I recently read an article titled: “15 Old House Features We Were Wrong to Abandon.” The point of the article being there are many home features that we were probably right to leave behind (at least as of today), but there are some really cool features that deserve a comeback.  Clicking through the list, I was surprised and excited to see that our home already has four of the fifteen and two more that I have planned to add to our home.   Funny thing is, those four features are some of my favorite features of our house.  They include:

1. Transom windows.  We have them over interior and exterior facing windows and doors in our house and it makes the house seem so much more open, airy, and bright. Plus, its such an unexpected feature – we get positive comments on them all the time.
2. Laundry Chute.  I cannot begin to tell you how helpful it is to push a load of dirty laundry down our chute, straight into our laundry room vs. carrying it down the stairs, through the family room, then kitchen, and into the laundry room.  You know you’re guaranteed to lose at least one sock on a trip like that!  It has been such a great element to our home that when my parents were doing a full remodel on their home in CT, I suggested they add in a laundry chute to the plans and they did!
3. Intercoms.  I’ll be honest, ours is pretty outdated and a bit of an eye-sore in our house (we’ll get to replacing it eventually) but trying to get someone’s attention upstairs or in the garage without yelling does come in handy.
4. Ceiling Medallions.  We have a ceiling medallion in our kitchen and I thought it was such an interesting feature.  We replaced the original light fixture that was hanging there and kept the medallion.  I never would have thought to add it, but I am happy it’s there and adds a little personality to our kitchen.

And the two I hope to add to our home:

1. Dutch Doors. It will be so wonderful to be able to open the top door to talk to the delivery man without our huge dog running out to bark at them.
2. Clawfoot Tub. This is my dream tub for our master bathroom remodel if it fits within the space & budget.  Stay tuned on that one – work to start in Fall 2017.

So, there are six of the fifteen that I clearly agree society was wrong to abandon.  Below is the remainder of the list from the article I read.  I don’t see an immediate need for them at our house, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fit for another family.  Hope this starts to get you thinking during your next home remodel or search.

1. Sleeping porches
2. Boot scrapers for your front stoop
3. Pocket shutters
4. Phone nook
5. Dumbwaiter
6. Mail slot on your front door
7. Root cellar
8. Rumford fireplaces
9. Picture Rail Moulding