Old Houses

For all of us who see an old barn and think, "oooh, I'd throw such great parties there!"⁠ Or make a home for your your studio, where you can design, build, craft, write, reflect, paint, sculpt, restore ... truly, whatever your hobby or passion, you'll thrive here!

CIRCA's Cristiana Peña ventured up to New York's Hudson Valley to moderate a thoughtful conversation among friends, new and old, on our shared passion for old houses and antique objects. Discovering and sharing all the stories behind the objects that fill our homes is a favorite pastime of ours — and surely yours, too!

Why do we love French Second Empire style architecture and old houses? It's the mansard roof! This beautiful feature makes any house of this style immediately identifiable. And in this example, the moldings and mantels are just icing on the already-beautiful old house cake!

Two new vintage hotel-style keychains have landed at ILoveOldHouses.com! Buy them for yourself or as a gift for a fellow old house lover in your life.

A weekend in Vermont during Mud Season is not for the faint of heart! Thankfully, our team had high spirits and warm bodies thanks to the folks at Askov Finlayson. The Green Mountain State truly did not disappoint, and we were thrilled to learn more about the craftspeople and makers supporting the old house community!

In 2017, @SavingPlaces launched the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a campaign to preserve places that have been overlooked in American history and represent centuries of African American activism, achievement, and resilience. Since then, the Action Fund has raised $70 million and supported more than 200 preservation projects nationally. Today, in addition to asking for your support, we will explore five places where this campaign has had a major impact.

If you've ever found yourself daydreaming about old houses and wondering, "What's the oldest one in the whole country?" Well, so had we - and we'll do you one better: this is the oldest timber-framed house on the *continent.* The best part? It's open to the public! The Fairbanks House is the oldest know wood structure in North America. It was built between 1637 and 1641. How do we know? Dendrochronology, tree ring dating.

Whether you're dreaming about old houses, shopping for one, or in the midst of restoring yours to perfection right now, you'll benefit from adding these to your shelf. Old house lovers worth their weight in wavy glass should have an itty-bitty background in urban planning, an understanding of the domestic architectural styles surrounding them, and some sound advice on decor and styling a place to perfection. These 6 will get you there in no time.

The Castkills wildlife turned out in full force to chirp and sing along as Christienne of @catskillfarmhouse warmly welcomes us into her kitchen to share the backstory of how she and her husband have renovated their spacious, airy (now that they've raised the ceiling nearly two feet!) kitchen. The look: simple, classic, English. My personal favorite feature just might be the 10-foot-long table/island, which accommodates no less than eight stools for guests galore as the Dobsons prepare a meal for dining al fresco in the beautiful Catskills.

New year and, for some, new (old) house dreams! We asked our CIRCA community of old house lovers what they'd like to see in the real estate market in 2022. Whether they're actively in the market searching for their dream house, or if they've already put down roots and are reflecting back on their house hunt, what would speak to their old house-loving soul the most? Here's some of what they told us (real estate agents and brokers with historic, character-rich properties, take note!).

In a mystical realm called Wisconsin 😉 stands @elvencottage, a c. 1926 cottage straight from your favorite childhood fairy tale (or adulthood fantasy novel). West and Alexis have painstakingly and carefully restored windows one by one ... and that’s just the beginning. The vaulted Great Room of Elven Cottage is anchored by a soaring chimney; West’s plans for the Game Room/Library, with a bookshelf to climb up and over the door, are wonderfully fun; the Guest Room, destined for exposed beams in the style of coffee shops West and Alexis experience in York, England, is sure to be warm and welcoming.

The hashtag #LookUp was surely coined with All Saints House in mind! Follow homeowners and restorers Anastasiia and Gunther through the arched doorway and into this converted chapel. The soaring ceiling is impossible to ignore (ok by us!), and the Great Room is filled with stories — some anchored by objects and others as memories that Gunther and Anastasiia generously share with us as they guide us on this “one-room journey.”