 |
Our Home Interior Welcome To Our Back Door Come on in! 
Our back door leads directly into the country kitchen, the south half of which was formerly a bedroom. Along with most other walls on the main level, the walls in the kitchen are planked with rough-cut cedar. The platform alcove (originally the bedroom closet) displays the antique oak icebox we stumbled across at a moving sale in 1980 when looking for 78 rpm phonograph records to play on our Victrola. This thumbnail image (left) shows a portion of the first things that greet you when coming in the back way. We stuffed an empty oat sack with a pillow and placed it atop a 10 pound Roasted Coffee tin (mfg. Dwight Edwards Company, Portland, Oregon) to hide the highchair, which is stored between the alcove's left wall and the icebox. Yet, as old as that doggone highchair is, maybe we should display it (LOL).
The old saddle, purchased at a livestock auction, is stamped with the saddle maker's name, Duncan & Sons, Seattle, Washington. The full view better shows the basket stamping, which is even on the cantle. Clearly, it was an expensive saddle in its day and is in excellent condition. My husband tells me, however, that we have too many saddles and should sell it. NOTE: I'd also love to hear from anyone who can enlighten me regarding the history of this Seattle saddle maker. If you have helpful information, please email me about Duncan & Sons Saddlery.
If I were a better photographer (or at least had the good sense to have turned on a light) you would see in this thumbnail (right) a corked blue and white porcelain water pitcher that belonged to my Great-grandmother Eads among the few cherished family items and collectibles atop the icebox. Inside we store the majority of our glassware, the tableware used by our grandchildren, and a few odds and ends. An antique landscape in earth tones signed by artist N. Anneber Wells and framed with a gilded filigree frame, which was a gift from my mother, hangs on the wall above.
Two windows in the southwest corner of the kitchen look out on our backyard and a 30 acre pasture that lies west of our place. Shelves the full width and above each window contain an array of old Mason jars filled with popcorn, beans, rice, etc., dairy and wine bottles, nicknacks, miscellaneous cookware and household items. The napkin holder on the west windowsill, which belonged to my Grandma Lula, is made from three horseshoes, soldered together and painted black. She crocheted the doily that adorns the kitchen table. Although no structural remodeling has been done in the kitchen, it required a lot of work. Since the previous owner had removed the wood cook stove, its stone slab foundation and stovepipe, as well as the brick and cupboards on the north wall, our work was cut out for us. I began with what bothered me most: the stark white wallboard covering the north wall and, hanging on the west wall, a three tiered white chipboard shelf, neither of which appeared to belong. Since we found re-bricking the north wall cost prohibitive, I painted the faux stone wallboard a brick color using a durable floor paint. It was on sale, so I bought 2 gallons, one the brick color and one a chocolate brown, using both to accent the shelf's exterior. A country kitchen wallpaper border around the backboard above the lower shelf made the modern piece look like an old fashioned open cupboard, which fits in fine. I darkened unfinished quarter-round and corner molding with linseed oil and covered the wallboard's exposed raw edges. Then we moved the bronze-tone electric stove from the north wall to the west wall, replaced the stove elements and covers, and above it hung the newly painted open cupboard. I installed cups hooks for our cups, and our dishes stack below them with plenty of clearance between. My husband installed new stovepipe and moved (with help) the wood cook stove from the platform alcove to the north wall, where he made it operational again. We purchased and loose laid fairly flat natural stones underneath, though intend to make a solid slab there one day. A new kitchen sink, faucet, sprayer, and a garbage disposal, thanks to a son-in-law who is a licensed plumber, were also added. There's no room for a built-in dishwasher, so we purchased a portable which fits at the south end of the kitchen counter. To accommodate the microwave, Richard built and installed a counter-high cupboard in the northwest corner beside the electric range. A bi-fold door solved the clearance problem between it and the Majestic cook stove and conceals the firewood stored inside.
Our heat source is firewood, though we sometimes add coal in the kitchen stove. In case of emergency we have an electric oil-filled radiator (vintage 1945, purchased at the Idaho Youth Ranch secondhand store) that works like a charm, and have two electric milk barn heaters, although these electric devices are rarely used. We don't have a furnace, but do have four wood stoves and one wood chuck (he stays outside, of course, and would be gone if I were faster on the draw). Two wood stoves are inside the main house.
This more modern Blaze King is situated between our living room and small den, and is our major heat source. Just to the right of the stove is a short hall that houses a cupboard and drawers and which leads to the only bedroom. A round bevel-edged mirror hangs on the wall opposite. We've installed a small ceiling light in the hall so we can find our clothes when it's dark. The solid wood beams shown in the Blaze King thumbnail above were salvaged from the old Cabarton stagecoach depot that operated near the current logging community of Cascade, Idaho, during the 1800's. Old mule shoes, bridles, and a bullwhip my husband acquired in the early 1960's are among various decorative items displayed along the existing cutouts on some of the beams.
An elevated stone landing (visible in this photo) leads not only into the living room, but also adjoins the bathroom doorway. The claw foot bathtub in this thumbnail image is an original, as is the party and good neighbor we acquired it from. Thanks also to the family plumber, our plumbing has been updated and we now have a shower over the tub. Adding the shower necessitated the application of marine seal on the walls, floor, ceiling, and other wood surfaces. The plumbing pipes now run inside the shared wall between the bath and utility, instead of outside the wall in the utility room. We added an oval ceiling mount shower rod and three opaque shower curtains which surround the tub, as well as the brass extension rod and lace curtain across the tub's raised platform. Since we had no towel racks, we added a few of oak and installed a toilet paper holder made from a bridle bit which hangs from leather straps on horseshoe nails. A washboard, razor strap, shaving brush, antique enamelware water pitcher, Grandpa Johnny's hair clippers, Grandma Lula's pedestal makeup mirror, a plant stand, candles and a few other odds and ends decorate the room.
This view is of the interior of the utility room (originally a back porch), which is off the kitchen. The coat rack that holds the red Mrs. Fields Cookies apron is attached to the six-inch thick door of the old ice house, which now serves as a 5'x5' pantry. The wood was dry and shelves stained, so I sanded, then oiled them with linseed oil, along with oiling the wood ceiling, walls, and interior side of the door. The corner hutch, handmade by a gentleman named Reynolds in the 1920's, stores an eclectic collection.
As this room also serves as the toy room for the grandkids, toys are stored in large tins and plastic containers, including a Coka-Cola case, underneath the oak gossip bench (below the French telephone in this photo). A wooden Pepsi case placed on end makes a cute little display case for a few more collectibles.
The den, like all other rooms in our house, is small and cozy. Taken in the summer of 2000 by our youngest daughter, this photo shows the lone window, which faces west. The treadle sewing machine is a White, and the wood is solid oak. Stamped in the metal bobbin cover is White S M Co., Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. The metal plate behind the needle housing is stamped with a list of several U. S. patent dates from March 20, 1877 to March 11, 1890, and ending with Other Patents Pending. Its hand-carved decorative detail is exquisite.
The rag doll and small whiskey barrel in this photo (right) In addition to two wooden rocking chairs (one of which is grandchild size), this room contains mostly antiques: a mahogany secretary table, a solid oak bench with a worn tufted leather cushion, a bent wood chair, (one of three Grandma Lula bought in the 1930's from the forest service), a butter churn, corked whiskey jug, a horse collar with bally hames, and an old prairie saddle. The leather chaps my grandmother used for 53 years, my grandfather's cowboy hat and buck rake seat, a picture of my Great-great-grandpa Miller, a life-sized rooster, a saddle blanket, knitted lap shawls, mirrors, an early model electric iron, miscellaneous pictures, tins, floral arrangements, baskets, and several old odds and ends compliment the Old West atmosphere.
We have make-do end tables in this room, also. One is an old wooden shipping crate labeled Black & White Blended Scotch Whiskey, James Buchanan & Co. Ltd., Glasgow, Scotland. Turned on end, it holds inside a Another end table is the heavy leather suitcase Grandma and Grandpa Hinton took on their honeymoon in 1923. Turned on end, it accommodates a thrift store lamp and a candle. Between the suitcase and the bentwood hat rack and cowboy hats are more scatterings, including a white S & H Green Stamp handkerchief (remember those?) draped across a grayed block of old wood, a length of barbwire, and a red Prince Albert tobacco can. A violin that belonged to my great-grandfather, Jeremiah Morris Eads, leans against the wall there also. Inside is a date of 1700 and the violin maker's name, Stainer. However since Jacobus Stainer (or Steiner) reportedly was born in 1620, it is likely a copy made some time prior to 1800, as, it is my understanding, that before 1800 there was no law to prevent making a violin using another maker's name. The end table near the dark wood rocker is an old wooden apple box, lettered on each end above the indented handles with Bear Creek (a community in the Boise Hills of Idaho). Also placed on end, inside it holds a one-gallon glass butter churn and a couple more collectibles. On its top sets a Patterson's Seal Cut-Plug Tobacco tin (P. A. Patterson Tobacco Co., established 1856, Richmond, VA), an old soda glass, and a vintage glass ashtray.
A gaping hole in the ceiling of the loft area has been patched (visible in this thumbnail photo), although we have yet to tape, texture, and paint the drywall. The repair helped enormously with the heat loss this winter, though will look a lot better when finished. We've replaced the loft light fixture and secured the rails, which were improperly installed. My computer is currently located in this area, but once we make a room out of the adjoining roofed-over deck, the computer will be moved. We plan to make a second sleeping area up here once we figure out what to do about a staircase. For now, we must use a "Little House On The Prairie" ladder. It's cute, but not real practical. The grandkids love it, as do I, so we've decided to keep it even after we build a staircase.
The living room has been rearranged since this photo, and a round oak occasional table and a few accessories added. Two more salvaged Cabarton Stagecoach Depot beams have been placed horizontally atop those that formerly supported the upper story and were cut off when the upstairs bedrooms were eliminated via "Chainsaw". The living room ceiling is now about 16 feet high, giving a feeling of spaciousness to the room. The oak Victrola, manufactured as Part No. 3570 - RXA - 8-8-13, RCA Victor Talking Machine Company, is labeled underneath with License Notice - Victrola VIII, dated August 1st, 1913. The latest patent listed is Patent no. 1,067,905, issued July 22, 1913. Bare wires that were hanging from the living room ceiling fan when we moved in have been replaced with a four globe crystal lighting fixture, which looks much better than the half-finished installation we inherited.
This thumbnail shows, above and to the right of the lamp, one of the Cabarton crossbeams we installed, which is, of course, more visible in the full image. The red wool blanket on the sofa was a gift to Grandma and Grandpa Hinton from Grandpa Johnny's dad, my Great-grandpa Charlie. If you viewed My Favorite Things, you read the details about the lamp in this photo. I'm neither a terrific housekeeper nor photographer, but I hope you enjoyed seeing where we live. And remember, if you want to create a country atmosphere in your home, you can do it all on a tight budget. It takes only about 35 years of collecting: flea-market finds, bargains from auctions, and gifts from special friends and loving family. Thank you for coming in our back door. We'll keep the porch light on for ya.
Top of Page
Designed, Maintained, & Owned by Carol Tallman Jones |
Stoves
