The Red House

I know a family who builds and sells custom homes. When I was visiting their red-sided house the other day, which they are putting on the market, I asked if I could share their home with my blog readers. Doran and her husband designed and built the house themselves, using salvaged materials and antique doors to add character whenever they could. And since they have a large family, they omitted cathedral ceilings in favor of ... more bedrooms! In a day and age where larger homes (this is a massive four-bedroom on nearly five country acres) aspire to mansionhood, I appreciated the honesty and simple beauty of this family home.

You can't see it in the pictures, but one detail that caught my eye was that all the doors have black hinges and knobs. It's amazing how that little detail made such a difference. Doran admitted that she did it herself, to age the home and give it simplicity. Though of course few of us have the chance to build our own homes, it's interesting how that small change enriched the house. (And I admit now I've been entertaining serious thoughts of changing all our doorknobs now...)

Since we're rennovating our own home, I find it fascinating to see what other people are doing, and how castoff materials can find a new task in beautifiying a very new home.

PS: oh, and if you happen to be looking for a house in the Front Royal area, you can see additional details about this home here.