1700's NEW JERSEY COTTAGE - Page 3

just bee · ‎03-10-2010

Just way too much "stuff." Decorative items that serve no purpose.

I do like the decoration shown here on the chair, however.

~My philosophy: Dogs are God's most perfect creatures. Angels, here on Earth, who teach us to be better human beings.~

luvzchiz · ‎03-09-2010

I agree with @just bee re the pup. Love how he/she matches the decor.

“If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.”- Jimmy Buffet

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

NJ houses from the 1700s tend to have very low ceilings. Six to seven feet tall is more or less the norm. Sometimes lower. Not bad if you're a shorter person, but it can feel confining compared to more modern homes. Why so short? It makes the rooms easier to heat in the winter. People back then were also generally shorter, so it was less impactful. These days it can feel like the walls are closing in on you.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!

DREAMON · ‎03-09-2010

I like it but it is too rustic for me. I would like it more if there were not so many prints in drapes etc...and all the fabric coverings in the kitchen would have to go.

I think I could really like it with a decor change.

Oznell · ‎11-08-2014

And a very Happy Thanksgiving to you, kitcat51!

Great discussions!

@ajsidney12 , you and @gardenman make some good points about the ceiling issue. They have the same challenge in 500 year old cottages in Britain, Sweden and France-- lower ceilings were a necessity when you had a whole house to heat!

Would I be able to live with them? Not sure, it's always a trade-off-- the soulfulness and wonder of these treasures, vs. having taller ceilings. I did notice that Shannan seemed fairly tall, so it's possible her low ceilings are not too oppressively low. How did I think she was tall? She looks good in her outfit of a sweeping long skirt, whereas I would look like a child dressing up in Mommy's clothes...

I like both the slightly "too-formal-for-the-house" living room fireplace created in the 1800's, and the stripped down brick one in bedroom. The flaws, crustiness and rusticity to me are an acceptable aesthetic statement for our time, in a way, even if it would have been frowned upon then...

And the armoires are a must! It's funny, in a way she's a purist, but within her antique style, she's willing to be a little eclectic, with some Victorian and other flourishes in some of the metal ware ( lamps, sconces, candlesticks, etc.), and furniture. Note the little marble tea table in the elevated picture of the second sitting room, for example. Just like in English country houses, where, b/c the house passes down thru different generations, you have a bit of a melange of periods.

Many people don't care for that, but I think it is maybe the "romantic" aspect of this house's overall feeling.