Once upon a time there was a cozy cottage that sat on a hill. It had been built soon after the Great Depression, 1938. The owner of the small town hardware store built it for his love when she requested, "I'll marry you if you build me a brick house." Along with the sturdy brick exterior, he instilled many other charming and lasting details: a brick fireplace with iron detailing, gleaming hardwood floors, a banister to decorate at Christmas, and paneled doors and detailed hardware. The first owner and builder of the cottage raised 3 boys there.
The next owner of the cottage realized the kitchen and bathroom needed some updating. Being a handyman, he re-invigorated those rooms, in keeping with the original style of the home. He even used the original door frame horizontally between the dining room and kitchen.
Owners #3...We moved into the cottage being one year newlyweds. Having grown up in an older home, I loved the charm the cottage inhabited, with it's original gridwork windows, hardwood floors, and fireplace. We loved how it sat on a little slope, tucked beneath mature maple trees. We were happy that the previous owner had already updated the kitchen and bathroom, and had kept the nostalgic charm of the house. We got busy making the home ours: painting, carpeting, gardening, along with replacing a fuel oil furnace, and adding central air. We brought home three newborns to the cottage, and Cheryl and I had three pre-Patina General sales in the garage. After nine great years, we had outgrown the coziness and sold it to another newlywed couple to make it their own. Mr. Fix-it finished off the basement, and hung the final doors two hours before closing!
The fourth owners filled the bedrooms rather quickly, having twins right away. They stayed long enough to create a wonderful brick patio in the yard, and close up the second floor "rug shaking" door as we called it, replacing it with an octagonal window.
Owners #5 were also newlyweds-childhood sweethearts. They fell in love with the cottage's details and the town's newly redesigned downtown. Being a graphic designer, she began to blog about their life in the cottage. She blogged about how they "refreshed" the kitchen-painting, switching out fixtures and hardware-bringing the nostalgic kitchen into the 2000's. "Young House Love", another blog, featured her kitchen. That's when our stories came together.
I got a phone call from my sister, "I'm sitting here looking at your old house kitchen." Immediatedly I logged on, and sure enough...there was our first, very loved old house-looking refreshed! Through e-mails back and forth, Bethany (owner #5) and I have gotten to know each other. As perfect timing goes, she designed our Patina General logo, our postcards, our business cards, and even our blog! She has been such an assett to Cheryl and I in our whole technology challenge! This past Christmas, our family got the privilege of driving up the cottage's driveway again, and seeing how our old house had changed-and stayed the same-over the last 9 years. The babies that were born there hardly remember those days, and even though the paint colors have changed numerous times, the layout of the rooms, the creaks, and the good foundation still felt like home.
The love of home...the love of a home can bring people together. Relationships grow through all the projects worked on in a home, and homes grow through all the projects done on them!
Get to know more about Bethany and her life in the cottage at her blog, www.bspokeblog.com, and check out her downloadable offerings in her shop at www.emmylu.com. Her kitchen will also be featured in the spring issue of Better Homes and Gardens' Kitchens and Baths.
Thanks Owner's #5 for loving the cottage and letting me share this special, "small world" story!
Love it! What an awesome story for both of you! God's timing is SOOO perfect! AND just shows God's using blogs for his glory too!
Posted by: Molly | Monday, February 28, 2011 at 10:22 AM
Cool story, huh! The home designs are good! Honestly, remodeling a house while maintaining the vintage beauty is really challenging. You need to check all parts of your home to know the tasks that you need to accomplish.
Posted by: Kalona Mincey | Monday, May 02, 2011 at 12:41 AM