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Living in the Past
The Oregonian: 04.03.08

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Sometimes it's easy to forget that the turn-of-the-(last)-century bungalow is one of the original American small, cool homes. And it wasn't necessarily all about minimalism back then; if a house was spare, it was likely because the occupants couldn't afford to fill it. But most of the time the bungalows of grandparents and aging folks is anything but spare.

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So instead of taking a bungalow and transforming it to a more modern space, recently retired Robert and Melissa Hogan decided to embrace the aesthetic of their parents and grandparents, and not only restore, but actually historically preserve their 1914 home.


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They outfitted their kitchen with a wood and gas burning stove. They had their wall paint professionally aged to mimic the effects of 100 years of wood smoke and exposure. Wallpaper, photos and even a set of encyclopedias all date back to the time of the house's build. All of the kitchen details are nickel, since chrome hadn't been invented yet in 1914.

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Only the bedroom breaks the mold, designed in an antique Turkish style. But even that is conceivable in the home of, perhaps, an eccentric retired adventurer.

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Images: Marv Bondarowicz for The Oregonian

Comments (6)

I love the stained glass windows and the old kitchen appliances but I think it's a bit odd to age your paint just to make it look old but I suppose if you are going for an overall look...

posted by http://badhuman.wordpress.com on 2008-04-07 18:52:45
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The exterior of the home is beautiful. And the woodwork in the dining room is just lovely.

I see what they were going for in the kitchen with the old-style appliances, but...it just looks weird. Not attractive and certainly not practical.

A tribute to the past can go too far, as this does, IMO.

posted by zazzu on 2008-04-07 18:59:23
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Wow,beautiful!!
I love the kitchen works,the fridge,stove etc.
Very nice.
I am definitely a fan of using these old appliances .
Very nice job!

posted by polychrome1 on 2008-04-07 19:00:30
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Beautiful! The trimwork makes me very jealous! Great job!

posted by BonivaGScott on 2008-04-07 20:07:16
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Stunning, beautiful, and practical. Sensitive and just enough....not a single slab of ugly granite or sheet of hideous stainless.

Bravo!

posted by hdtex on 2008-04-07 20:38:23
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I love this as I love seeing how people might have lived "back in the day". What I love is how there is a hanging light over the fridge area, in most places now, you are lucky if you just get a generic fixture stuck in the center of the ceiling in many rooms. :-)

I like how the dining room doesn't even have a chandelier, just 2 simple sockets holding a basic bulb each. I love old lighting fixtures of that kind, especially the pressed metal ones with multi sockets such as would be found in many bedrooms and 2 or more bare bulbs, more common prior to the 20's when the bulb's output still wasn't bright enough to circumbent the shade's tendency to reduce, spread out the light and soften it's harshness.

Also, basic fixtures like that I think were probably more common in more modest homes than in more fine homes of the same period.

Creative inginuity is key if you insist on living in such a place, especially when it comes to cooking and other everyday activities necessary for daily house cleaning.

Bravo on those who preserve such structures, even a modest bungalow.

posted by ciddyguy on 2008-04-08 12:03:26
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