This was the thread that helped me put a name to the style of garden that I love best. I have been working towards the cottage style for many years and never get tired of the evolution of it. Loved reading them all again today. Cheryl

Olivesmom, you do have many choices, but you may be best served by some further study as to what you really prefer. The three photos are very, very different architectural styles, and have quite different interior spaces. For example: --The Williamsburg Colonial: a handsome example of the Colonial Style with upgraded details and materials. Colonials tend to be simple rectangles, 3- or 5-bays wide, with a simple gable roof whose ridgeline parallels the front elevation. Decoration and self-styled carpenter details are minimal. Interiors are seldom deeper than two modest rooms--they were Colonials after all! Growth and expansion typically took place off one or both ends, and/or a perpendicular wing off the rear elevation (sometimes 2-stories); --Second example: This may be called a "cabin" style, but it's really just a builder's approach to a woodsy vernacular from the region. The many gables parallel to the front and the heavy fascias, plus the natural stain colors, characterize this as a house in the tradition of areas where there are lots of woods (and lots of carpenters)! The direction of the roof suggests the house is much deeper than it is wide. --Third example: Again, this is a sort of "hansel and grettel" carpenter's or builder-style house (certainly not Colonial in any fashion) with a most odd "tobacco-shed drying roof", common in southern tobacco growing regions. The partial end gables were used to allow air to enter and circulate in the building's interior to help dry and season the hanging tobacco leaves. Such a roof on a house of this size, and in a western forested setting, is ill-proportioned for this structure and historically a bit ludicrous, IMO. The rest of the exterior has various moutain/western region detailing, ie, porch roofs and supporting columns, etc. I think your search for your "perfect house" might be aided by a good guide book, such as A Field Guide to American Houses, by Virginia and Lee McAlester. It's a well written and illustrated small paperback book that's excellent in describing the various styles of houses. Good luck with your project!

Well, now just how horrible do I feel, replying now over 2 years since the thread's last posting? Or for the fact that so little has been accomplished in yet another 2 years' time? I've read back over the ensuing posts a number of times over the past year however, and really appreciate the positive comments and words of encouragement. Although I've been AWOL for too long, rest assured that all of you at GW come up each and every time someone comes over to my house and asks about the kitchen. Few people believe me when I say I couldn't have done it without you! Also, additional apologies to jwm211, gam51, cran, marybeth1, cookin45, and anyone else who was unable to see the pictures for a period of time. I run a webserver out of my house, so whenever lightning strikes (literally) or TimeWarner has an outage, the pics go down. Thankfully TWC is actually pretty good about uptime. Now for the update. Since my pics from the first part of this thread, the following have been done: - installed faucet for sink (Delta Victorian, SS finish) - oiled the soapstone (duh!) :-) - installed weathered-iron cabinet knobs/pulls on all cabinets - replaced old wood ceiling fan with overhead light - bought a (very) small kitchen table so I could sit/eat! - installed handle on dishwasher - installed garbage disposal Here's a picture I took standing from the back area of the kitchen (it's shaped like an "L") looking at the main portion, from late April. It's pretty similar to how it is now, and gives a good feel for what it looks like "lived-in" on a day-to-day basis. Soapstone had just been oiled too, considering how dark a charcoal it is. :-) As you can see, it's still not quite finished -- namely, it *still* needs the tile backsplash (deee, yep still planning on the Sylacauga Alabama marble tile you have, assuming it's still available), undercabinet lighting, and a pendant light over the sink. Plus a new set of outlet/switch covers. Once those are done, the kitchen will pretty much be complete as far as I'm concerned. Meanwhile, a two-year update on the soapstone: is it possible to love soapstone even more now than i did in 2008? Time has done nothing to diminish my passion for those soapstone counters -- maybe that's an odd word to use, but I couldn't think of a more-accurate alternative. It does require periodic oiling -- for anyone thinking they can oil soapstone twice a month for the first 6 mos and then it's basically done, that's not been my experience. It doesn't fade to as light a chalkboard-grey as it was when I first got it, but it lightens enough that I'm compelled to oil it every, say, 2-3 months now. It certainly doesn't have to be done, but... I love oiling the soapstone and look forward to it. Nothing beats that just-oiled near-black charcoal colour with the veining 'popping' :-) I apologise once again for the excessively-long AWOL, really appreciate the kind words. If anyone would like any specific info on any of the parts, or would like to see more pics or closeups of anything, by all means just ask and I'll put them up! Cheers to you, Supra92

Bell thanks for your clarification - I think your photos illustrate something I would say too - that we want to understand what the original design intention was back in 1905, not so that we can slavishly create exact replica of how it was then, but so that we can go out and choose products and furnishings that fit in and create a beautiful and cohesive whole. No reason at all modern pieces couldnnt fit in with the overall look and feel. In fact as we can see from the previous owner's efforts, trying too hard to look "historic" just left us with a cliched 1980s version "Victorian" which really wasnt very authentic and true to its origins at all. Similarly, I think it would be a mistake for OP to go out and fill the house with 2017 interpretations of "craftsman" because the end result would just be a 2017 interpretation of craftsman. One of the best kitchens I saw in an early 1900s house (wish I could find the pic) used a mixture of modern and vintage pieces. It was unfitted, having freestanding pieces, worktables, and a kind of utilitarian industrial feel that was quite modern, but in its way far more authentic to the house than a lot of the ubiquitous white fitted cabinets + granit counters you see on Houzzz. Guess Im so interested in this thread because my house is of the same era and very similar style - ie has strong arts and crafts features but floorplan is your basic midwestern Wisconsin foursquare vs the classic Chicago bugalow. My approach was basically to strip it down to its essentials - remove 100 years of GACK - all the layers of flooring and wallpaper - so exciting to find the original paint colors (all golds, browns, grays, bronzy greens, one room was a dark inky blue that Ive become quite fond of.) I wont do exactly the same colors but finding them did get me to rethink my color scheme. I do have some arts and crafts oak pieces (incl a massive oak library table in the kitchen now used as a worktable) but also mixed it up with other fav and well loved stuff, vintage up into the present. Oh one other thing to acknowledge is that OP's house is part of a historic tour, so Im guessing she will probably want to be leaning in the direction of being more faithful to historic roots than some of us are. Still, that doesnt mean it she cant freshen it up and make it hers.