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The Charm of an Old Home
There are two types of people: those who think an old home is a dated money pit, and those who see so much potential, history, and charm. If you find yourself in awe of the craftsmanship of historic homes, along with the ways designers and homeowners fix them up, transform their bones, and preserve their beauty, you’ll love falling down the rabbit hole of these 19 Instagram accounts.
@thefrontdoorproject
Deb Cohen is a New England realtor who uses her Instagram to share an array of old homes. Colonials, Victorians and quaint cottages are featured in the gorgeous seasons the area has to offer, from homes peeking through layers of freshly fallen snow, to ones accented by large maple trees and their fiery fall leaves.
@castle_and_keep
Kelli’s Instagram features old homes in New York City and New England. A 1930 Tudor in Yonkers is a storybook sight. A beautiful 1870 Victorian Second Empire home in the Bronx’s Kingsbridge neighborhood offers a lengthy history for you to read in the caption. And an 1860 stunner is revealed to be the only known octagonal, domed residence in the world.
@renovationhusbands
Stephen and David are the husband-husband team who use their Instagram platform for an intimate look at the renovation process of their previously abandoned 1894 Victorian home in Boston. The duo offers great inspiration for honoring period-proper design while giving their home unique style.
RELATED: 16 American Towns Every Old House Lover Needs to See
@what_style_is_that
Old home enthusiasts will love the history lessons that unfold on the feed of preservationist, teacher, and historian Karyn. Her professional page identifies old American architectural styles. You’ll learn how to identify common Second Empire shapes, the difference between a Georgian and a Federal, and so much more.
@cheapoldhouses
Thinking about purchasing a cheap old house you can fix up? This Instagram account has you covered. You’ll find hidden gems like a $7,500 fixer-upper in Kansas with a “beautiful wood staircase and wood trim throughout, along with an etched glass window,” and a $49,000 repurposed “cute little country church house on 0.20 acres.”
@madebycarli
Carli’s Instagram is a combination of pleasingly practical design and her 1940s Colonial renovation project. The front door, for instance, was once boarded and screwed in place. Carli said it was in bad shape, but a good sanding, gel stain, new “jewelry” and vinyl house numbers soon gave it the glow up it deserved!
RELATED: Solved! How Can I Find the History of My House?
@glimpsesofthesouth
Mary Miller is a Georgia-based realtor sharing old homes that offer character, history and design inspo. The handsome 1848 Andrew Low House is one such pleasure, with its stuccoed brick and elaborate cast iron railings that enclose it. The Hamilton Turner Inn is another beauty. The Savannah boutique hotel was once home to “The Lord of Lafayette Square,” who had the parkside mansion built for his family in 1873.
@housetouring
If you feel like virtually touring some of the most gorgeous old homes through the perspective of an iPhone user’s camera, check out this Instagram page! Brilliant molding just beneath the roofline on a traditional brick house in Maine offers simple beauty, while a farmhouse in Philadelphia is oozing with charm.
@summit_avenue
This Instagram page is dedicated to Summit Avenue in Saint Paul, Minn. The avenue is “America’s longest stretch of beautifully preserved Victorian era homes.” Here, you’ll find an 1883 residence of one of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s best friends, Marie Hersey, and a massive mustard yellow Victorian whose solid bones and supreme craftsmanship carried it through an extensive renovation to create a preserved beauty with modern conveniences.
RELATED: The 13 Telltale Signs of a Well-Preserved Old Home
@mattgilb
Matt Gilbert is a self-proclaimed “architect and building nerd walking, running, biking and transit-ing all over Chicago.” His Instagram account is dedicated to featuring gorgeous old homes throughout the city. You can feel his excitement for new discoveries through his captions. “4025 is an Art Deco standout in an eclectic mix of buildings on Pulaski Road, just a block from the Kennedy Expressway. It’s an otherwise ordinary 1920s apartment building configuration enlivened by polychrome terra cotta, with dramatic black accents and a green glass entry canopy,” he says of one feature.
@theamericanhome
“Every old building has a story to tell,” notes the Instagram account theamericanhome. Features include a holiday decorated white picket fence at an 1860s Greek Revival home in historic Geneva, Illinois, and an ashlar Tudor Revival mansion. The old home was designed and built between 1910-12 for Edward Kirk Warren, the inventor of the featherbone corset.
@thegritandpolish
Cathy shares an intimate look at her old country farmhouse in Ellensburg, Wash. You’ll find major design inspo for how to decorate, like earthenware neatly placed on an open shelf in a farmhouse kitchen that’s accented with gorgeous gold hardware. Cathy is also renovating a 580-square-foot cottage. The transformation is enticing to the say the least!
RELATED: 18 Ways to Make Your New House Look Old
@northern_vernacular
With a tagline that reads, “gut fish, not houses!” you can bet this Instagrammer appreciates old bones. Julie is a “historic preservationist exploring the architectural heritage of Maine.” Gorgeous old homes fill the small squares on the social media platform. They’re often accompanied by beautiful words that tell the story of her finds. The old Morton House in Round Pond Village is one of her discoveries. “Along the way the building received stucco siding and a rambling side addition with a decorative windmill (yes, a windmill!) that gives everything a fun and quirky Moulin Rouge-type vibe,” the caption reads.
@historicalhomesofamerica
@mansionsoftheguildedage
@circahouses
@savingoldhouses
@oldtownhome
@bobvila
The allure and grandeur of old homes abound on Bob Vila’s Instagram. Recent features include a Queen Anne in Mobile, Ala., featuring an 1898 Victorian home accented with vibrant colors that transform intricate woodwork into a unique display, and an Ann Arbor, Mich. home from 1929 featuring cascading dormers and covered in crimson-colored ivy.
