As soon as I saw this 150-year-old house in Charleston Illinois I knew that we could make it our own.  It was dirty, dark and unloved but had so much potential to be a happy and bright family home.  You can read more about what brought us to Charleston in my interview with Design Mom.

Don’t forget to see the posts of our home tour and our house decked out for the holidays.

Exterior

BEFORE

The house was white with decorative green shutters for at least 100 years.  After living here for 2 years I decided that we needed to go dark.  I love the monochromatic Colonial homes in New England, especially Massachusetts homes like The House of Seven Gables and The Orchard House that were built in the late 1600s.

In 1864 our house was originally built in the Carpenter Gothic style.  Then in 1920 the second owners added a Georgian Colonial Revival style by changing the facade. The gingerbread trim and the porch were removed and a portico with columns was added.  The bay windows in the front of the house were replaced with french doors.

I found the combination of styles confusing and think that the monochromatic, dark paint job solidified the look.  We chose Sherwin Williams color Dark Knight for the exterior with Nervy Hue for a pop of color on the door.

AFTER