Katie, your house is waaay cool. I live in a house about 10 years older than yours, and I'd like to share what I've learned: The dark wood molding, with its many imperfections, has grown on me in the year we've been here. The dings that drove me nuts a year ago are now character and patina, and I NEVER thought I'd see it that way. I have had great luck with Farrow and Ball colors. Dorset cream in living room, mouse's back (unbelievable color, you really have to see it with the old wood to appreciate it) in the family room, and light stone in the dining room. I also have farrow's cream in the hall and stairway, but i think it was a mistake; dark wood can take much darker colors than you think, and they all look several shades lighter up on the walls. There seem to be a lot of strong opinions about custodianship, which may or may not be off-putting to you (disclaimer: I've got a foot in the custodian camp too). But look at it this way: from a resale standpoint, as the years go by, a well-maintained older home with original details will pull ever and ever higher premiums from buyers, so you will reap the rewards of your "custodianship" in very tangible terms when the time comes. So, to me, self-interest and good custodianship actually align. Also, you will sometimes save money while you're living there if you have chosen period appropriate finishes, materials, colors, and decor: because they are timeless. I was over on the kitchens forum, and people were moaning about their "so-80's kitchen" and how to make it less dated. If you do things to the original decade of your house, they will never look dated: only timeless. You will never need to redecorate when styles change unless YOU want too. Now that's freedom! Finally, I found, and you may find too, that the styles appropriate to your house grow on you. When we bought our house, the first thing we did was remove the bronze statue from our newel post so we wouldn't clock ourselves when we moved in. We NEVER intended to put it back up, and almost gave it away to a neighbor. Well, it has grown on me, and I look forward to the day that I put the other "lady of the house" back on the newel post. (Dh would probably tell you are days that he wants to screw my b... on there--naw we usually get along lol!) So, enjoy!!!!

My grandmothers had very different kitchens -we made the big car trip to my mother's mother only twice a year but her home and flower garden's were a big influence for me. My grandparents bought their big old home when they got married (one hundred years ago) and never left it. She was born in the 1880's. The kitchen was a huge room in the back of the home. The floors were wood, and the stove sat by itself on the back wall -a monstrous unit -in which she baked the best pies. White painted cabinets with glass doors extended up to the ceiling and covered one entire wall except for the window. A large table with an oil cloth was on another wall next to the door to the big dining room and the rest of the house. The sink and refrigerator sat by the porch door, a big screened cool place covered in vines. She put up all her own preserves and still canned much of their food when I was little. My father's mother and father lived near us and had a quirky farm house built in the 1700's. (she was born in the early 1900's) The long-before added on kitchen was a dark long very narrow galley that I hardly can remember but in the 50's was decorated with fiesta ware and mexican motif. My mother was a fabulous cook and interested in decorating. She was ahead of her time in many ways in the mid 50's and had my father pull down walls in both the kitchen and between the LR and DR. She removed another door and wall to a little laundry room off the kitchen (putting the washer in the basement) and built in a desk and bunk - making the kitchen live much larger. She had a small tv mounted high up in the kitchen as part of a peninsula she added. To my later childhood home in the early 60's she gutted the pantry and had a built in stainless steel wall oven w/ss wall tiles added to expand the kitchen, built-in cutting boards and a desk on another wall that was a large shelf to match the counters and supported from the ceiling with chains. Later she designed an addition so the kitchen window became a pass-through over-looking the family room with a big bricked area for the woodstove and TV. (you could watch tv while washing dishes) There were wall mounted speakers for the sound system. The original pass-through door for the milkman remained, along with a built-in ironing board. She still seemed a little ahead of her time after I left home in the very early 70's; her next home she designed with a totally open kitchen-dining room (keeping room). Mom always planned everything in her homes to suit herself and to function best for her. I guess that is why I care so little about what is "in" but more what I like and what works for me!! I have so enjoyed reading about people's memories!!

i loved the easy cleaning behind the sink and the period look it gave. no splashier than a regular faucet, at least in our kitchen. we had to buy 3" spacer pieces to push it out away from the wall a bit further, but they were supplied by the same company that we bought the faucet from and matched the faucet. no idea about the other questions. oh, and keep in mind if it's an exterior wall and you're in a cold climate, you'll have to insulate the pipes. we dug channels out of our brick exterior wall and due to the close proximity to outside and fear of pipes freezing, we ran low-voltage heat tape that would kick on whenever the temp got below a certain level. not a big deal, but just a question of thinking about it and running the wiring.

SUPER high quality (which also means $$$$$) are Zuber, Gracie, and de Gournay. They are usually handpainted or hand-blocked, are always hung using liner paper (so they can be removed and used in another place), and look best in very grand houses. They are usually used in halls, up grand staircases, in dining rooms, and occasionally in a very large and grand bedroom. Farrow & Ball makes some papers that are not murals but large scale paper. While expensive, they are not something that one must win the lottery to even consider. Here are some examples of how it is used. https://www.curbed.com/2016/9/1/12748496/old-house-wallpaper-history-zuber-china https://www.graciestudio.com https://degournay.com/wallpapers For those of you who saw the movie "FIfty Shades of Gray", you might have noticed the fabulous wallpaper behind the bed. According to the NYTImes review of the movie, the de Gournay wallpaper was the best part of the movie. I have not seen the movie but I'm sure I would have spotted the de Gournay wallpaper! I love Farrow & Ball papers and have used them in multiple rooms in my house (I still love wallpaper, even though it is out of fashion). http://us.farrow-ball.com/patterns/wallpaper/fcp-category/sub