Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked it hasn't been painted over throughout the past century. If someone stripped and restored all this woodwork, it is an insane project.
Yes, that staircase alone would be a huge undertaking! It is possible that they restored the house - the radiators are stripped and the William Morris details throughout are a nod to that. Some of the shelving also looks new, like they were trying to match the original style. I hope a rich person with taste buys it...
We have a 100 year old rowhouse with the original trim and did similar restoration work when we renovated. You can tell which of the original trim was refinished based on the tone of the wood. The unrestored wood is darker and has the nicks and dents stained darker. The restored original trim is lighter, but still has the knots and texture of the old growth hardwood. Some of the upstairs rooms have new trim that was stained to match, and the wood texture is different since it comes from new growth. When we renovated, we saved the trim and flooring from walls we took out, and used it to replace very damaged pieces and to create new walls and floor area (you need wood to cover an area where there used to be a wall).
Unless you sourced matching original woodwork from other homes, you can't keep it completely original, but for a house like this, the slight differences are part of the character and when it's furnished, it all blends pretty seamlessly. I really love this house and love seeing other homeowners that value the original character of these homes. It's 100% not for everyone, but there's definitely a market for folks that do. We did the work because we wanted it for the house we live in, and I'm guessing so did these homeowners.