“This house was so loved, you can feel it when you walk in.
And I’m so happy that we get to carry on its legacy.
And were apparently supposed to all along.” — Nanette
I adore this story, because when Nanette asked if she could tell me about her new/old house and then I got the story, the story wasn’t just about the house. It was about the whole circuitous journey there: her three dogs, whose medical troubles both inspired and impeded the house hunt… her getting the flu, which *fortunately* let a different house get away… and yes, that chippy lamp post out front with the inebriated man, who kept calling them home. And there’s more. I adore this story, because it’s a perfect example of why our houses are so much more than just a place to live — they are pivotal in our life journeys. Oh and: What a wonderful time capsule house — now, with appreciate new owners! 24 photos … and the whole, lovable story.>>
Nanette writes:
It’s kind of a long story of how this house came to be ours, but it’s at least an interesting one! And I swear every bit is relevant to how special getting this house was for us.
In March of 2014, we moved into an apartment that, unbeknownst to us, was literally in the backyard of our dream home. At the time, we had two little dogs and on our walks around the block my husband would always comment on the house with the “drunk hanging on a lamppost” lamppost. Most notable comments being “that house has to be so incredible inside” & “I want that lamppost”.
On December 26th of that same year, during a routine solo dog walk, one of our dogs was severely injured in an attack by another dog. He needed very expensive emergency surgery, the money for which we did not have & the other dog’s owner could not have cared less. I’d never felt so helpless & I straight up vowed that I never would again.
Over the next 3 years I finally got it together as far as grown up financial things go, as well as worked incredibly hard to deal with the emotional trauma from the dog attack. In October of 2017, our 3rd dog (who came to live with us in March of 2015. Another long story hah) was diagnosed with lymphoma. It seemed to pop up overnight & was a total shock.
We decided to try chemotherapy. She responded well as far as going into remission, but also had several severe reactions to two of the meds. All I could think of was how our other two dogs were getting older too & I just really wanted a yard for them to play in. And for Tink (#3) to be able to lay in the sunshine in. She liked laying outside when she wasn’t feeling well. I impulsively decided that we needed to buy a house and (as with most of my impulsive decisions) my husband was on board with it. Btw don’t try & buy a house when you’re putting your dog through a very rough chemo treatment. The stress was pretty unbearable.
In January we thought we found the perfect house. We started moving forward with it & a series of problems arose. I ended up being able to fix those problems & about a month later we were going to move forward on it again. Then low & behold, I got the flu. I never ever get sick. Not even a cold since the last time I had the flu 4 years prior. So I waited to start making phone calls until I felt amongst the living again. That house had been on the market for 5 months, what was 3 more days?
Well, it was everything it turns out. Someone had put in an offer on that other house the day before we contacted the realtor! We were super devastated, but randomly would check all the real estate apps & drive past houses. Then a particular one popped up. The one with the lamppost. The kitchen pictures totally piqued my interest, but believe me when I say that none of the photos did this house justice. So much so that we didn’t even go look at it right away.
I kept going back to it though & I remember one night I said to my husband “You know, I keep going back to *insert address here* house”. And, true to our dual impulsive nature, he said “ok” & called up the listing agent. (To say we were completely naive to the whole house buying process is the understatement of the century). The agent happened to live right up the street & asked if we wanted to see it that night.
We walked over to the house, entered through the side door, into the coolest kitchen I’d ever seen. It was all very impressive, yes.
Pam notes: Does everyone recognize the countertop? It appears to be an original Wilsonart Daisy! This pattern, now being reproduced!
But when we walked into the hallway and I saw the ceiling with that light fixture & those glitter walls twinkling… well it was that moment in every movie where angels start singing. I was obsessed & in love. And it just grew from there with each new nook of the house that we saw. My husband once joked that he & I both like the 50’s aesthetic. It’s just that he likes the 1950’s and I like the 1850’s. And it’s so true. I’m the Addams Family & he’s the Dick Van Dyke show. And somehow this amazing house bridges that gap.
We started pursuing this house hardcore. And to say that there were setbacks is like saying we were a little naive to the home buying process. I won’t get into all of he details, but we thought the deal was totally dead at least 3 separate times.
Finally, on May 23rd of this year we closed on the house. It was being sold by the daughter of the woman that had lived there. The woman that had lived there until she was 93 years old. She had to be put into hospice care right around March of 2014 (date sounds familiar right?) & the house had sat vacant ever since then. During the closing the daughter told us that it was the one year anniversary of her mother’s passing and the lady doing our title said that the first title was finalized on May 23rd, 1952. The daughter also told me how happy she was that I loved the kitchen so much.
Our first actual day living in the house was June 4th, my Gram’s birthday (who passed in 2002, that I was very close with). There’s a big Magnolia tree in the front yard that the daughter said her grandfather planted. Magnolia is the name of the town where my husband and I had our first apartment together. I truly couldn’t make this stuff up because if I did, no one would believe me because it sounds so incredibly made up….
And it was so cool hearing about the house from the daughter (I’d love to see photos from when they lived here, but I feel/felt weird asking). The iron gate in the dining room was hand made by a family friend. The wishing well in the backyard was a cooler (there was even electricity run out to that little area of the yard).
The previous owners were insanely creative & all about the details. There’s stuff in this house that I didn’t even know that I should’ve been dreaming of. And every single square inch of it is interesting.
Every switch plate is different & even the light switches light up. From the first time I stepped foot in here, it inspired me to want to create things. I’ve been sewing for 20 years & I now have a sewing room that is like being in a music box in a dollhouse.
This house was so loved, you can feel it when you walk in. And I’m so happy that we get to carry on its legacy. And were apparently supposed to all along. It’s not in totally perfect pristine condition & was being sold “as is” & pretty much priced to gut, but we look forward to doing everything possible to get it back to its full on glory. So anyone that knows about repairs to cracks in glitter plaster walls, where to buy Kelvinator stove parts, how to clean/repaint drunk guy statues, etc.. please let us know! I hope this house makes you smile like it does for us every single day.
Oh and P.S. All three pups are currently living it up to the fullest extent in their enormous back yard.
Thank you, Nanette, for sharing all the photos and your twisty turny story. It’s always awesome to see that another vintage house has found appreciative new caretakers. 
Jacque says
I’ve died an gone to heaven! So wonderful to see a young couple embracing the beauty of this house! It’s a true gem!!!
Nanette says
Thank you very much, Jacque!
Colleen says
This story is more proof–to me, anyway–that there is magic in the world but most folks don’t follow the clues and their hunches to make the perfect situation happen!
Enjoy your new home, thanks for sharing it with us, and I hope this isn’t the last we see of your magical abode!
Nanette says
Yes, Colleen! Me too! Thank you so much. I’d love to share more photos once we get everything all furnished & prettied up!
Sandra says
I don’t know how it is elsewhere, but in California, most of the Realtors try to keep the sellers and buyers from meeting each other (we use a third-party escrow company as an intermediary). I think the reason is, in part, they don’t want the sellers to hear, “We’ll have to cut down those trees and paint over that mural,” or the buyers to hear, “that’s where Joe is buried.” But I think it’s nice when a buyer loves a house for the seller to know it’s in good hands. I would totally, if you get the chance, ask to see photos of the house in earlier days. You are, indeed, the right buyer.
Nanette says
I’m not sure if that’s the usual protocol here, but we had such not a clue what we were doing that we didn’t even have a real estate agent, so when the selling agent showed us the house, we just took him on as our agent as well. That makes sense though business wise to keep everyone separated. We also lived right around the corner & my husband would drive past it often & happened to catch the owners there one day & talked to them for like an hour or two.
Thank you! If I have her address anywhere, I’m for sure going to write & ask for photos.
Laura Ainsworth says
Such a sweet story. I’m now living in what turned out to be my “dream house” — my parents’ 1955 house that I grew up in and bought back years later. And I have no intention of “updating,” which to my mind is simply “dating” the house to a different and wrong period. The people in my neighborhood get offers constantly from investors who just want to buy, gut, ruin and sell, and many have succumbed. The point is, I hope that, someday, when I have no alternative but to say goodbye to this beloved house, someone will buy it who loves and appreciates it as much as you do yours!
Nanette says
Laura, thank you. Yes, it’s the same here. There’s a house being gutted/redone a few doors down. It’s so sad! The only silver lining for us is when the old metal kitchen cabinets were just sitting out for trash pick up, my husband grabbed the hinges & fixed a broken cabinet of ours. But still, it’s such a bummer.
I truly hope that your special house continues on being loved for all the rest of it’s life <3
drue says
What a wonderful story (and fabulous house)! The gentleman on your lamp post is Charlie Chaplin, btw – google has photos of more posts like this one.
Nanette says
Thank you, drue! Yes! I had no idea, but someone else had commented on here about that & apparently my husband had known all along haha ????
Diane vallere says
I love this story! Thanks for sharing. I teared up a few times reading the details.
Nanette says
Aw, thank you, Diane! You’re so sweet!
Steph says
A real testament to people who created a home based on what they loved rather than what the magazine/TV shows told them what was “on trend.” It’s amazing. Congrats to the new owners and best of luck!
Nanette says
Totally! Thank you so much, Steph!
Cindy Lonnstrom says
Nanette,
Thank you so much for sharing your story! I LOVE your house!
I’ve read your story twice and enjoyed reading all the comments too.
What a blessing after all you & husband and your dogs have been through.
My husband and I bought a 1957 home in April 2018 and trying to restore it to its original condition. Your story and photos give us hope and inspiration.
First, let’s talk about that lovely kitchen. What color is the floor? Is it white and green. Is the laminate grey and lime green or is it avocado green?
I think I needs a video!
My parents had avocado green kitchen appliances. <3
I think the SS fridge actually looks very nice. Yeah, an avocado fridge would be amazing!
The door knobs — OMG! I just love those sunburst fixtures around the knob.
The fireplace… is it sealed off? The brick looks in perfect condition!
The photo of the red tile, is that flooring? If so, where is that floor tile? Is it the dining room?
That PINK and black bathroom! Do you have the tub, toilet and sink too?
I’ve dying to see more.
Is it a 3/2? I mean is there another bathroom?
I agree, keep the lamp post guy as is and maybe consult with a licensed painter on how to prevent the paint from chipping away.
Thank you.
Nanette says
Cindy, thank you so much! I’m very excited that our house is inspiring for your renovations/restorations. Congrats on your home as well!
The kitchen floor is yellow & green. It’s just kind of faded. There’s a few spare floor tiles in the hall closet that show the original color (which I SO wish there was enough to redo the floor with). The laminate on the bar is almost an emerald green swirl marbled with white & lighter green. Then the trim is chrome with a rubbery kind of ridged emerald green strip sandwiched in between it.
Avocado is for real my favorite color! The fridge is actually not stainless steel, but has a silver superfine glitter finish. This woman loved her sparkles & I thank her a million times over for that! My kind of lady.
Every single doorknob has a starburst (except for the side porch door because it has a bunch of glass panels in it. And interestingly, every actual interior door, other than the bathroom door, is a closet door. The entrance doors to the bedrooms are the accordion doors. And the bathroom even has a starburst on the the inside of the door as well. It’s the only one that’s silver. But that matches the chrome trim around the window in the bathroom. Seriously, the details in here!
The fireplace is actually fake! Hence the perfect condition. But I’ve never seen a fake fireplace like it. It’s hollow & it doesn’t look like normal brick. It’s like an almost shimmery pebble brick. The “logs” inside are a ceramic “lamp” that has a handpainted “fiery” lightbulb in it. And it still works! There’s an outlet inside the fireplace. This house is so insanely kitschy it blows my mind.
The tile floor is the bathroom floor. There’s two out of place tiles in it & I always wonder if it was on purpose or a mistake. I feel like the floor & the peach tile came with the house when they bought it & then they added the rest of the tile themselves. It’s actually a lilac type color, but the peach seems to reflect it as pink in photos & then the black is slightly marbled. Yes, the sink & tub are definitely the originals. They’re not super exciting, just basic white & the sink has a good amount of the white ceramic chipped off around the overflow drain area. The toilet I’m not sure about. My husband thinks it’s original, but it seems to me that some things were altered if you examine behind the toilet. There was a really nice shell toilet seat when we moved in, but unfortunately the plastic hinges just crumbled & we broke it ugh. Thank goodness for eBay though!
Just one bathroom. 2 bedrooms, 1 bath.
Yes, that’s the plan!
I think I answered everything. Thanks for being so curious about it! I could talk about this house all day lol.
Kim Mettler says
Oh be still my heart!!! I would’ve bought it just for that kitchen!!! I’m hoping something similar crosses my path one of these days. And I’ll glad to know I’m not the only one who has house requirements based on their pets. (I must have a large fenced in yard for my dogs, and a screened in porch for my cats). I loved your story and please keep us updated.
Nanette says
Thank you, Kim! Ah, yes, a lady after my own heart! There’s actually a little enclosed side porch addition on our house & all I kept saying to my husband was “Go Go is going to LOVE that porch”. (Our tiniest dog, who’s scared of the world, except for when there’s windows/walls between her & it. She also loves baking herself in the sunshine.)
I hope you come across your little dream home someday soon as well!
Ginny says
My husband’s grandparent lived in a two-bedroom home in PA built in the late 50s or early 60s. They had a great, wide stove where Grandmom did some serious cooking (as Nanette speculates her lady did, too).
The tiles in the kitchen and bathroom were plastic. They did not stand up well in the area by the stove but the maroon and pink bathroom was in pristine shape. No tiles on her ceiling, though.
My husband and I were a little skeptical when his Grandmom said they were plastic (which was silly because why wouldn’t she know after living in the house for almost 40 years?). Three states to the west where we lived, I visited an open house. The real estate agent kept telling people about the plastic tiles in the bathroom because it was an oddity in our area. So plastic tiles must have had a day or two when they were a design trend.
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Nanette — love your house and, like other readers, am thrilled that someone who appreciates it is now the owner. The stove is great; I love the kitchen cabinets, am envious of the bathroom, and think your fireplace is lovely. Congrats!
Nanette says
Ginny, thank you so much. Haha yes, but I totally get that because I had never heard of plastic tiles until we were buying some furniture from someone on Craigslist & we picked it up at his (completely amazing!) house. So of course I was showing him pictures of our house & he was like oh wow is that plastic tile? There are a few loose tiles in the kitchen. Luckily there’s really good air flow in the whole house (the higher ceilings & full height basement really helps I think.) so it’s not too bad. But there was a leak in the roof at some point & it came down onto the kitchen ceiling & warped it some, so we have to resecure those. There’s actually a post on here all about plastic tiles! I was super excited to see it because I recognized ours in the ads. So cool!
Thank you again!
Cinda says
We took care of a 1930’s house that had been remodeled in the 50’s and it had plastic tiles in the bathroom. It was fine all the years it was lived in by the couple who had bought it in the 50’s, but when younger people moved in the moisture caused those plastic tiles to start popping off. I assume the older people bathed rather than showering and that might be why the moisture level went up. They were very pretty though and looked like ceramic. I didn’t believe it until I held one in my hand. Also, it had beautiful swan wallpaper in grey, silver and pink!