wonderful house! Your house is probably the only one that could have a whole post dedicated to it and be intriguing the whole time. You live in the Bay Area? I would love to live there if I could convince my husband. But, then I wouldn't have such a long growing season!
Sounds like a great place to create art :)
Your house sounds like a dream! It must be a very inspiring place and i can see it in your art work, the painting is absolutely beautiful. My house is from the early fifties, not as old as yours but i love the atmosphere. We have a very old well in our garden, still functional...it looks like a picture from a fairy tale book.
COULD YOU BE ANY MORE FABULOUS?!?!
Love your new illustration. Those shoes! I must get a pair! ;)
And I love to hear about your house! Especially your new raspberry blossoms! How exciting!!
ding dong, I am here tagging you - would you like to play along, see my post today.
I have a back kitchen door bell - My kids ring it like crazy, and they would love that built in bottle opener.
high tech!
Absolutely wonderful, I would love to see it sometime! I grew up in a 2-story Victorian in Denver...with a tunnel that went across the street to the neighbor's house (our half was caved in by the time we lived there, but could still be accessed by the neighbors). Brothel or speakeasy perhaps? I have always wondered.
Wonderful as always!!
Post Script: Tag, you're it!
Tagged you in my little ol' blog. Come, and see what I mean.
^^ Just lovely!
I love your blog!
Also, thank you for leaving such a sweet comment on my page!
Enjoyed reading your blog. Your house sounds wonderful. My parents and I lived with my great-grandfather in his home built in 1900 in Texas. He had part interest in a lumber yard so it was one of the best built in town. It was a beautiful place, but various owners since it left the family abused it. It was restored, but changed some by leaving off the big porches, etc. Now, you can't even see the house from the street. The owners concealed it with lots of trees and plants. We sould have kept the house in the family. I still tell about it, and the family stores, to new business owners and tourists, and I've painted it, as did my mother. Have some photos too.
The little house my parents built in the 40s had one of those built in dough boards that someone mentioned.
One thing that my g-grandfather's house had was metal bootscrapers in the concrete sidewalks. He started out as a cobbler and was known for his cowboy boots. Later, with 7 boys and 1 daughter, the boot scrapers were necessary for when the boys came in with muddy boots. My g-grandmother also insisted on a small sink right by the kitchen door so that the boys could clean up and not track mud in her house! I don't think that we knew about mud rooms here in Texas. Maybe further north. She did have a huge kitchen, and two bathrooms. Those old houses are so interesting. I know that you enjoy your's. You certainly wrote about it with love.
Has the house shown any signs of hauntings?
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