Furniture & Kitchen Layout Ideas for a Georgian Revival in NC
14 days ago
Built in 1886, this Georgian Revival style home is two and one-half stories tall. Five bays wide, it has a large enclosed English Boxwood garden. The house contains many interesting decorative details, such as the Chippendale style balustraded high slate hip roof. The house/floor plan was completely rebuilt in 1936; chimneys were moved and the front porch was removed. We love it and will move in later this summer. The Joseph-Howard house, as it is locally known, is part of the Goldsboro Historic District.
The symmetrical layout has amazing natural light in all the large rooms, but presents interesting challenges for layout of the kitchen and living room areas. Phase One will be attacking the first floor (living/dining room, kitchen, office and powder room). We plan to keep all original molding, but update and honor this historic home.
Houzz has been a wealth of knowledge in the past, so I’m eager to hear your thoughts about living room layout and kitchen layout, given the windows and doors that dominate the beautiful spaces. Thank you!
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14 days agoRelated Discussions
Looking to Build a Traditional Georgian Style Home
Comments (22)Renovator8, were you replying to me? We already have a plan, which I've posted and you've commented on :) Regardless, though, I'll chime in ... In most living rooms, it seems to me that either the TV or the fireplace is the focal point of a room. I don't want to have a beautiful fireplace and then have it be an afterthought, with the furniture arranged around the TV. (And with three little ones, the focus IS going to be on the TV! And as my youngest is not even 2, I want them to be close by, not in a different room, where I can't keep an eye on them.) I've seen some other arrangements, such as having the TV next to the fireplace, but I'm not really wild about those, either. (I am, however, desperately trying to convince my husband that we should get a smaller TV for above our fireplace, as our current monstrosity would look, frankly, ridiculous.)...See MoreWill a colonial revival look out of place in the pacific nw?
Comments (19)Olivesmom, you do have many choices, but you may be best served by some further study as to what you really prefer. The three photos are very, very different architectural styles, and have quite different interior spaces. For example: --The Williamsburg Colonial: a handsome example of the Colonial Style with upgraded details and materials. Colonials tend to be simple rectangles, 3- or 5-bays wide, with a simple gable roof whose ridgeline parallels the front elevation. Decoration and self-styled carpenter details are minimal. Interiors are seldom deeper than two modest rooms--they were Colonials after all! Growth and expansion typically took place off one or both ends, and/or a perpendicular wing off the rear elevation (sometimes 2-stories); --Second example: This may be called a "cabin" style, but it's really just a builder's approach to a woodsy vernacular from the region. The many gables parallel to the front and the heavy fascias, plus the natural stain colors, characterize this as a house in the tradition of areas where there are lots of woods (and lots of carpenters)! The direction of the roof suggests the house is much deeper than it is wide. --Third example: Again, this is a sort of "hansel and grettel" carpenter's or builder-style house (certainly not Colonial in any fashion) with a most odd "tobacco-shed drying roof", common in southern tobacco growing regions. The partial end gables were used to allow air to enter and circulate in the building's interior to help dry and season the hanging tobacco leaves. Such a roof on a house of this size, and in a western forested setting, is ill-proportioned for this structure and historically a bit ludicrous, IMO. The rest of the exterior has various moutain/western region detailing, ie, porch roofs and supporting columns, etc. I think your search for your "perfect house" might be aided by a good guide book, such as A Field Guide to American Houses, by Virginia and Lee McAlester. It's a well written and illustrated small paperback book that's excellent in describing the various styles of houses. Good luck with your project!...See MoreHelp laying out an unfitted kitchen in Greek Revival farmhouse
Comments (34)I can see doing a wider french doored (or pocket french doored) opening to the left to increase the accessibility of the kitchen to the rest of the house, but PLEASE do not make the mistake of "opening up all the walls" in this home! Part of any older home's charm is the distinct closed off rooms that are cozy discoveries. If you do the fireplace "keeping area" in the lower ceilinged part, that will be the most highly sought after gathering spot in the house and you won't want or need to "open it up" to any other room. It will be a destination area. A retreat. As far as layout, it's a no brainer than the sink can go along the right where the tall windows are currently located and the range and fridge can go on the opposite wall. I like the idea of a farm table in the middle, but my back does not if you would use it as a prep area! I would need a 24"x36" prep area that was at least 36"-38" tall. Now, if the farm table were to be T'd off of that prep area, that would be the best of both worlds. That prep area could be a chunky created butcher block, or other antique cabinet. Good luck shopping! I think that's more than half of the fun of an unfitted kitchen....See MoreTell me the brutal truth - Traditional Southern Revival Home 2
Comments (35)Chubster, I am going to assume that you are attracted to southern colonial/historic types of architecture. I get your vision. You like classic design. I built a William E. Poole Southern colonial home from a stock plan on a 20 acre site. It turned out beautifully. Sadly, I no longer own the forever home. We ended up making a lot of minor changes to the plan in order to improve it. I think we did a pretty good job. Still, I ended up making a number of compromises. In retrospect, I would hire an architect because there is no way a stock plan is going to give me what I want in a home. You have experience, too. I get that you don't want to make the same mistake twice. I suggest you take a look at the Mitchell Ginn homes for some inspiration http://mitchginn.com/ We live in the same small town and he custom designed my current home for someone else. Mitch is not an architect, rather he's a designer. While that's not a good thing, his plans are reviewed by a friend of mine who is a licensed architect. He tries to fix what doesn't work. I think the plans are better than most online plans. I think some of his stock plans might suit your taste. Like you, I hate complicated roof lines. I see dollar signs. Every exterior corner costs extra money. Porches are rooms that don't have walls. They look great but cost a lot of money. There are never enough linen closets. Laundry rooms are never where you want them. I have to have a walk-in pantry. No one has ever built a kitchen or master bathroom that satisfies my needs. You get the idea. While I love the exterior, I really see some livability issues with this plan. I think you can do better. I know you don't need to spend $20,000 on a custom plan. But, you do need to spend more than $1,600 to get exactly what you want and need. Please take a leap of faith and have a consultation conversation with our favorite resident architect, Doug, aka ARG, ArchitectRunnerGuy. He has designed some really incredible homes for folks at this site. He has solved a lot of design dilemmas. Just do a search and you will be able to review a bunch of his designs. He's pretty good at this remote designing and he doesn't waste your time. He doesn't just design one style of house, either. I bet you would be impressed with what he could do for you....See MoreRelated Professionals
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PRO9 days ago
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PRO8 days ago- 8 days ago
We are looking for original plans, as the entire inside as redone in 1935! It is a large powder room.
- PRO8 days agolast modified: 7 days ago
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