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Ana set out to turn the 500 sq. ft. potting shed in her backyard into a guest house and did it turn out cute!

She imagined it belonged to a gardener. At just 500 square feet, Ana had to get creative with space if they were going to welcome guests.

While the fireplace is another feature that appears to have been around for centuries, it was in fact a radical new design (the oversize form is crafted out of old bricks, so it looks original to the structure).

Most of the fabrics are vintage finds, and the plants keep on coming.

Don’t let the small brown cupboards fool you: They house a dishwasher and microwave. Opposite them is a recessed pantry with a breakfast station, and the fridge is concealed in the off-white tongue-and-groove wall.

Ana scoured local reclamation yards for salvaged pieces, like the church pew that was cut to fit in the dining alcove alongside the former school table (complete with graffiti).

The open shelves in the kitchen—reminiscent of a potting shed—the palette of terracotta browns and forest greens,

She raised the mattress in the bedroom to be higher than normal to provide deep drawers for storage, and to keep the bed central (there is nothing worse than sleeping trapped against a wall), she carved out two passageways leading to the adjacent lounge, offering privacy with thick curtains.

In the bathroom, the toilet seat, crafted out of iroko wood tops from a school science laboratory, is quirky but traditional.

The sunken, micro-cemented bath is totally unexpected. Ana toyed endlessly with the configuration, and when there was talk of digging down into the ground, she embraced it to create a spa-like shower-tub that is big enough for two.

The cottage has garnered positive feedback from guests.  “ Move over, cottage core, we’re on to potting shed–chic,” says Ana.

https://www.domino.com/content/norfolk-england-potting-shed-cottage/

It’s not that I’m afraid of, or dislike spiders, it’s just an ugly bathroom. As usual, people LOVE to jump down my throat yelling they’re not spiders they’re whip scorpions. Whatever. Go tell the spider site I got it from. 

This bathroom is dirty and ugly, plus they can drown in the toilet. Very irresponsible.

https://www.facebook.com/theSpiderShop.co.uk/

Uranium glass chandelier with black light bulbs.

via gothic home decor enthusiasts

Here’s a beautiful home in New Orleans that is also a former double shotgun turned into a single family.

These are true lath walls. Isn’t this an elegant home?

Notice how they configured the single family layout- they didn’t take the center wall down.

The dining room is so beautiful. I love how they painted the walls.

The kitchen is so skillfully modernized. It looks so vintage and who doesn’t love a blue stove?

Wallpapered hall that the bedrooms and baths lead off of.

Love the Victorian shower and pedestal sink.

The bedrooms are so luxurious.

Here’s another cute vintage bath.

Gorgeous bedroom.

The furniture is perfect. This such a gorgeous home.

Look at the this great covered porch.

Beautiful yard- love the spouts.

houzz.com

Here’s a normal looking brick house in Houston, Texas. It was owned by an anonymous woman who did all the decor herself and was sold as-is b/c it would be difficult to take it all down. Have a look:

Entering the foyer, you can see that the home is certainly colorful. The previous owner was a mosaic artist.

Some of it looks professional, and some of it looks a little sloppy. But, one thing it is, is colorful. I wonder how long this took her to do.

So, whoever bought it got a tiled and mosaic fireplace and some mosaic walls and doors, too.

The stairs look nice, but there’s too much space in between the pieces on the railing.

This is the dining room. She covered some of the double door glass with mosaics, and I don’t like how the outside looks- you’ll see it later. 

The picture on the counter is one of my favorite kitchen posters, so I wonder if that’s a tile. 

Lots of tile and mosaics in the kitchen. There’s a nice blue pantry there.

I don’t know when I’ve seen a more colorful laundry room. 

The downstairs powder room. 

Here’s the view of the living room from the stairs. That was nice of her to leave the wall art.

The main bedroom. I’m surprised that the bedrooms are so plain.

The ensuite is done in mosaics, though. 

The 2nd bedroom is a nice pink. 

And, it also has an ensuite.

There are the dining room doors from the outside. I don’t like the gray rocks. The mural is very nice, though.

And, here’s the rest of the yard with some tropical trees. 

https://www.click2houston.com/

Marine veteran Jessica Rambo converted an old school bus into a traveling art studio for veteran artists. 

She did all the work herself, including a little succulent rock garden on the dashboard.

After completely gutting it, she turned it into a rustic tiny home. (You can see where she DIY’d it and the walls and ceilings don’t quite meet, but she did a great job.)

It was a major undertaking for her.

The bus took 2 yrs. to complete and it’s now a home and a mission for Jessica, her 2 kids, 2 dogs, and a cat. 

Some friends helped with the plumbing, etc., on the 1997 Bluebird bus.

Jessica wanted to emphasize the wood paneling to give it a rustic cabin feel. 

The bathroom has a full metal trough soaking tub and private composting toilet area.

The children sleep on full size bunk beds. 

In the kitchen, the oven is set up beneath the butcher block counter, to add more work space. Painting the cabinets teal gives it a homey touch. 

The tiny Zen garden is meant to welcome guests. 

She named the bus/studio “The Painted Buffalo,” and she brings art to her fellow marines. 

https://inhabitat.com/marine-veteran-converts-a-school-bus-into-a-nonprofit-traveling-art-studio/painted-buffaloimg_0182-2/

Pretty church conversion in Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1871 and restored/renovated. 

They really modernized it and made a large entrance foyer with a handy storage bench for boots, etc.

The church nave was left completely intact and is separated into groups of furniture. The painted ceiling remained and so did the altar area and choir loft, but the walls and floors are brand-spankin’ new.

They made a dining area in the former altar. 

Behind the altar, is where they located the kitchen. 

The kitchen is well equipped and nicely arranged.

Bedrooms and baths are new. 

This is a very nice feature- a beautiful family room up in the old choir loft. 

The view from the loft, overlooking the main floor. 

There’s another bedroom and bath on the 2nd level.

This basement room is used as an office.

It’s a picturesque church in a lovely setting, but it was built in 1871 and I feel that they made it look too new. The only things they really preserved were the windows and ceiling. I like to see at least a little age. 

https://www.longandfoster.com/homes-for-sale/390-Marienstein-Road-Upper-Black-Eddy-PA-18972-219057969

Spiral staircase kit - $949:  Making and selling killer stairs has become a cottage industry. Actually, these look like cutout boxes or step-stools around a pole.

etsy.com

1894 stunner in St. Louis, Missouri. What a mansion this is, all redone so beautifully. ($1.4m)

The home has such beautiful detail inside and out. 

The dramatic entrance hall- freshly painted and it’s not all white.

The receiving room is so fabulous- look at the partial wall with columns and arches. How impressive it must’ve been for guests that were waiting to be received, back in the day.

I would say that these are a sitting room and a keeping room. Look at the gold ceiling.

In the fabulous formal dining room, there’s gorgeous wood, including a built-in china cabinet. 

The kitchen is completely new and fabulous. Look at the size of that cabinet just to house glassware.

Back here in the pantry area is a wet bar and a door to the beautiful deck outside.

From the kitchen to the deck.

Lovely guest powder room under the stairs. 

Gorgeous stairs going up to the bedrooms. 

The main suite is very large.

It includes a fabulous marble en suite. 

And a walk-in closet/dressing room. 

On the other side of the main bdrm. is a sitting room. 

Look at the storage in the hall. 

5 of the 6 bdrms. have their own beautifully vintage baths.

This room is being used as a home office.

The attic is completely finished and looks like either a family room or a space for entertaining. 

More storage.

Up here there are an additional 2 bdrms. and baths.

2 workshops in the basement.

The grounds are meticulously maintained and there’s a big garage, too. 

https://www.estately.com/listings/info/4416-westminster-place-st-louis-mo-63108

This is the super-funky Florida residence of upcycling artist Michael Jude Russo, who sold it with all art included for $1.2m. 

Can you imagine buying this house w/all this original art in it?

It’s loaded with color adn you wouldn’t have to bring a thing.

Is that green area a fireplace? 

I wonder if this seating is comfortable.

The kitchen blends right in with the living room. 

The home certainly is unique.

The bedroom is really special. There’s some kind of wooden reptile coming out the chair, too. 

Look at the big quirky but in the bathroom.

The pool and gardens are beautiful, and you don’t have to mow any lawn, b/c it’s all concrete.

https://inhabitat.com/own-a-funky-biophilic-home-by-an-acclaimed-upcycling-artist-for-1-2m/michael-jude-russo-house-5/

This is really cute- it’s a little house built by hand in the shape of an ark in Springfield, Tennessee. 

Enter by a gangplank. 

The rustic tiny house has plenty of windows.

Rustic style with exposed beams. First floor seems roomy.

Very nice.

In the kitchen area, the ceiling changes to tin. 

The bedroom is upstairs.

You can’t really tell the size of the bedroom from the photo.

Cute small shower room. 

It has a very large deck, plus an upper lookout. This is so nicely hand crafted. I like this idea. 

Very pretty at night, all lit up. It’s considered a tiny house, but it’s much more roomier and cuter.

https://tinyhousetalk.com/noahs-ark-cabin-in-tn/

Small lofted condo is one of 4 units in this converted industrial building in San Diego, California.

From the front door you can see the one bedroom in the loft above. 

Amazing high ceiling, rusty windows and cinderblock walls, with cement floors. 

It looks as if there could be a dining area next to the living room.

Small kitchen has room for a table & chairs. 

The sink is outside the compact bathroom. 

The toilet faces a shower.

Up in the loft is a sitting area. 

The bedroom is behind the sitting area, and I bet you can make another bedroom where the sitting area is.

Access to a small patio.

The patio is tiny, but private.

Condé Nast Traveler, July 2021

Ever since I saw the abandoned New York “Alice in Wonderland” mansion, I’ve been intrigued. All I could find was that no one knows why it was just abruptly abandoned, except to say that it was probably due to the family’s unfortunate circumstances. 

The mansion contains 57 distinct rooms including an indoor tennis court and bowling alley. It was built in the late 1930s and was last inhabited in the 1970s. We’ll never know what the owners were fleeing from or why they never tried to sell the house.

However, documentation suggests that this place was owned by a wealthy man who regularly bought large mansions and then left them to deteriorate. This isn’t the first or only house that he let wither away.

Whoever left this place clearly left it in a hurry. The dining room table is still set.

Whoever lived here didn’t have time to pack up all their books before they left 

These shoes must have belonged to someone who dressed conservatively. There were no running or tennis shoes in this closet, so either this woman didn’t play sports or took her running shoes with her when she left.

Even though the rest of the mansion is dusty and falling apart, this ballroom looks absolutely pristine. They also left some valuable antiques behind, plus lots of pianos.

Built in the 1930s which is famous for more of an art deco style, and the previous owners lived here in the ’70s, all of their furniture is Victorian in design.

It’s clear that children lived here.

Clues were left behind, though. A boarding school trunk, which means that at least one of the children was old enough to go to boarding school.

Some may have been home schooled. Maybe they were musicians.

The ladder in this room suggests that they left in the middle of repainting. 

The children’s rooms were amazing. Look, one even had a pair of ruby slippers.

The abandoned playhouse in the back yard. 

This once gorgeous indoor tennis court is now full of old furniture & debris, and even an abandoned car. The glass ceiling is still perfect, though. It’s letting in tons of natural light. What the hell happened here?

https://www.bleacherbreaker.com/incredible/abandoned-mansion-in-nyc/?view-all&chrome=1

Some cool hanging planters. 

mayhemmade.com

Artist’s barn loft is a home and studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, named The Garden Room.

Kitchen in the corner of the main floor. 

Dining area off the kitchen. 

Looks like a sitting area in front of a large garage door.

It’s a little chaotic, but I like it.

Stairs to a large bedroom on the upper level.

Made a little reading nook in the hall outside the bedroom. 

Bedroom set up as a sitting room with room for guests. 

I like these glass walls and homemade stairs. 

On the patio in the back, he has twinkly lights that automatically go on when the sun sets.

https://www.have-clothes-will-travel.com/

The company calls this model, “The Bachelor Pad.”  I also see glass stairs and a hella dust collector. 

ferronnerie-lenglart.fr

I cannot resist an historic home that’s been restored by stripping it back to the stick lath walls, like this gorgeous 1884 cottage in Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania ($899k)

How fabulous is this? 

Beautiful layout- look at the arches, columns and fireplace. I haven’t seen a layout like this before.

Isn’t this big enclosed porch wonderful?

Cozy dining room.

The updated kitchen includes a reproduction drainboard sink.

Now, this is a vintage bath. Love it.

With 11 bedrooms, this home is HUGE. It could be a bed & breakfast.

It has 4.5 baths. White this one has a shower, it also has a lovely pedestal sink. 

The attic is finished and adds 2 more bedrooms. The whole gang can fit in this house.

That also put a big new deck on the back. 

fortheloveofoldhouses.com