CIRCA founders, Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein are bringing “Cheap Old Houses” to TV! Back-to-Back Episodes Premiering Monday, August 9th at 9pm and 9:30pm ET on HGTV & Discovery+. It's here! The show every old house lover has been waiting for since...forever!? This may be the best thing that 2021 brings us. Shortly after the CIRCA Instagram account got its start, founders Elizabeth and...
848 W Thatcher Rd, Quakertown, PA There's nothing like the patina of age old stone. It just gets better with time and the age really *shows* in the same great way as a well-worn leather bag. A moss covered, crumbling old farmhouse in a bucolic setting is especially irresistible if you have a healthy appreciation for old houses and the great outdoors, like me! These homes deliver big time, inside and...
8215 Co Rd 79, Auburn, AL Almost all of us go weak in the knees for a gorgeous claw-foot tub, but how far are you willing to go? I've been running across a few vintage bathrooms this week that are, frankly, refreshing in their resistance to the status quo. It's nice to see something *different* in a sea of sameness. In a sea of gray tile, be rust-toned carpet, old house lovers. 1. 925 Oak St, Colusa,...
1023 Forest Ave, Palo Alto, CA Temperatures are warming up, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and the real estate market is gearing up for a busy spring. There are so many old houses hitting the market that *need* your attention right now! Here is a mashup of everything that's making me exclaim "Ok, that's just...WOW!" at my computer screen this week. 1. 94 Court St, Plattsburgh, NY -...
305 Clara's Point Road, Sewanee, TN The tradition of adorning walls with paper began in ancient China and has been used in American homes since colonialism. Maybe it's because patterns have a way of showing their age quite quickly, or maybe it's because the stuff has notoriously been *the worst* to remove, but many people are zero-tolerance when it comes to wallpaper. It's 2020, though, and with all of...
250 Fort Hill Road, Scarsdale, NY The Italianate style first cropped up in England in the early 1800s as a reaction to the Neoclassical style. It was romantic and informal and left behind cold, clean-lined classicism to draw inspiration from the medieval villas of Northern Italy. People were into it. It spread to the US in about 1830 (and continued to diverge from its Italian roots.) Pattern books were...
332 Sharon-Goshen Turnpike, West Cornwall, CT Old house kitchens are delicate business. It's quite the dance, capturing a period in time while also packing in just enough contemporary essentials to survive. When executed correctly, though, it's utterly satisfying. These seamlessly incorporated kitchens are inside of increeeeedible houses, so you have to take a look around each one to get the full...
39 Old Snake Hill Road, Pound Ridge, NY I love my apartment, and it's in a really lovely historic building. When guests come over, though, I'm reminded that it is definitely only outfitted for two people. Especially if eating is involved. That leads to dreaming about wet bars, dining rooms that can fit 8 people comfortably, pools, guest cottages... that kind of thing. Do you also wish you had a compound...
148 Hawthorn St, New Bedford, MA Along with the faulty wiring and the headaches, old houses come with the absolutely, most positively stunning details that make your jaw drop and your heart soar. These beautiful built-ins and most extravagantly ornamented rooms are so pretty that it boggles the mind and pretty much no one would, or could, execute them to such perfection today. Craftsmanship, people....
I can't stop staring at this Gothic Revival facade. The ornament is so bold! It sits on over an acre of hilltop property, with distant Manhattan views, no less. There are 6 fireplaces, a carved mahogany staircase complete with fabulous Tiffany stained glass window, decorative plaster ceilings to die for and much, much more. This property is dripping with rich wood, luxurious details and impressive...
504 Hudson Avenue, Paris, TN The Arts & Crafts movement was born out of a critique of all things excessive, ornate, and artificial. Figures like William Morris, whom populated the movement, preferred authentic craft that married the intellectual act of design with production at last. Thanks to that mission, we're left with pleasingly sturdy bungalows that are filled with handsome and grounding...
208 W Bush St, Prairie Grove, AR There's nothing better than an elaborately ornate victorian home. All of those fabulous wood details, (often called gingerbread!) wraparound porches, turrets and other adornments are truly fit for a queen. I, personally, can't get enough of the curb appeal offered by a Queen Anne dripping with details. These are eye-catching from the street and positively mind-blowing from...
