Matching fittings with property age

[Cottage cosy]

Hi all

As you know we are renovating a C17 farmhouse/ cottage. The building was originally thatched timber framed but has over the years been in filled with brick. When we purchased it, pretty much all old features were long gone (excluding structural bits like the inglenook and beams). Where we have needed to make big changes (like installing a new structural beam) we have complied with listings by making this distinct from the original features but I am now starting to think about the detail. The cottage(s) have been made from second hand beams etc. and it is clear the house was built on the cheap and not by a wealthy family (I presume fittings would differ greatly within the same period depending on wealth/ status).

My question is how to decide on things like door/ lighting/ flooring/ colour style? I have had to pick the radiator for the kitchen (for laying pipes) but dont want to realise later my choices are inconsistent with the property age/ type. I am currently thinking about front doors.

Does anyone have any pointers towards websites that offer info on fittings consistent with certain time periods? How have you decided what period to furnish your property to (i.e. original age or later period). Does anyone have a cottage of a similar age/ style they would be willing to share ideas from?

Any help/ tips appreciated!

Thanks

 

[Nigel Watts]

Good questions!

I have never owned an old cottage but if I did I think I would want to keep it quite simple and rustic, with ledged and braced interior doors in painted pine, possibly an oak front door, brick or terracotta tiles on the ground floor, whietwashed or distempered walls in simple earth colours.

Electric lighting and radiators are easier in some ways. The cottage would originally have had neither, so there is no "authentic" solution. I would be inclinded to go for something modern and understated rather than someting too retro or cottagey, but that's just a personal preference.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Cottage sounds delightful. In many ways, it's a blank canvas though, for you to put in your own choices. You can't go back to the 17th C, if you did you'd find simple painted interiors in earth colours or whitewash, hard chairs; druggets, or rushes, or sand, on the floor, tallow candles, possibly no glass in your windows.

For this age of property a simple contemporary interior makes a lot of sense. I agree with Nigel's choices in doors, flooring and paintwork, and I'd be looking at simple lighting, in black metal, from Jim Lawrence, with simple column rads.

Have a look at Rose Of Jericho's palette of muted earth tones - Straw, Burnt Umber Red, Deep yellow ochre

http://www.rose-of-jericho.demon.co.uk/index1.htm

I don't have a cottage that old either so I haven't had to face the same decisions as yourself. I realised pretty quickly I wanted an interior that drew on Regency ideas, and found visiting places of the same era helpful. The glossy mags -Period Living, English Home, etc, are also helpful in letting you judge others' taste and whether you'd like to copy that look or not, as well as being stuffed with advertisements for things that you might not know existed.

 

[Cottage cosy]

Hmmm some good ideas, pretty much confirmed what I have been thinking. I guess the choices/ decisions can feel overwhelming when you have a whole house to restore!

Nigel I didn't realise what that style of door was called but I think that is what we will go for upstairs. Mr cottagecosy will hate me for this but they look relatively easy to make too!

That lighting website is great for ideas thanks, I am browsing on it now.

At least we will be authentic in that we are also restoring the house with not very much money

 

[Zebra]

CC, I am in the same boat as you. Restoring a small timber framed cottage of a similar era, with no original features, and got the whole house to do. I haven't done anything decor-wise to the interior yet, I'm still at the stage of first fix and lime plastering, but my thoughts are along the lines of those of Nigel and Joce above. I am planning to have column radiators (if I have radiators at all) painted in dark colours, like grey or sage green. The walls will be a sort of honey yellowy colour, I haven't chosen a shade yet. Lighting I've scratched my chin over quite a bit, and haven't chosen anything yet, but I was thinking antique brass finish. Oak front door hopefully. Also making some ledge and brace interior doors from reclaimed oak too. However for the floor although brick or tile would be more authentic, I am actually having a reclaimed oak floor.
No pictures to share I'm afraid, as it doesn't look like that yet!

 

[CliffordPope]

I think that perhaps some old colour schemes might seem inconsistent with our modern notions of what an old cottage interior ought to look like.

Our house is nothing like as old as yours - nineteenth century farmhouse, but I have been quite surprised by the brilliance and darkness of some of the original wall colours used, hidden in odd places behind later boarding etc so undistrurbed by later decorators.

For example the kitchen walls were painted a very dark blood red, in a kind of chalky finish that rubs off on hands and clothes if you brush against it.
The sitting room was a similar chalky finish dark blue, another room in a lovely darkish apple green.
Nothing like the Laura Ashley version of traditional cottage decor.

So you probably have a free hand to do anything you like. Just as history is written by the victors, what was "traditional" is possibly also the subjective opinion of modern restorers.

 

[Lime]

Our house is nothing like as old as yours - nineteenth century farmhouse, but I have been quite surprised by the brilliance and darkness of some of the original wall colours used, hidden in odd places behind later boarding etc so undistrurbed by later decorators.

For example the kitchen walls were painted a very dark blood red, in a kind of chalky finish that rubs off on hands and clothes if you brush against it.
The sitting room was a similar chalky finish dark blue, another room in a lovely darkish apple green.
Nothing like the Laura Ashley version of traditional cottage decor.

So you probably have a free hand to do anything you like. Just as history is written by the victors, what was "traditional" is possibly also the subjective opinion of modern restorers.

The colours used in the past were relatively simple but often bright and some quite dark, none of the modern light pastel everything-looks-the-same greens and blues we see depicted in designer photos and period films as the epitome of cottage decoration.
Personally I like the bright colours they used and find the present day fixation with pastel colours where pure primary colours are rarely seen rather dull.

 

[mivec]

We recently moved into a C17c timber framed town house having spent the past 10 years living in a C16 part timber framed cottage.

We are lucky to be not too far from the Weald and Downland Museum in West Sussex and have found it a constant source of inspiration. It's really good to see how houses were lived in during this period and how you wouldn't want to completely recreate all the features! I'm not sure if you have anywhere similar in your area, if not it's well worth the long trip.

In fact I was reading an article, which would be of interest to you, in their latest magazine describing how the new timber framed cottage they are currently reconstructing was orientally made from reused timbers. I wouldn't say your cottage was built on the cheap but by very skilled and clever craftsman. They were masters of recycling back then.

I think the idea of making a distinction between new and original features is something to carry on through to the fixtures and fittings. Using new item made from the same materials, and construction methods for things like doors and floors compliments the original fabric of the building, adding to the layers of history without confusing them.

Using reclaimed items masquerading as original features can be difficult to do without adding to the confusion, especially if you have nothing to match. Keep reclaimed for use other areas that the original cottage wouldn't of had.

All the other elements such as kitchens, bathrooms and lighting are always subjective and will date in time but if you keep to natural complimentary materials, simple functional design with a high level of craftsmanship I don't think you can go far wrong. We have often found using extremes works best, going really rustic or ultra contemporary. Personally I would try and avoid recreating styles from different periods such as a victorian bathroom unless you have an original victorian one to work with.

Also don't underestimate the influence furnishings have on the feel of a house. Our furniture has been slowly built up over the past 10 years and is mainly a collection of battered, functional pieces that have probably seen better days. We don't have anything too fancy, if it's french polished it's to posh! Everything is functional and shows signs of age from a previous life, our kitchen island is an old woodwork bench.
Soft furnishing follow a similar approach, natural materials, woven patterns rather than printed, handmade where possible although we tend keep to new rather than reclaimed, you don't want to much history from a previous life on your cushions!
Although, that said, our living room curtains are made from a matching pair of 100 year old french linen bedsheets, thankfully not that well used!

 

[Cottage cosy]

Mivec I love your ideas on collecting old furniture and fittings. I have just laid my hands on an old wing backed chair that I can't wait to restore (unfortunately its going to have to wait a while). I agree with comments on keeping new new and old old. We are going modern in kitchens and bathrooms but keeping the rest of the house simple I think, accentuating the old beams where we can leave them visible.

Thanks for the comments on colour. I agree with bold colours seeming to be more traditional but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to use them! Perhaps accents of colour is the way forward.

Zebra I am in a similar place to you.we are still doing first fix (and still stripping out in some places!) but I'm finding myself needing to make decisions about radiators which then sets in motion a whole cascade of other decisions! Are you doing the work yourself or getting help in? We have laid the new limecrete floor this weekend which was a learning curve!

 

[Zebra]

Zebra I am in a similar place to you.we are still doing first fix (and still stripping out in some places!) but I'm finding myself needing to make decisions about radiators which then sets in motion a whole cascade of other decisions! Are you doing the work yourself or getting help in? We have laid the new limecrete floor this weekend which was a learning curve!

I know, I know! I'm not really ready to decide about lighting, but have to, to do the wiring in order to finish the ceilings. I'm not really ready to decide about radiators and heating, but have to, because the pipework has to go in before the floor goes down! Sigh.... And sometimes you get caught in a little cul-de-sac of not being able to do one thing until another is done, which itself is awaiting another task, which needs for another to be done first....... A cascade of decisions, as you say. Except that decision-making is not my best area. I'm doing most of the work myself, apart from the larger projects. I've had a builder build the shell of the extensions, and lay the concrete floor. I've had a roofer do the roofing, and a professional to do the external rendering. But I've done all the timber repairs myself, all the brickwork repairs and pointing, the internal plastering (the lime anyway, probably not the gypsum). And things like wall insulation and fitting windows and glazing. And lots and lots of other things. All the minor stuff in fact. Two and a half years of endless jobs, and it still looks like a building site! There are very many things that I've got wrong the first time and had to take out and do again. But I find doing it myself so much more rewarding, and even when I get it wrong, I don't mind so much as when someone else gets it wrong. I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

[Penners]

I didn't realise what that style of door was called but I think that is what we will go for upstairs. Mr cottagecosy will hate me for this but they look relatively easy to make too!

I infer from what you've said that Mr C is not a particularly skilled DIYer (and I apologise to him if I'm wrong!). Yes, you're right that ledge-and-brace doors are very easy to make. If nothing else is available, you can make perfectly respectable ones out of tongue-and-groove floorboards (the wider the better). My only advice to Mr C would be this: don't assume that the door frame is a perfect rectangle with 90-degree corners. It's easy just to stick your tape on the height and the width and make a door to those dimensions... only to discover that it doesn't fit because the frame is slightly on the huh.*

Measure the height of both uprights and the width at the top and bottom, then measure the diagonals too. Then you'll get it right!


* A Suffolk expression for skew-whiff!

 

[Owain]

Measure the height of both uprights and the width at the top and bottom, then measure the diagonals too. Then you'll get it right!

Assuming the door frame is a Euclidean quadrilateral and planar.

 

[masochists-r-us]

Can I recommend a little book by Hugh Lander, titled Do's and Don'ts of cottage restoration which you can buy for less than a fiver from Amazon.It has lots of photos and the narrative we found to be very helpful.

 

[Penners]

Assuming the door frame is a Euclidean quadrilateral and planar.

If the frame is not a Euclidean quadrilateral then, in my experience, the best/easiest way to make a door to fit is to construct it oversize - to the largest dimension in either direction - and then to trim it to shape.

If the frame is not planar, this can cause considerable problems. If it's only slightly out of plane, then this can sometimes be resolved by planting on one of the door butts at an angle. In the past I have also managed to induce a degree of warp in the door by damping the surfaces, then latching it closed on a wedge in one corner to create the warp. But you have to leave it like this for several days. Even then it can sometimes slowly resolve itself back to a plane.

It seems to be a fundamental law of nature that the only reliably stable warp is one you don't want. :roll:

 

[Cottage cosy]

zebra we are very similar to you in that we are doing it all ourselves.
Penners, this made me laugh, Mr C is actually very good at DIY i just felt a little guilty at the thought of suggesting that i add 'making all the internal doors' to the VERY VERY VERY long list of everything that needs doing :roll: hehe. At least he will be kept out of trouble for the next 5 years or so
thanks for the tip on the book, I will have a look into that.

I thought i would share some pics of the new floor we just laid. This was the floor that instigated my panic as it (as Zebra said) demanded that I make a decision on the radiator. Incidentally we have decided on a patterned column radiator in gunmetal.

 

[Cottage cosy]

 

[Penners]

i just felt a little guilty at the thought of suggesting that i add 'making all the internal doors' to the VERY VERY VERY long list of everything that needs doing

Guilty?!

GUILTY??!!

I think you need to have a chat with the spouses of other men on this forum. It's not your job to feel guilty about adding to the list - it's your job to keep the list going! If you don't add to it, then it might get shorter, and Mr CC might start relaxing. That would never do.

Joce, Lady A, Joss, Zebra et al - I suggest you have a quiet word with CC.

 

[DJH]

I like that fireplace. It needs some brasses on there later. I'm not allowed to have my collection of horse brasses and copper pots in the house. Mrs DJH doesn't want it to look like a pub...

Doug, who does what he's told as there's something nice for dinner tonight at the moment.

 

[Penners]

I'm not allowed to have my collection of horse brasses and copper pots in the house. Mrs DJH doesn't want it to look like a pub...

Mrs DJH sounds like a woman of excellent taste.

 

[DJH]

She is Penners. She has me...