Popular finishes in century old houses are things like plaster, cast iron, marble and brass. Usually the walls are plaster and some crown mouldings. Some ceilings have beautiful intricate plaster medallions that make the light fixture stand out. (Stock photo of ceiling medallion)
In my house almost all the hardware is original. Door knobs made of cast iron with skeleton keys and the knobs are marble. I’ve decided to restore the hardware upstairs where it had been painted out over the years with white paint. It gives the house a more rustic feel.
The light switch plates and plug plates are also original to the house. Only the sunroom and a couple new sockets have new plastic plates. Over time I’m working on finding matching brass plates and replacing them to make them look more authentic.
In the upstairs bathroom I have original towel bars and soap-tooth brush holder. They are elegant pieces – victorian inspired. I also have old white 4×4 tile on the walls with a mustard colour design.
In the middle bedroom the original door stop made of wood was still attached to the wall. I refinished it with gold paint to make it pop. And although no one will really see it it really does make a statement and brings new life to such a unique piece.
Baseboards were much taller back in the day. I have 8″ baseboards that match throughout the entire house. And being almost positive that at one point they could have been a beautiful stained wood they are all painted white now to lend a fresh clean look to the house.
Keeping as much of the original details in the house is what makes the home feel warm with character. These are the things that get removed or changed out over the years to modernize a place. If you can fix it up and keep it it may be worthwhile.
My Country Farmhouse 