#interior transom window

[falserapeculture]

Pathway Landscape in Boston Design concepts for a sizable traditional courtyard with brick landscaping in the summer.

[vintagehomecollection]

This contemporary Prairie-style house on a river bluff was originally designed as a second home for a professional couple. It's now a full-time residence.

The Not So Big House - A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live, 1998

[inspiredlivingspaces]

IG beckiowens

[toyastales]

The doors and door frames are amazing.

[thevisualvamp]

The light

[1lifeinspired]

Suzanne Kasler | Instagram

[momoppi]

Medium Sun Room in Charleston

Example of a mid-sized transitional light wood floor and gray floor sunroom design with a corner fireplace, a stone fireplace and a standard ceiling

[bigpoppadean]

Open Family Room in Omaha

Large transitional open concept family room image with a stone fireplace, a regular fireplace, gray walls, and no television.

[dailypolnareff]

Enclosed - Contemporary Living Room Living room - mid-sized contemporary formal and enclosed dark wood floor living room idea with gray walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

[natcordeaux]

Home Office Ottawa Home office library - huge modern built-in desk concrete floor and gray floor home office library idea with white walls and no fireplace

[beating-of-your-heart]

Home Bar Wet Bar in Charleston Small tuscan wet bar photo with a drop-in sink, light wood cabinets, marble countertops, multicolored backsplash, marble backsplash and multicolored countertops

[heyoctaneboy]

Transitional Entry - Mudroom Entryway - large transitional dark wood floor entryway idea with white walls and a black front door

[deanohgorman]

Siding Exterior in Minneapolis Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary beige mixed siding exterior home remodel

[inspiredlivingspaces]

IG beckiowens

[hometoursandotherstuff]

I looked at 25 homes this morning, expecting gorgeous interiors and all I got was smacked in the face with modern pure white renovations. Every damned one of them. Even a gorgeous Art Deco exterior was stark modern white inside. And, then I found this 1888 Gothic Revival Victorian in Redlands, California. 4bds, 2ba, $759K.

At last, an original entrance, with wood that's been lovingly stripped and redone. The house will need some work and updating, but it's livable.

Off the main hall is a wonderful sitting room. I don't why it looks like they put chipboard on the ceiling, but the Victorian light fixture is beautiful.

Interesting feature- a lovely original fireplace, but is the bookshelf original? Is that a half door, or is it just blocking it? The old wallpaper is stained and will need replacing.

Lovely antique furniture in the 2nd sitting room is, for some reason, placed around the perimeter of the room.

That looks like an original ceiling fixture in the dining room. I don't know why they chose these colors, though.

The kitchen is small and updated, and I'm glad that they didn't expand and modernize it. You can use it, while deciding what to do with it.

The back porch off the kitchen has possibilities.

I don't know why they went with river rocks in this shower room, but they did, and it would be difficult to remove.

This other room off the main hall has a stained glass transom above the doorway.

Love this room- look at the windows and ceiling.

It's actually an enclosed sun porch. Looks like they're packing all the wonderful antiques up, getting ready to go.

The 2nd fl. landing. This home has exquisite stained glass windows.

The 2nd bath up here has a tile shower and a sort of vintage sink cabinet.

The 2nd level hall leads to some lovely bedrooms.

What a great library.

The details over the door.

This bedroom has pretty windows.

This one has some nice wainscoting. Some cheery wallpaper and it's good to go.

The home has a stunning porch and a beautiful front garden.

The rear gardens look like a secret garden.

The aerial view shows all the greenery.

The 9,000 sq. ft. lot is a double corner lot.

[kimberly40]

The modern air conditioner was invented only in the 1920’s and it didn’t become a common home feature until the latter half of the 20th century. But, while some of us might wonder how our grandparents survived hot and steamy summers, the fact is those older homes had a few tricks up their sleeves. They were designed and built with features to help them stay cool without AC.

Airflow: In northern states, it was common to create a “stack effect” by opening windows in the basement and top floor. This generated a cool breeze through the house. Further south, before AC many homes were built on blocks, allowing breezes to flow underneath and help keep them cool all summer long.

Tall ceilings: Ceilings as high as 10, 12 and even 14 feet were common in older homes. As heat rose to the ceiling, lower areas stayed cool and comfortable. Ceiling fans—powered by electricity or elaborate rope systems—also facilitated air movement.

Transoms: A transom—a small window over a door—allowed warmer air at the ceiling to circulate up to higher floors, providing more air movement throughout the house. Transoms over exterior doors often had hinges and special hardware. This allowed easy access to open and close, helping create airflow while still providing security.

Large windows: Many older and historic homes had large, double-hung windows. Opening the top sash would allow hot air near the ceiling to escape. Opening the bottom sash, especially at night, allowed cool air to flow inside. Rooms had many windows, some as large as doors. Thick, long draperies were often used in these large windows to keep out the heat. People would “draw the drapes” to help keep a room cool without sacrificing light.

Porches: Wraparound porches offered shade from the direct sun while still allowing light to pour through windows. Screened and furnished sleeping porches were also very common. People would sleep outside to catch the cool breeze of the summer night without all the bugs. Many believed that fresh air had health benefits.

Reflective roofs: Many older homes had light-colored or silver-metal roofs made of lead, tin or copper. This was a great way to reflect heat away from the home to reduce interior temperatures. It’s quite a contrast to today’s dark asphalt shingles that can absorb a lot of the sun’s rays.

Thick walls: If you could afford them, thick brick masonry or stone walls were a great insulator and kept homes cool before AC. Walls 12 to 24 inches thick were common in the Deep South, blocking the heat from the inside as the day wore on, and providing some warmth as the evening chill set in.