Inside the Cottage

As promised, here are photos of the inside of Aunt May's Cottage. This room is an actual store! These are the items for sale in my soon to be complete Web Site. I have many more items in the workroom that will NOT be shown on here until I get it cleaned up and presentable.

This room was not in as bad shape as the kitchen area was. In here, all we had to do was get rid of years worth of bugs, mice and cobwebs. Then scrub the walls and ceiling with bleach to get rid of the mold, patch and plaster a few large holes made by raccoons and squirrels, prime (always use a really good primer!) and paint. The color is a very pale sage green mixed by my local hardware store from my favorite spring suit. We added trim (there was none) and scrubbed the fireplace with a solvent made for that purpose. The floors are original wide plank rough-sawn oak. They have never been polished or sanded and I kind of like them that way for now.

I've put a lace curtain over the fireplace box for the summer, just as the Victorians would have done. The fire box is HUGE as I believe it was intended for cooking. It has an arm that swivels over the fire to put a soup pot or kettle upon.

In the third photo you will see one of my prized possessions. I found this post office box piece at an antique store up in Allegan, MI and I had to have it! She had a price tag on it that said $500.00. It was worth that as it has solid brass doors on it, but I had set my limit for that day at $300.00. I asked her what her rock bottom price was. Guess what she said.....$200.00!! I made a great deal that day. The unit weighs a ton and I need three men and a boy to help move it, but it was well worth the price. Last year while at a local antique shop, I saw the small drawers advertised as paperweights....for $65.00 each! Whoa!

This is the main dining/living room, I believe. It is about 20 feet square with a door to the kitchen and another door to the other big room that I use for my workroom. That room still needs LOTS of work! If you would like photos before I start "fixing" it up, let me know in the comments section and I will show you the before (now).

By the way, the French Provincial dining room set with the hutch, six chairs and table with three leaves is a Thomasville. I bought it at Restore in South Bend for $400.00. It's in great shape and also has a matching end table they threw in.

For those of you not familiar with Restores, they are an outlet for Habitat for Humanities. Because their homes must be modernized for today's living, those older homes that are remodeled for Habitat will take the old items and give them to Restore that in turn sell those items for cash to help with the cost of building and remodeling Habitat homes. They have great claw foot tubs, old sinks, solid wood cabinets, furniture and old lighting. Area contractors and businesses also donate items (great tax write-off). Look for one in your area. I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

That's probably enough photos for today. Next time I will get in photos of the finished kitchen. I have to go take them as I can't seem to locate any. Perhaps I've not taken them because it's not really finished.