Home Tour // A Renovated 142-year-old Victorian With the Best Historic Details
With features like 10-foot ceilings, plaster moldings, and a curved staircase, you know today’s home tour is going to be good! But it’s the ‘before’ and ‘afters’ that blew me away. When Carli and her husband, Justin, first saw their Rhode Island home, it had been left untouched since the 70s and the transformation is incredible. Especially considering it’s only taken them 2 years to renovate and they have 4 kids (!!!). I can’t wait to share this historic home tour with you…
The door…the staircase…the floors. Swoon! I can see exactly why Carli and Justin fell in love with this home. But funny enough, when they first saw the 1878 Victorian with a mansard roof, they “had no intentions of actually moving in”, says Carli. They were in the market for a flip project. But those plans quickly changed.
“When the opportunity arose to purchase this home, we knew it had to be ours to keep. So we sold our 14 year old home in favor of a 140 year old fixer upper.“ They moved in with their 4 kids and Maine Coon cat. And thank goodness for all of us they did!
Lovely, right? Have a look at these angles from 2 years ago…
When I asked Carli what drew them to the house she said, “the 10 foot ceilings, the curved staircase, the original plaster moldings, the sweet little side porch off of the kitchen and we are lucky enough to have seasonal water views.“ What a dream!
The Victorian has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and is 2,014sf.
I asked Carli if they found anything exciting during the renovations and she said, “nothing crazy like we thought we'd find. While taking down a wall we found an antique miter box resting in between the studs. In the hallways, we found horseshoes hanging above doorways between old drywall, and other than that just LOTS of layers of wallpaper.”
The home was abandoned for years before Carli and Justin bought it. “We are pretty sure it hadn't seen any "updates" since the 70's/80's". So from the start, their goal was to “restore the home's character and charm while also adding modern elements”. I think they nailed it!
Before we get to the renovated kitchen, let’s take a look at the ‘before’.
And the after…
It’s light and open and feels so family-friendly!
The next space, might just be my favorite room in the house. This bathroom was a major project for Carli and Justin and I love the way it turned out. It feels modern but still historic and timeless. And that curved wall adds just the right amount of old house quirkiness.
Here’s the same view from when they bought the house…
Amazing what can be accomplished in just two short years. And with four kids…I’m blown away!
Before I leave you, here’s a peek at the second bathroom ‘before’ and ‘after’ and one of the four bedrooms.
Thank you Carli for sharing your beautiful home with us! You can find more of Carli’s home and life on Instagram and all the sources and DIY projects on her website, www.fwmadebycarli.com.
