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Home Decorating Design Dilemma

Help me figure out how to incorporate our reclaimed doors/windows!

3 years ago

My husband and I would love to incorporate the original interior doors and windows from his great grandmother's home into our new home. We think they are beautiful, with all coordinating original hardware (including the original skeleton keys). We have a combination of solid doors and doors with inset glass. We are still working with our architect on the home plans, and I would love some ideas on troubleshooting how to make the doors fit our plans, or vice versa. The old home's original front door was flanked by coordinating windows (photo below), and while there are a few places I think the center door could work, I can't think of any clever ways to incorporate the windows into our home. I would love to hear your ideas! For reference, the windows are each 40" wide x 58" high.

Also, the matching interior doors are all 7 foot doors. We were planning on 10 foot ceilings, so our architect had planned 8 foot doors at this point. Would it look strange to have 7 foot doors with 10 foot ceilings? Do you think we are better off lowering the ceilings to 9 feet? Or would you have the added expense of putting transom windows above the doors? I am hopeful that we will be able to incorporate this piece of his family's history into our future family home!

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Comments (5)

decoenthusiaste
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I would prefer 9' ceilings myself for many reasons. I would focus these antiques in the master bedroom. You can frost the glass and use the French doors for the entry, the single for the bath and have the two windows re-glazed and upgraded with storms for exterior use flanking the bed.
Deb Zilch
3 years ago
so that house's windows are definitely coming out? what I think of is making a folding screen... the kind you see sometimes in a corner, to dress it up.
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arcy_gw
3 years ago
You are on a good tract with an architect on it. S/he should have tons of ideas as this is their bread and butter.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago
Unfortuately old windows were not really a good insulator so often needed storm windows which IMO are real PITA to deal with. Maybe have them redone with douuble panes for better insualtion and then work with the architect to get the most out of the windows . Maybe just on the front of the house with new ones that come close to matching style wise. BTW 9’ ceilings are perfect they also save huge on heating and cooling compared to higher ceilings that BTW really serve no purpose and in your case will also look a bit out of proportion with the pieces you are trying to save,I think that set of door and windows would be fabulous as the front entry to a home and IMO would be the ones worth redoing to be better at weather protection so I would design my entry to embrace those.
Sarah
3 years ago
Wow those doors and windows are beautiful! Yes, the architect can design with them. Would you be interested in creating a vestibule space like in the photos? Or would you like these on the exterior of the home?

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