Oakwood Inspired DIY

Josh and I love living in Oakwood.  It is such a charming historic neighborhood full of homes in a variety of architectural styles.  Many owners have restored them to their original beauty and stature and it seems people are constantly working on their homes -- partly because old homes require a lot of maintenance and partly because a lot of people drawn to this neighborhood take such pride in keeping these historic gems looking their best. Huge trees line the sidewalks and it really is an ideal place for an afternoon stroll.  Don't get me wrong, we have our share of rundown & creepy houses too (with our lead paint chipping off more and more by the day our neighbors may think we are one of them!!!).

My three very favorite homes on our "loop" -- if these ever went on the market I would try to find a way to scrape my pennies together to snatch it up!!  You will see they are 3 very different, but equally appealing, styles.

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This home is currently split into 4 apts.  It would take a lot of $$$ to make it into one unit.  The owner (an attorney), who lives in one of the units, has owned it since the '70s.

 2.

An architect and an interior designer currently reside in this magnificent second empire style house.  The garden on the side is unbelievable.

 3.

The owners of this house co-founded Hyde Street Holdings, investor in real estate and real estate related entities.  They hand dug out an unbelievable wine cellar in the basement.  The grounds are always impecably manicured and there are cozy patios on either side of the home.

A few other homes on my walking tour:

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12. (Gov. Aycock's house -- most recently a chef lived here, so the house is complete with a commercial kitchen! -- on the market currently for $1MM) 

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This is making me want to paint our house green (very similar style to ours).  Thoughts?

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My mother-in-law, Jean, lived here for a few years growing up.

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One of the few brick homes in the neighborhood.

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I'm not sure how these homes got their paint colors approved by the commission...

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A few other unique characteristics include Sidestreet Cafe and the very old and beautiful Oakwood Cemetary

Another item you will see on lots of houses (and my weekend DIY project!) is gold and black painted house numbers on the window above the door -- here are a few examples:

And my two favorite styles that I decided to copy

So just like the wine glasses I printed out the letters and numbers and taped to the back of the glass so I could paint over them

Painting over with gold leaf paint (left over from another project)

Nice Mama Dip's t-shirt!

Then I began outlining in black paint (I used a paint pen)

The finished project!

Which home would you want to live in?

XO,

Whit