It is wearing. Having been in our new build for 14 years, I appreciate the house 'jewelry' that I see and touch every day -- like the door levers and those *faucets*. LOL I like the inset kitchen cabinets, yes, but that all kind of blurs.

Good on you, undertaking a historic home and making it work for today's family.

I'm really trying to get excited about a shower head... ugh.

My favorite thing were the kitchen cabinets, but it took a while. I think I changed the design 3 or 4 times. Least favorite was the paint color. Ugh! But, I really like what I decided on. I did SW March Wind for the entire house. Looks good and I only had to decide on 1 color.

I have trouble finding faucets and shower valves and showerheads that I like, so I am using the same faucets and shower valves in both upstairs bathrooms. I actually think it's a form of stylistic consistency.

Millwork I aim for consistency throughout although in my 1838-ish house it was consistent on each floor but got simpler and simpler with each upper story in turn.

Finishes and fabrics and paint, I can look forever at that stuff.

Oh, I had such fun with the millwork and built-ins! I LOVE big fat trim details. I was a stickler for that, also I had to have solid feeling everything....doorknobs, hardware, faucets. It took forever to source everything, but I love it all. Good luck & have fun with your build!

I love (and hate) every decision. Love it because I'm one of those people who naturally notices those little things... Hate because I have champagne taste and a Wal Mart wine budget. ;)

palimpsest I like your idea about the millwork- our parlor floor has big beautiful plaster crown molding which we will lose in the renovation, but I'd love to find something similar to add back in. The top floor had pretty molding but nothing crazy, and the bottom floor (where the kitchen once was) didn't have any! I love the idea of preserving that pattern

The floors had 14-ft, 12-ft, 10-ft, 8-ft ceilings. The first floor had 15" base and very heavy elaborate cornices, the second had 12" base and simpler cornices, the third 10" base and even plainer cornices, the fourth 6" base and no cornices.

The doors on floor one were surrounded by pilasters and Ionic capitals and a big overdoor, on the second floor simpler Ionic or Doric pilasters and a simpler overdoor, the third had fluted millwork with big corner blocks, the fourth plainer millwork with little corner blocks.

Are you sure you can't salvage the plaster cornices at all? I went through a lot of effort to repair and reproduce/replace missing sections of mine. Once it's gone it's gone forever.

Even if if you have to take the walls and ceilings down to the studs and joists you can cut along the edge of the cornices and keep them in place.

@palimpsest we are trying to keep one of the ceiling medallions, but I don't know if it'll make it. Our floor joists have sagged very severely on the top floor (2-3" deflection) and sistering the beams is going to put a lot of pressure on that medallion.

This is the one I reeeeally want to save if at all possible

Zorroslw1 -

Can you post pictures of some of your rooms with March Wind? That is going to be the primary color for home and would love to see it on something larger than a 1 square foot scrap piece of sheetrock.

Thanks in advance!

I'd also love to see pics- that color looks beautiful.

@lookintomyeyes83 our GC is the best... he's trying to figure out a way to save it, even though the rest of the house is down to the studs