Wednesday, May 19, 2010

A sense of charm



Why do we love certain houses, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in our surroundings.
~T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings






When we first started looking at homes in the area and were considering this house, I must say, I really didn't like the look of it from the outside (curb appeal, you know?). My husband said "it will be a great house". I wasn't too sure. You see, we were trying to scale down at this point in our lives, and in his mind it was perfect.






When the realtor showed us the house that first day, and I walked in the front door, I knew right then, I loved it. I felt it's charm. I looked around and saw the oldness, the original woodwork and the beauty of it's craftmanship, the hardwood floors, the old kitchen and the original wall paper in the bedrooms. I tried to envision the people who lived here many years ago because it seemed the house hadn't changed much since the day it was built. It would take some work (painting, scraping wall paper, tearing up linoleum, updating) but it would be our home. Our perfect little home.








And after 13 years we are still living in our cozy little home.




Our cottage.




The charm is still here and it has become sweeter and dearer to us as the years have gone by.
Who knew!

15 comments:

Janice said...

Oh, how sweet! I love what I see of your cottage and I'm quite sure you have added to the charm of it all over the years! Thanks for sharing your house story!

Donna said...

'Wanna trade??Hahaaa
Lovely!!
hughugs

Cherrie said...

You have a beautiful home!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Your home is my "perfect" home. We have not gotten there yet. Yes, I have a lovely home. We have only been living in it for 8 months. It is large...to large for the two of us, but a good buy....

But it is not our forever home....that will come in a few years when we scale down. I will find that perfect in my eyes small cottage....I can't wait!
Hugs,
Penny

Happy@Home said...

Your home does indeed look cozy. Your love for it is evident in the way you have decorated it so beautifully.

Mimi Sue said...

Well it certainly has curb appeal now. Your home is so very charming. Glad you are enjoying it. Mimi

The Summer Kitchen Girls said...

*sigh*
we know how you feel!
Love your home - and all you've put into it to make it yours. Charm - you see that as soon as you see your front door...you'll know it will be a special place to visit (even via the internet!!)

Sherri said...

I think you made a very wise choice 13 years ago buying your lovely cottage! Enjoy!

Sheila said...

It's perfect Donna, and so cosy.
We bought our house as a necessity as our previous home sold far too quickly, we planned to live here for a year while we looked for exactly what we wanted. This weekend marks 23 years since we moved in..! We're still looking..LOL

Ruth Welter said...

Hi Donna, I love your house..and love seeing all the photographs. It is so often like that when you are looking at houses, you walk in and you "just know".

Ruth

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

How sweet! I'd love to downsize but we are pretty much stuck here until the real estate market picks up again. I can't wait to find a cottage like yours!

Manuela

Beverly said...

Donna, I can see why you love it. And, you have loved it with your heart and soul.

I could see that we were meant to live in our house the first time I saw it. It has been almost twenty years, and we are still making changes.

Brenda Pruitt said...

Some homes just capture us and don't let us go!
Brenda

Catherine Holman said...

You just can't beat the charm of an older home.
Hugs,
Cathie

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Your home always looks charming and comfortable in photos, Donna. My house is also small and cozy. We've lived in it for 34 years so it has been so much a part of my life...not sure I could ever leave it!