I will definitely put this old light exactly where it was, at the foot of the stairs near the front door.
Question...Should I use the old doors with the old paint still on them (regardless of one being a light green and another gray and not early-original paint) or should I strip the old paint and see what is underneath? Then stain or paint white?
I plan on them going to each of the two upstairs bedrooms.
The smaller door with the latch will be for a closet door. I could use it upstairs as it was in the south bedroom, or maybe in the mudroom downstairs.
Here's that original closet door in place in the original house:
I thought the tiny door could go in its original spot as the door to the secret passageway upstairs. Behind it when you open it I am thinking of having a painting on the wall showing a magical passageway which won’t be there (since there will be no saltbox second house and therefore no connection between the two houses like there once was). See photo below.
Or I could use it for a small closet/storage door upstairs or in the mudroom.
Originally, I thought of removing the old wavy glass from these windows to use in a new piece. But I am concerned about breaking the panes and thought keeping them intact might be the safest? And obviously they can’t be used as exterior windows and still have an energy-efficient house.
One idea is to use them intact, keeping each section of 6 panes in its original wood frame and putting them above interior doors to allow more light from room to room. It would be an unorthodox look. Most likely strip the old paint off or leave it? I have two of them with 6 panes each.
I do have 2 more sections of windows where 3 panes of glass are broken so I could take the remaining 9 good panes of glass, try to remove them and use them in a new frame. Ideas?
Finally, this old green leather recliner was not on my ‘must save’ list…it was pretty well invaded with mice, dust, dirt and I thought “green?!” But of course, absence makes the heart grow fonder and I have thought about replacing it with a similar one for a remembrance of Grampa Cooley. Here is the old and a couple of new possibilities. It is fun to dream.
I have three options below:
I love that you thought to replicate Gramp's chair! That chair really was an icon. I like all three of your suggested replacements. And I'm so glad you kept the doors and windows. I would probably not paint the doors but maybe "distress" them a little. As for the windows, I like your idea of putting them above interior doors. I can't think of a better one.
There are so many great ideas here I don't know where to start! But perhaps we can all ruminate during Christmas about the parts of "home" that make us feel good, safe, joyful, creative, and loving. That seems what the Ridgeroad House is about, in respect to the people that lived there.