Tinker - I really respect your willingness to keep as much of the home as you could. It is absolutely beautiful and exactly the style I would choose as well. We're just finishing picking fixtures for our new addition and fell in love with that style of schoolhouse fixture you put in the kitchen. I love your kitchen! That would be a dream space for me. And the laundry - oh, the laundry! In theory, I agree with totsuka. I think that the bar has been raised in this country, and many people are putting upgrades in their kitchens and baths that aren't necessary. It would be silly to put granite countertops in our modest bungalow, but I think some home buyers expect it. HGTV or whatever has made us think that somehow cooking on certain surfaces is mandatory. I was struck when I lived in England how dingy that carpet often was and how home dwellers didn't seem to notice. I appreciate that sense that if it works it's okay even if it isn't current. Maybe I misread the aesthetic there, but I had the sense they had lower expectations, at least in my circles. Not everything had to be perfect, and people were used to living in older spaces. But having said that, what you did is extraordinary. And if you have the money, I think home improvement is one of the most satisfactory ways to spend your money, especially if you are committed to restoring rather than renovating.

Well, those two links were not what I thought they were. It said "resources".Their idea of resources and mine are two different things. Here are some parts people: http://shop.sew-classic.com/main.sc momsdragginwagon@gmail.com (email address of Rayna Morgan who sells on ebay as thriftynicklegirl - just tell her what you need. If you don't get what you need, let me know and I'll help. bkay

I also noticed Cynthia McFadden's home during a broadcast of CBS Sunday Morning. I love the rug in the room shown. One of my co-workers put a virtual background of the FS New York penthouse on her Zoom, and we all thought it was her living room until she told us otherwise. I was having real house envy! A couple more I like are William Brangham's of PBS NewsHour and the interesting things on Mo Rocca's wall. I noticed on the most recent SNL that some of the cast members have some really cool art on their walls.

One thing I will say, if it hasn't already been said, if anyone is working from home and is salaried/exempt it is ILLEGAL for your company to monitor how much you work. If you're hourly, it's fair game to keep an eye on your time. Working from home? I work more than I did before some days. Some days, I work less. I am productive in a different way when I am on campus (yesterday, I found a fax that had been sitting on the machine. An EKG that couldn't be sent electronically (patient information and a different healthcare system), tried every single door to make sure the key on the list matched the door (half did/half didn't), took the lab's picture...) than when I home. I can work on project uninterrupted far easier. Having a dedicated space makes differentiating work/home so so so much easier!