Love the kitchen!

I am glad I'm not the only one who would rather live in an old place than a new place. And I miss Cottage Living!

Buy an old house!

I miss cottage living too!

Try painting your wood floors. You don't have to paint all of them, maybe just one room. The idea is to scuff it up/rag it so it isn't all perfect and looks like an aged patina before you put a satin finish sealer on top. Or you can do a stencil painted floor or a faux lino look. Many people love wood floors and high gloss topcoats....but all the old cottages I've seen in Maine have painted wood floors.

Painting your trim, doors and woodwork cream rather than white will instantly make the room feel older and more characterful (Is that a word?)

Avoid blinds and pleated window shades. Go for old-fashioned roller shades in a simple fabric.

Use freestanding furniture instead of built-in cabinetry where possible.

Install heavy doors. If not vintage, go for new solid wood or MDF doors. The feel of them is old-fashioned.

Choose a soaking tub instead of a jetted model. Avoid "gadgetry" of any kind.

@dwelement--

I agree w/ your points except for the built-in cabinetry.
Many old houses have wonderful original built-ins - it's the style, construction and hardware of built-ins that can either make or break the authentic vintage appearance.

As JWet said: Want an old house feel? BUY AN OLD HOUSE! Few things in our culture are more wasteful, disgraceful, and thouroughly reprehensible than the building of new houses when there are great old ones to be restored and loved. And worse of all is people who build or buy new houses that are suuposed to "look" old.

Okay, well now this one is just plain FABULOUS!

Sure buying an old house is an option ... but not always practical. When we were home shopping (child #2 due in 3 months) an old house wasn't an option. They were all either too small or needed a TON of work and $$ put into them. After putting years of sweat equity into our first home, we just didn't have the energy, time or resources to do it again. As a result we moved into a newer box of a home, baby came just 6 weeks later. He's a very active toddler and needless to say we've gotten very little done since his arrival.

I for one, really liked this post. I'm thinking of ways to make our home less cookie-cutter.

Some of us live in old houses (mine is circa 1892) whose charm has been stripped by past owners' bad decisions. I hope to restore my house to its former farmhouse glory, so this article is right up my alley. Thanks!

These are all really good ideas and I agree that Cottage Living was a great source of inspiration. Personally, I would way rather live in an old house that is too small or needs repairs than face the prospect of "classing up" a suburban box with molding, better doors, and so on. But if I ever had to live in a new or newish house, the first thing I would take on (apart from the front door) is the windows, especially when they have plastic mullions to give a "colonial" or "cottage" look. (Even older homes with newer additions sometimes have these.) If the windows aren't solid wood or metal, see if you can snap off the offending mullion pieces. Same goes for cheap shutters. Nothing says "cheap construction" like plastic doodads.

I have a house from the 40's, but previous owners have 'remodeled' and taken away a lot of the charm - I've been going through and changing back doors, hardware, and knobs. The kitchen is the next big project.

In Portland we're lucky to have the rebuilding center, a non profit that salvages building materials and then resells them. Lots of good vintage finds.

In my price range, old houses simply weren't available. I live in a condo townhouse, and there really aren't any of them that are older in my city.

I love the idea of replacing the doors, or at least the knobs. I hate the hollow-core doors that came with the place.

I love the look of painted hardwood but I don't think I ever would do it because I think it would really impact resale values. I'm always worried about making changes to this place that reflect an older aesthetic because of resale. I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, a place that is relatively new compared to most places in the world, and not many people appreciate older buildings like I do.

But what about rentals... what if the place is sterile modern type, but you want your place to have more of an older retro vibe?

I love the look of a beadboard ceiling, I'm about to do that in my kitchen and bath, it adds character but is also a great way to hide wallboard or plaster imperfections.

Thanks for these ideas. Some of us don't have the option of buying an old home right now, so it's nice to have inspiration on how we can add character and charm to our bare bones newer homes :)

Not everyone can afford an old home........or at least not the issues that come with an old home. When I was house-hunting, I discovered that most of the old homes near me (in my budget) need serious earthquake retrofitting, have problems with their roofs, etc......and there is no way I can deal with that (or afford it).

Agreed with the last two comments. My husband and I are both grad students, and we live in a somewhat generic-looking 1980s townhouse that is close to our campus. We had originally hoped to find an older home with more character, but all of the cool places turned out to be out of our price range. I would LOVE to see some more AT posts on turning boring apartments and townhouses into stylish homes. Not all of us are starting out with hardwood floors and high ceilings!

I would love to buy an old house, but...either they're way out of my price range or they're in need of a lot of restoration that would take a lot of money. I like these ideas. They're more attainable for someone like me who has limited money.

Old houses are out of my price range too.

Where I've lived older homes are just as expensive as new homes--if not more so, since they're in cool neighborhoods--and require a bunch of work (wiring, plumbing) on top of that. If one hasn't the money or know-how for remodeling, most older homes will be out of price range. Just about anything built after 1950 can benefit from some of these ideas.

Oh c'mon, it's not as simple as "just buy an old house".

1) Lots of old houses need lots of expensive work done- not just cosmetic, but plumbing and electrical. This can price some people out of old homes or just be impractical if you don't want to spend months or longer with your house torn apart. And like someone else said, sometimes old homes have been horrible remodeled and "modernized" so that all the historic charm is gone.

2) Old house = old floorplan. The open floorplan has only recently become popular and it's one I think most people prefer. So again you have the problem of living with an inconvenient floorplan or knocking down walls which can be expensive or impossible depending on the floorplan. And sometimes old homes have beautiful built-ins, especially between the kitchen and dining room which would be a shame to get rid of.

Then of course, there are things like driveways, attached garages and laundry rooms which are a luxury many of us enjoy that a 100 year old home probably wouldn't have and may not even have space for.

3) Old houses (and/or their location) are often in demand and thus can be very expensive even for less square footage. And if you want to live further away from the city, there may be very few old homes even available since the town is either "new" or only recently started being highly developed. And if you've had to live in neighborhoods without HOA's, you may really appreciate newer neighborhoods that have them.

I really like this post and all the suggestions. I would definitely use them in a new home since I hate the way all the boring, cookie cutter new builds look!

There's this warehouse in Texas called Discovery Architectural Antiques which has lots of cool salvaged things from old homes. I haven't been yet (I read about it in some home magazine), but I'm definitely planning a trip soon! I think the website is discoverys.com

i want that sink....sigh

I don't have any experience buying homes, but I would think that it would be a hell of a lot easier to buy a newish (like, 80s) place and antique it out rather than buying an old place and trying to fix everything like leaky basements, bad plumbing, and a rotting foundation.

The duplex I live in was (supposedly, but likely) built in 1912 and man alive does this place need work. I'm dreading the summer (I live in Phoenix) since all the windows are drafty and the electrical seems shotty. But... it definitely is cool looking! Much better option than living in one of the depressing apartment complexes around here.

I think when people say "new house" in the context here, it doesn't really mean brand new, just not pre-war, right?

There are some really good ideas here for if you own a home. But are there any more suggestions for rentals? One day I hope to live in an older home (and I have lived in older apartment buildings) but right now I am in quite a boxy apartment with carpet, cream paint, and a cottage cheese-textured ceiling. I've tried to do a good job with vintage and antique furniture, but obviously I'd prefer wood floors and tile and moldings.

Oh -- one easy suggestion that I've been able to implement is changing out switchplate covers. I only plan to be living in my current place for several months, so painting and putting nail holes in the wall isn't on my agenda, but switchplates take about 30 seconds to unscrew and replace and they can help take the edge off the generic vibe of newer construction.

I think the REAL trick is to use these ideas sparingly and make a good compromise between your home's "Bone structure" and architectural detail. Don't try to make a twee Victorian cottage out of a glass and stucco mid-century. We see a LOT of that a few miles south in Orange County, and it just ends up looking sad.
If you have a mass-built mid-century, rent movies from the 1940's and 50's to take a gander at high-end older ranch house interior details (french doors, built-ins, golden-pine hardwood floors and sash windows work well there).
Go check out coffee table books on "golden age hollywood" spanish style if you have a newly built "spanish style" house and use ideas there to put "old" details in your new space (install pre-fab niches, stained-wood french doors, and choice antique wrought iron sconces from salvage work here) along with faux arts and crafts tiles.
For the deco/1940s millwork on a low budget, take a real look at the interior of high-end retail spaces for cheap ideas of how to mix mass-produced molding and 4x4s to get a polished custom interior look (Banana Republic does an especially cool job of this right now.).

I think the #1 way to make a new place feel older would be to install real wood flooring - or is that so obvious it didn't rate a mention? Nothing says new and shoddy like cheap, fake-looking Pergo or - horrors! - wall-to-wall carpeting. I think that the floor in the first photo is new, but it works well with the older, unique detailing in the millwork. However, I'm not a fan of that "pre-rusticated" type of wood flooring - better to get real wood and let it get worn over time naturally.

I also agree that hardware and millwork can do wonders - if not to make a new house look old, then to at least add much more character and interest and sense of quality.

Oh, and "The not so big house" series has lots of great ideas for how to make a cheap mass-produced house look "bespoke". Not very "cottage" oriented, but gives lots of great ideas anyway.

... and re-using salvages things left outside by "renovators" saves the planet !
Thanks from France

One thing that I HATE about new American homes, is the lack of ceiling lights. For some idiotic reason builders of new apartments seem to think that the peeing is the only activity that light is needed for. Does it add any "ambience"? No! Unless one likes the "modern" look of trails of electric cords.

Install a sidewalk and use it.

I love the large chalkboard!!

I like this post since I too prefer old homes. Funny thing is, my apartment building is "old" - a 19th century carriage house. However, it was converted into apartments that are plain white square boxes with terrible beige wall to wall carpeting. But it still has all the 'charm' of an older place with a nice leaky roof and drafty windows...I think I got the worst of both worlds with this place, lol.

Why buy new and make it look old? Duh! Because the bones (pluming, electrical, drywall, foundation, etc.) are all pristine. My spouse and I just bought our first home. I really wanted to buy an old downtown vintage, but we ended up buying a new build. And, boy am I glad. Why? Because we aren't in a place, financially or logistically, to fully fix-up an old house. It's easier to put your style into a new house (i.e. with tips like the above) than it is to find youself living in a dump, while all of your money goes to plumbing and electrical updates.

This is a totally valid, more affordable in the long run, option for a lot of people.

LOLing at some of comments left here. There are very strong feelings about preferring older homes left untouched!
Nothing will make you appreciate a gutted/restored/updated older home than having your pediatrician check your precious new baby's blood for lead levels.
Don't get me wrong, I adore our old home (circa 1929) but am eternally grateful that the old plaster & lathe walls (coated in layers of paint) were ripped out & replaced wth dry wall & the windows are all energy efficient newer models. I'd much rather have these modern conveniences AND not worry about my 2 yr old licking the sweet paint that will kill her brain. We live in an historic area of VA with neat old charming houses but I've had more than a few friends move into "plastic houses" because their childrens' lead levels were through the roof from living in these houses. They were immediately assigned a social worker to hound them on renovations and constantly rechecking their children's blood. I kid you not.
I am all about the charm too but some things are more important. Another down side to older homes is that they're often in sketchy areas. Ours is in a nice neighborhood surrounded by "sketch", as it so often is in the city. This is fine without kids or when the kids are little but as they grow, you want to let them go out & play alone without encounters from people wandering through the alley.
Lastly, there are days where I'd gladly trade my 1920's charmer for a cookie cutter plastic home NOT to have to mop the basement again from rain that has seeped in. There are trade-offs in every home you choose.

I love the charm of old homes, but after 12 years of living in a rented 100 year-old cabin," I fantasize about a new home with vintage style. I crave clean. And functional. Old homes are wonderful if they're in excellent condition or you have the money to make them so, but they can also have serious issues.

Unless a new home is the product of an exceptional class of builder, the buyer can expect some "old home" problems not far done the road. The "pristine" construction generally involves lesser materials, and will not, in many cases, wear as well as an older, sturdier houses. All houses require maintenance eventually, and quite a few new houses develop serious issues fast. Of course, if you expect to move every 5 years or so, you mostly won't have to deal with those problems.

thanks for this post. new constructions have the nice open layout that i prefer. bought one and but because it's so bland i'd like to do more to add character.

but until the stuff in the house (like faucets, door knobs, etc) can't live beyond repair, i would never switch out something new and in working order. it'd be like throwing my money away.

so the challenge to bring more character into the home continues for me.

Nani - I love that.

Vinegar on a wood floor makes it looked aged...didn't exactly do it on purpose, but I have an old dog.

thanks brave little toaster - most people equate new with better quality when it is the other way around in housing stock - anything pre-1940s is likely to be built better. however some old houses were ignored for decades while the owners aged-in-place ignoring repairs that were too difficult or pricey for them.

The lead issue should be a non-issue if you paint over old paint and don't allow anything to chip.

abbeygreykit - figure out how the rain is getting in and find a way to divert it (rainbarrels are an idea, larger gutters, new downspouts, gravel and mulch are others). you will have bigger problems soon if you let it go!

Some people (myself included) don't like the area of town that the "old houses" are in but we are drawn to old houses all the same. In our town, old houses are located in areas with bad schools and we don't want to opt for private. The commute is also bad for my husband and we're not near other ammenities we like, etc. But does that mean that people like us shouldn't desire the look of an old house when we choose to live in a newer area of town? Absolutely not. I've lived in some very, very old houses and we are currently building a new/old house. Yes, it takes a little patience to make it work and you have to have a flexible builder but you CAN DO IT. We are doing things like putting in solid wooden doors from an old farmhouse, transom windows, subway tiles and marble in the kitchen, wainscoting, etc. And for sure a lot of period dated lighting. Search magazines for the looks you like and go for it!

I really like the ideas presented....Reading all the posted comments. I can take a little from all of them....I live/own an 1860's railway cottage in Sydney Australia....I've spent a lot of money, and a lot of MY time painting fixing - in the last 17 yrs...I'm SO OVER IT...I TOO love old houses, and am looking to downsize....It would take a stroke of luck to find a nice old cottage that doesn't need a HELL of a lot work . Or one that has been restored beautifully that does NOT cost a BOMB....Yet not to thrilled about buying a newer home...Have been house hunting and the quality of workmanship in a lot of places is really bad....So I think I'll look for something in between....and utilize these great ideas....We have place nearby called the Junkyard...sometimes you can find some great stuff, there that can be used....Still new or old...most homes need maintenance...I guess it depends where we at in any given stage of our life...