Artistic Home Interior: Handsome transoms...

photo:clkitchen.com

Okay, I know that title is a sorry excuse for a rhyme, but I get a bit heady and flustered when I think of how much I want my home to be full of transoms. It is almost enough of a want to make me consider building again (which I am not going to do...yet). Still, I dream of transoms. I gaze up at the headers of my interior doors, and curse the fact that real or not, transoms are just not going to fit in those spaces. Crushing disappointment fills me (and yes, I'm being dramatic) and I attempt to quiet the obsession...

My desire for transoms stems from my love of windows. I choose windows for my home the way others choose flooring. I scour magazines for examples of pretty windows that bring character to a home, especially since most of my homes are new.

photo: www.dynamicwindows.com

Speaking of that, I also know in my heart you just can't make a new home look authentically older without using predominantly reclaimed materials from an actual older home. Sigh...sure you can achieve some of the charm of an older home, but new still looks new. It is without the nicks and scratches from years of wear and use that an older home naturally has. MDF trim and mouldings, while pretty, belie the fact that they are just that: prefabricated, new, and just not the same quality. While I love my gas fireplace and its ease of use and efficiency, it cannot compare to the charm of a real, working fireplace. You can add beadboard, vintage style lighting, and period style kitchen cabinetry and it will look beautiful, but not authentic. It goes back to the saying, "It is what it is" and I must accept that. I've said it before: I love the freshness and sparkling clean of new, but I still pine for old...I accept the fact that you can't have the true charm of an older home without spending an inordinate amount of money, but it still stings. In other words, adding a few transoms to a new house can't get me what I am looking for: a character home that whispers of history.

Still, you can bet your last nickel I'll have my beloved transoms in my next house...new or old!!!!