My friend Carli just built a new home. She has used a lot of great ideas including salvaged beadboard in several areas, like here, the backsplash of her craft room. I love it!

This is the real deal.  Old salvaged beadboard. I love how it looks with the fresh white cabinets and metal counters. Aren’t all of the colors wonderful…she especialy loves the turqouise! I agree!  Can’t wait to show you more of her home in the future.

Oh and aren’t those huge scissors great?!  This really illustrates how wonderful an oversized object looks on top of cabinets or really anywhere in a room..so many of use struggle with those awkward areas.  I bet she bought the scissors at Canton..she is an expert at shopping the Canton Flea Market!!! Carli is so talented..she used to have a flower shop in my hometown! 

Thanks for letting us take a peak in your craft room my friend! Enjoy the new house!

Recently a reader emailed me interested in the idea of adding vintage character to new construction..on a budget!  Of course the idea of building a new “old home” is common and but often means custom.  Custom for the most part means a generous budget.  With building costs up everywhere, the luxury of custom homes is well, more and more a luxury. Like this kitchen. wow.

Many young families want a unique home but can’t necessarily afford the custom beadboard cabinet doors for the fridge! Luckily there are so many great blogs at our fingertips that have DIY suggestions and fresh ideas for adding character and interest to suburban living and new construction. So that is my first suggestion if you want to infuse character to a newer home. 

• READ BLOGS.  There are so many wonderful blogs like Lettered Cottage, Inspired Home, the Nesting Place, Restyled Home and  Young House Love that are writing wonderful posts on this very topic. Please share other blogs suggestions in the comments..we are all constantly looking for fresh blogs to enjoy.
• BEADBOARD yes we’ve been talking about this a lot lately and it just works, in both old and new homes. In kitchens, baths, hallways, mudrooms, kids rooms..you name it. This is a must in a new old home. Notice how this bath has such a vintage old house feel even though all of the fixtures appear brand spanking new!  Beadboard..of course the pedestals sinks help too!;;  My mom used to have a collection of old bathtubs and pedestals sinks..but that is another post!

• TALL CEILINGS skip the funky tray ceilings and cathedrals..just plain and tall…tall ceilings make even the tiny children’s room just feel fab.
• GOOD TRIMWORK-even just 1×4 or stock trim..maybe adding square medallions at corners.., it doesn’t take a custom millwork..you can find things via catalogs and stock items to beef up trim around doors in main living areas and maybe even throughout the home..just plan ahead and be ready!

• OLD DOORS..not every door in your house but at least 1 or even a few..not even super old but something with some character for a special spot, a hallway closet or pantry..if you know the sizes before the builder starts it sure helps..or skip doors in some areas and add curtains..Especially fun is a an old screen door on a pantry like Layla at the Lettered Cottage did in her dining room pictured below. 

My mom had a picture out of Country Living illustrating this idea in a kitchen on a pantry..it was a corner pantry..anyone remember that image??..I wish i had that tear sheet..she kept it from years.  Can you tell this “new old house” is a concept my mom loves..she built two homes this way..one very custom, one more on a budget.  So many of these ideas are from homes I lived in or ideas I heard my mom discuss. OK, back to our list.

• DOOR KNOBS and HARDWARE..you can shop around online…Van Dykes and D LAWLESS and find glass doorknobs or from junk stores..not every room but maybe a powder room bath door. Just to add a little interest. And for kitchen cabinets think bin pulls and glass knobs…

• ACCESSORIES like an old sign or letters like those pictured above and/or FURNITURE like primitive table in the entry, or a mish mash of old chairs around a “fancy” dining table, etc..can lend so much character and set the tone in your new home..I could go on and on of course, such as..
• OLD MANTLES either on a fireplace or just as furniture. I saw this one at Urban Market in Houston recently…

• LESS CARPET We all love wood floors of course, laminates don’t bother me, shop around and see what you can find or consider stained concrete..  tall ceilings and no carpet instantly give an old house feel I think…

{Schoolhouse light from Restoration Hardware}

• LIGHTING and other fixtures whether it’s old school house lights in the kitchen, a vintage chandelier over the bed or dining table, farm lights outside by garage or backdoor..a few well thought out lights, not necessarily$$$$, will go a long way..I know people who have saved lights for years to use in new homes!
• EXTERIOR skip the brick if possible except for steps, sidewalk or patio.  Wood or similar siding obviously gives a more cottage feel with character or better yet consider PAINTED BRICK.  Oh how I love painted brick…that’s another post in itself!

Last but not least, BE CAREFUL-DON’T OVERDO. Be careful not to go overboard on the vintage elements. One old door here, a bathroom with beadboard, a neat old sign over the kitchen table, etc..but not EVERY element in the home must be one of kind. Just a little effort really will go a long way and you can always add things as you find.

Just remember, character doesnt have to mean custom (aka $$$)!!! Just some planning, thought and creativity! What have you done in your new home to lend character and vintage feel?

I just love typography and words and vintage signs, nothing compares when it comes to drama, size, color and personality..whether you have cottage interior or more contemporary..I’ve noticed them for years and this year at Round Top I noticed  the authentic ones are getting more and more expensive!  Of course, there are some great reproductions out there but if you find the real deal, hold on to it tight!

{Country Living}

I just adore this one..red and a cow! The modern light and stark whites keep the sign from being too rustic.  I would love to find an old Sunday school or hymn sign or something from an old cafe/kitchen/food related…  Do you have a vintage sign?? Where did you get it?  Where are you displaying your sign?..

Pictured above is one of my favorite vintage signs in all of Texas..too bad they won’t let me have it, maybe because they still use it!

I was a part of rescuing an old grocery store sign here in my little town recently (not near as dramatic as it sounds, just mentioned to someone who cared;;)..I am such a preservationist that way..ha!  Anyway, so glad a good steward has that piece of local history safely in storage! Be sure and stop and pick up any pieces of social history you see laying around…these old signs are decorative and often have meaning too!