WOW.......gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your pix and story. :)

mtnrdredux, I'm game though we have nothing compared to yours to show. We did a total gut on an 1870 schoolhouse with 2 additions. We tore one down and rebuilt it. The main schoolhouse, timber framed, posts as well as beams were in such poor condition we had to replace them. We messed up what landscaping there was doing the addition, driveway and patio and now I have no gardening imagination.

Thanks Mtn... I was really just kidding... but don't know why they won't sell smaller amounts - what's the difference? Thanks for the link. I've actually been to that place many times, they have everything imaginable. They didn't have any flooring I was interested in at the time I went. There's also an architectural salvage place right near me, but I just never seem to get around to calling them to see what they have for antique flooring. I'll do it eventually.

Keep the pictures coming... so beautiful!

How gorgeous is your setting! And what a wonderful transformation that stayed true to the setting and original building. I am drooling over all that lush mature landscaping. It's amazing you were able to keep so much of it intact with such a large renovation taking place.

Thanks so much for sharing your lovely home! I love seeing these inspirational photos.

So so beautiful, unique and gracious. I love it. Wonderful job.

I can't imagine your exterior in any other color than white. It is perfection. And I LOVE windows with muntins / true divided lights. (They make my heart go pitter patter.)

I have never thought of painting my house white until now.

Oh, wow, the renovation and the exterior are amazing.

I would love a coat closet like that.

I love the quality and attention to every little detail! I did see a leaf out of place the near front entrance lol...you might want to adjust that 3mm to the left.

Oh wow wow wowza!
What a beautiful home and beautiful setting. I think I can say that Deb (DLM) would love to see it all. As would I please.

Stunning. Just stunning.

So excited! I've been waiting for interior shots:-) The exterior and the little bits of interior (living room and craft room) you've posted are really, really beautiful! So sorry you've had to deal with GC issues. I hope they are resolved soon, and you figure out your camera issues. Would really, really love to see more.

FYI - some folks have posted photos of their entire house. Do not feel weird about doing that as long as you are comfortable with showing it. I think I speak for everyone here when I say we would LOVE it.

What is the flooring in the vestibule?

mtnrdredux, when we did the square head nails we got reg ones and put them in a bucket to rust. Then when we oiled the floor the oil turns the rust black. We too have pine planks, 12 inch in the kit and 12 - 24 inch in the rest of the house.

JillinNJ,

I don't know a brand name for the tile in the vestibule. (But I got it at Virtue Tile in Short Hills, NJ). My invoice just says large terracotta brick 20x30. I do know it is very, very thick --- some special requirement to lay it I recall.

I really like the uneven color ... IRL it looks like leather. It is handmade and a little puffed up in the center, which I like too. Maybe you can see in this photo ...
{{gwi:1837330}}

This is without a doubt one of the more gorgeous homes on Gardenweb IMO.

....Jane

Amazing house and property. So warm and inviting. Congratulations on a beautiful renovation and excellent taste!

Wow, your house is fantastic!

OMG. I mean O M G. This home is amazing. Can I come? I could occupy the right wing...or the left wing... or a little boat house on the lake. A shed? lol

You are one very lucky woman with excellent taste. Yes, it was a bumper crop all right. :)

Thank you for those pics of the vestibule tile. Really beautiful. I see ads for that tile store all the time. Must get there one of these days.

Juddgirl - I live in fear of visitor in stilettos. Not that I can recall many friends sporting them recently.

Flyleft, Loribee, Gr8day, Justgotabme, Newdawn, Dianalo, Kelly and Cindy, Thank you all for your wonderful comments. It's nice when people "get" your decor and choices.

Eandhl - Don't be silly. Schoolhouse? Custom-rusted nails? Your project sounds right up my alley.

Prill - I bought two sinks there and a wonderful opaline doorknob that won't work anywhere.

Doonie - Thanks! We are amazed and delighted how unchanged it feels despite the addition of a lot of square footage. We went out of our way to save trees, in one case shaving a corner off a powder room.

Kitchenkelly - i agree, there is no choice, it has to be white. It has so much going on and so many flourishes it needs toning down. No shutters, no color.

Gscience, A friend of ours had an old Victorian with a cloak room, and since then we've always wanted one. The workmen kept trying to put a door on it.

Jterrilynn, You are mistaken, they are exactly as per my diagram, crazy-glued in place.

Steph, We have a cute little pondside shed (root cellar? smoke house? servant qtrs?) I hope to make into a guestroom. Right now it has a gravel floor and about a 7' ceiling. It's on my wishlist!

Just chiming in here to add my ooh's and aahh's because it looks so warm and inviting. What a delight it must be to explore and enjoy. Thanks for sharing it! There's something so satisfying about seeing beautiful houses that exude a look of comfort.

Goooood L*rd........Just breathtaking!!!

Wow, that is fabulous. I would love seeing a blog of your remodeling and decorating. Your home is more beautiful than any I have seen on any of the popular home blogs. Truly. Do you have help cleaning? I have similar floor but my house is only like 1600 sq feet, and we do have a large detatched studio home for guests or entertaining, so its enough for us now. We had built a home that was 5000 sq ft and have downsized, we are emptynesters now, sometimes I miss having all that room, like when I see a home as large as yours! Your exterior color looks like the color I used on our last home, it was called gypsum. Your choices are all my tastes, and colors I have used also, I highly approve! I am loving all your changes, the colors are perfection. It is truly a lovely home. We all want to see more.

Just lovely, enjoyed seeing the photos, thanks!

mtnrdredux, Your home is beyond anything I could dream of. It's simply stunning. My husband and I just recently returned from an antiquing trip to Maine and Conn. Maine was just charming but we fell in love with the Conn. countryside. We drove down 169 to Mystic and were awestruck by the beautiful stonewalls and period homes. I thought of you often wondering what beautiful part of Conn. you live in. How lucky you are!

Well done! It is magazine worthy and yet a family home, above all else.

I don't even know where to begin! Really, really lovely home, but the details! Oh!

That barn door in the entry is just so cool. The floors, the ceiling, the furniture...all of it. WOW!

It has that wonderful feeling of really fine quality things, but without being stuffy or formal. It's got that elegant casual vibe that I think is so comfortable to live in or visit, but *so* difficult to pull off.

I don't know if anyone has asked this yet, but are you a designer? Did you hire someone? Has it all just evolved into this? If it did, well then, you just nailed it. It's calm, serene, uncluttered, unfussy, but without being stark or cold or boring.

There are no homes like your's here in Oklahoma. I'm awestruck at the total beauty of it all.

If my dh and I lived there, he wouldn't come indoors, and I wouldn't go outdoors! lol

How many sq. ft. is it? If this is too personal of a question, don't worry about answering,but how many people live in your home?

The barn door is simply amazing. Ready for more pictures! ;)

OK, just one question and teeny-tiny request. Question: manufacturer and style for entry hall lamps. Because not only are they perfect, they are just the kind of lamp I've been looking for.

My teeny-tiny request: a room-by-room tour of the house. Don't leave out anything. I want to see everything. Every.thing. Including the greenhouse. The landscaping. Garden bed closeups. The mudroom. The garage. Heck, I'd like to see where you store your garbage cans...or the basement...attic stairs....all of it!

You know how it is....People post pics of their houses or rooms, and I rarely react. Not a reflection on the decorating schemes; just not my taste. Your house is to my taste, and 100% so. I'm a major gawker at open houses and house and garden tours (every real estate agency in the county probably has a poster on their wall with my face and a big, fat X through it...."Warning! She only wants to gawk!"), and I can't wait to gawk some more!

Where is it, if I might ask? (Be as general as you like.) It has that East Coast feel that I'm so comfortable with.

flyleft, I just wanted to let you know that the house used in The Philadelphia Story is in (no surprise) the Philadelphia, PA, area. The Main Line area actually. You can google on it to find out more; use "Ardrossan," which is the name of the estate itself. The estate belonged to the parents of the real Phiadelphia Story socialite who was inspiration for the character in the movie.

Lovely home and grounds! You have a great sense of style. Thanks for sharing.

tina

wow, magazine worthy for sure!
i love especially the barn doors--i have a set my late fil gave me many years ago, going into my own entry remodel.
and the windows lined up in front of one another,
i'm doing the windows in my pantry the same way,lol.
while my house will never be as grand as yours, it tickles me to see those ideas used in such a similar way.

Here's the address for Ardrossan

807 Newtown Rd
Villanova, PA 19085

It's a better shot to look at it on GoogleEarth that you download (for free), instead of online. You can see all the neighboring homes, from top or sreet level.

Saw the movie just last week. DH watches it about once a year.

Off to PA. !

Lynxe, flyleft,Oakley - I had to go look that up, too, and came across Ardrossan. Uhh, it is just a TEENY TINY bit larger and much more formal ... reminds me more of my last house, which at least was brick!

Falling, Thank you - I reluctantly give my architect credit for the barn door idea. But only after i said no to a single door with sidelights and some antique doors that were all too fussy. And even then she wanted to make some elaborate custom craftsman looking glass design on the barn doors. I am so glad i followed my gut. I finally dictated it myself. 4 panes for the barn doors, 8 for the locking front doors, and, then toward the view, a glass door with four big panes. I wanted as little as possible to obscure the view, but our house has millions of mullions and I felt they were needed.

TinaM, thank you!

Lynxe, The link is below for the lanterns. I liked them because they sort of disappear, kwim? As for a tour, I really love my home and have put hours and hours into decorating it, so I do like to share! But I don't see people post whole homes here. I can't see posting my reams of photos. I will gladly post a photo in response to a question, and I have often posted photos when I need help. But I don't want to like, take over, the site. I have a website but it isn't designed for the public ... practically has GPS coordinates. I might fix that.

Oakley - living in a spot like this has changed the way we live. My kids come home from school and kayak or catch frogs. This setting was why we bought this house, totally out of the blue in a place we'd never been and with no prior intention of moving! I think it is 7400 square foot. We are a family of five. I don't think you would find the rooms gargantuan, it just kind of sprawls and the PO put in an indoor pool which is a lot of sq ft.

Franksmom, I am going to print out your post and look at it when I having a "bad house" day. Wow, you are so kind. And you get exactly what I had hoped to do.
And, no I am not a designer. I have a finance background. But DH and I designed 90% of the house. Because no one cares as much, or is as obsessed enough, or seemed to understand what we wanted. Our GC/designer and architect always offered the most expensive choices, and often things that were too fancy for the look we envisioned. My DH had the great idea of using a potting shed bench to hold a vintage sink in a mudroom powder room. They submitted drawings for an $18,000 built in that looked like a potting shed bench. Absurd, and off point.

Cooper - yes, making a family home was paramount. We have three young kids and a puppy. We didn't want any rooms we would not use. Been there, done that. Thank you!

Kiki,Caminnc, Sujafr, thank you!

Oldhouse - how sweet of you! We are far South of Mystic, closer to NY. CT does seem to have cornered the market on rocks, hence stone walls everywhere. Hope you found some goodies on your trip.

Pollyanna, Oh yes, we have help. It is the last luxury I would ever give up. In the real world, decorating is less important than cleaning! I would love a separate guest studio, how nice for you. I don't have a blog. My style is pretty derivative, there are many folks here with a lot more of value to say. But I am always happy to answer questions and share my enjoyment of our home.

Here is a link that might be useful: My entry hall lamps

Wow, what an amazing home! I can't take my eyes off of it.

Is your house located in Short Hills? My guess would be by the Navisink in Rumson or Morristown.

No, Im in CT. But I used to live in NJ and so selected some items there while the reno was underway.

Thank you!

Looks gorgeous! One request - can you please put your pics on Houzz so I can add them to my inspiration books? You could have a whole story about all that you've done! Just amazing!

Here is a link that might be useful: Houzz Inspiration

Hi Ellen, thanks so much for your compliments. Like I say, it always helps when I am having a "bad house" day.

I don't know much about houzz. I used to use shutterfly, then moved to photobucket to post here, and not sure I want to add a third!

What a beautiful home and inspiration! I love white but was going to do a glossy black entry door for my 1920s home. Now I am rethinking it because of your stunning doors! Thanks for posting - it's great to see everyone's creativity on this site!

Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing and reminding us all that anything is possible. You did an amazing job maintainting the character of the home and simply improved it. Hats off to you!

Thanks for the link to the entry hall lamps. I get what you mean about posting photos only roughly to the extent that others do. (But if you change your mind, I'm all ready to admire everything.)

Thanks so much, Ellen. Some people think we were crazy to spend 2 years ... maintaing a home's character. Other people get it!

Lynxe, Long ago we had agreed to be featured in a magazine when we were done. My interior photos are just awful (maybe I need to read the camera instructions) so Id rather post a professional's. But now that i may be serving time for strangling my GC, the last thing I want is a glossy feature where they take credit. The ideas and research were almost entirely our own, and often contrary to the overdone, over the top, things they suggested. So there may never be professional photos anyway.

mtnrdredux - I just came across this old thread in doing a search on something completely unrelated :) But, I wanted to tell you how much I love the pics!!! Your home is just beautiful. What are the light fixtures in the foyer? I've been searching for something similar....

mtnrdredux - I love your beautiful house! I'd love to see your kitchen (you've probably shared, but i missed it). I'm with lynxe, I just need a room by room tour! I love that you were able reuse items that were special to you and your DH. Thanks for sharing.

By far that is one of the most fabulous entry ways I've ever seen. I know I've mentioned it before, but I absolutely love those barn doors.

BTW, my whole house can fit in your entryway. Part of the reason I have never posted my befores and afters.

Goodness,

Suddenly old threads are reborn! Thank you all so much. As many of us here know, these big projects take so much time and effort and resources that you can really sour on them by the end. So it really, truly, makes you day when someone likes what you've done. Thanks.

Andi K, The link below is for the lights. I really love them. I wanted two lights because i wanted them over a rectangular entry table. But when you enter, the hall goes straight through to the back patio and the pond, and i didnt want the lights to obscure the pond view. These are so airy! (BTW I would imagine they can be found in less costly versions, although at the time I could not find the size I wanted anywhere else and I caved for these. I can't say they are great value, though they are great quality)

Lake Girl - my kitchen is STILL not totally finished, and I am waiting for that before I post. Let's just say it now involves courts, sigh. Someday I will give in and post it anyway.

Polly, thank you! I am very proud of them because from the time we started our 2+year whole house project I felt the choice of front door was important. In then end I overruled all sorts of fussy ideas from the professionals and chose these doors. I think they fit my vision for the style of the house, which I call "farmhouse, after a particularly good crop" and DH calls "Shaker, but without all the frills". Funny though, I guess we don't have too many farmer friends or equestrians. When confronted with our front door, they never seem to know how to unlatch it. They just slide the whole thing over ...

Here is a link that might be useful: my entry hall lights

Great...thanks so much!

How did I miss this last time? Gorgeous.

Do you have more photos of the grounds? I see things peaking out here and there and I'd love to see. Maybe it was in another post?

Who sells those kinds of barn doors? Are they identical to "real" ones? I assume they cannot be weatherized?

Thanks is advance.

Oh. My. Goodness!!! I had no idea that your home was this fabulous!!!! Your property is gorgeous and what you've done with the house is just beautiful. I want to see more! Thank you for the gorgeous pre-bedtime candy.

Wow, that is stunning!! What type of floor is that I love it.

I am in love with your house, mtn. I used to think I wanted to redo an older home....but now I realize, I just want YOURS! I feel as if I could move in today and not change a thing....it is that wonderful to me. And it feels as though I would know where everything is, right down to the kitchen stuff and linen closet--- how crazy is that??

I'm up for a full on tour, and it sounds as though everyone else on this thread is, too!

Kitch - I do have more photos, but i need to organize them into albums. When I do I will try to remember to post it for you. They are true barn doors. I think we had SImpson doors make them. I am sure you can buy them without going custom, but I wanted them to match the vestibule glass doors and then the french door at the back of the hall. To my knowledge you cannot weatherize or really lock a barn door. Our vestibule is not heated. Our true front door, which is weatherized and locked, is the double glass doors into the entry way.

Thank you, Binsd. The setting is not to our credit --- all we do is try to make the house what we want without messing it up!

Tinan, Thank you. I tried to look it up, but all I could find on the invoice was "Lg. Terracotta Brick 20x30". I do recall that it is handmade and unusually thick (like 1.5" or so?). They were either from Virtue TIle in Summit NJ or SHort HIlls Tile and Marble in Short Hills, NJ (we picked a lot of stuff out before we moved to CT).

Kswl, Aww, that's so nice. If/when we get professional photos, I will be back. In the meantime I just need to get my own photos in order and maybe post a link.