I have to second Rose. 1)If you are not bored and annoyed by modern construction, do not buy an old house. 2) Live in your 'new to you' old house for a year and learn how it works (circulation, privacy, ventilation,etc.), what it needs ( new electrical, furnace, or roof?) and how your lives have changed because of how you live in the house. In our first house, when we finally had a kitchen, not just a row of appliances, we found out my husband liked to cook! In our current old house where we assumed the patio should be was wrong - beautiful view, but too much wind, too far away from comings and goings to suit our lifestyle. Your house may have wonderful sunshine in its living spaces (all those windows), cross ventilation in the summer (all those doors), mouldings that make you smile (that you can only reproduce today at vast expense), proportions that ease your soul. You may find you don't use the formal spaces as they were intended, but that a 'front parlor' can be your 'family room'. The mechanical systems may need help - you should be able to improve them without damage to the character of your house. All houses need attention - the rule of thumb is to expect to spend 1/40 of a house's value every year on maintenance. Often houses have been let go, and then the new owner needs to put in much more. But then, you get to what you want. If this doesn't appeal to you, don't buy the house.

I like it - except for a couple of small things and none of those are fatal. It's more transitional than modern. When you get around to it, you might finish the tops of the cabinets with molding or stack another layer to lessen the modern look even more. You may need light rail depending on how you plan on doing lights - but it can be added later. Altho its not quite a fad, if you are not height-challenged, you might consider raising the cabinets on the wall another 6-12" and doing the 7-1/4" shelves underneath or a rail system or a combination. So, the things I didn't like - starting with the most insignificant. This is a looks comment, but I think I would choose a more substantial appearing hood. I know its just a picture, because I don't think those come in 36" but its kinda floaty. The PRAKTFULL PRO B50 S is the only 36" wide one and its enough money to start looking around instead of buying ikea. The ref. I would get the side panel for the exposed side - called an oven side panel, if I'm not mistaken. And pull the over the ref cabinet as far forward as possible. That makes it easier to access the first shelf of stuff. Buehl somewhere has a great photo of her over the ref cabinet with a shelf and tray holders. Also, maybe move the filler to the top instead of the bottom. The lower the shelf, the better off you are - the more you can reach without getting out a step stool. The sink. I haz the single. I know that the double sink looks large, but each bowl is fairly small - smaller even than the single farm sink. In both of their farm sinks, the faucet ends up being further back than on normal sinks by a couple of inches - something to consider for choosing the faucet or if you are height challenged. It can chip fairly easily. When combined with a wood counter, you are relying on the caulk seam between the wood and the sink. The problem is that the wood and the sink expand and contract different amounts and sometimes at different times. Our seam opened up and there is mold under the rim. Because we were a permit job, it was installed by a professional plumber. Think about whether you really want this sink at all, want it with a different counter or want it undermounted instead. I would now choose a nice stainless undermount instead. For me personally, the sink is a little close to the corner. At least it's a foot away and that may help, but its a little bit close. When you have multiple cooks and one sink, being able to reach the sink from both sides is really nice. Think about maybe putting the perfect between the corner and the sink. It would lessen the heat the wine would be subjected to trapped between dishwasher and ref. It would also push the sink a little more away from the corner. The bummer might be if you have interference from door swings between the dw and the ref. Every exposed side of the wall cabinets needs a cover panel. Here is a link that might be useful: More like this hood

We have a totally traditional house and have levers and they don't look modern at all. Funny story though. When DS was in college he came home one day and was trudging down the hall, as boys that age are apt to do, and caught the strap of his back pack on the lever handle of the linen closet. Because he was moving rather quickly, before he knew what was happening, it spun him around and slammed his face into the wall. When he called to tell me he was going to the eye doctor to replace the glasses that were just broken, he couldn't stop lauging. He's 35 now and we still laugh about it. That being said, I've caught the strap of my purse on DM's door knobs many times, so I think there are pros and cons for each. I did read somewhere that levers were better for the elderly and handicapped. Good luck!

I wonder if there's a difference in reactions partially related to whether or not you have lived in a city. I don't tend to the modern. But I think having lived in San Francisco makes me more sympathetic to a desire for a clean, uncluttered, open living space. Many properties here have very small lots. In fact many "single family homes" in SF are really row houses with mere inches or no distance at all between them. That means no light coming in from the sides. And it contributes to a cramped feeling that I think can come from living in a dense urban place. I certainly can see how something that might feel cozy in a small town setting with a decent size lot and light coming in from all sides and generally more space in daily living could feel unpleasantly tight in a more urban setting. I will also say that it is very possible that not only had many details already been stripped from this particular house but it is also very possible that everything needed major updating. We purchased a 1926 French Revival outside of the city and it needs everything. I spent over a grand just updating the wiring and having fixtures installed and removed for ONE room. (Outlets were two pronged, fixtures were original painted over sconces installed in very awkward places, etc). So restoring a place like that would probably have meant way more work than putting up some trim and painting it. I'm guessing, but the modernization route may have been cheaper than the restoring route--especially in a HCOLA.