The Birth of an Old Modern House

Old houses hold a special place in our heart. They just don’t build them like they used to, and there’s something especially rewarding about restoring old charm. New houses, however, and so beautiful & clean in their own way, too. Our style is something of an old modern house hybrid. We can appreciate trends like farmhouse & mid-century modern, but none of these extremes felt like “us”. As our remodel progresses, we see more and more of a minimalist, old modern house vibe emerging.

Age-appropriate traits like upholstered furniture help balance out the modern minimalist vibe.

What is Old Modern House Style?

Our house turns 100 years this year, so it’s pretty safe to say it qualifies as “old”. If that isn’t qualification enough for you, we’d be more than happy to walk you through the maze of knob & tube wiring we had to remove, tons of demo’d plaster, etc.. Like many old home owners, we believe there is intrinsic value in the home’s quirks and older character. However, we very much enjoy the minimalism and cleanliness of modern home design. Our old modern house style maintains some of the old features, while accenting with the new.

old modern house interior decorations — Fresh florals never go out of style. We’re planning on putting a big piece of art above this entryway table.

Old Characteristics We Kept

Original hardwood flooring with custom maple inlay
Wood baseboards & interior widow trim
Less-than open concept floorplan
Original doors (although refinished for more of an old modern style)
Tall & coffered ceiling
Historic dining room built-in

Modern Touches We Added

White outer window trim
Contemporary light fixtures
Vaulted ceiling
Removal of wall to create more open living room
Light, neutral wall paint

custom coffee table with a steel base lends itself to the old modern house style — We lean towards minimalism decor, but love the lived-in look of books and magazines.

The Impact of Objects & Styling

While the architectural elements of a remodel have huge impact on the space, I’ve found that styling with decorative objects ultimately decides the “vibe” of a home. In order to achieve our old modern house look, we used the architecture to preserve old style, and decor to bring in a more modern vibe. When it comes to interior design, I’m a big believer in minimalism. Most of our time, mental power, and budget is still dedicated to the remodel at this point. However, I’ve been able to sneak in a little old modern house decor in the meantime.

Concrete lamp on pier 1 pedestal side table for old modern house living room — See how well the concrete lamp modernizes the old space? I’ll never get over how well concrete & wood earth tones work together!

Minimalist Old Modern House Colors & Textures

I prefer to stick with earth tones & neutrals for the majority of our old modern house color scheme. Our hardwood floors are a mid/dark brown (the Minwax “Provincial” stain, to be exact) which provides a lot of warmth throughout the first floor. To me, too much wood trim starts to feel “dungeon-y” very quickly, so the walls & trim are a lot of white & off-white.

Concrete goes beautifully with wood, and it’s a great way to modernize an otherwise aged-feeling home. We love our concrete countertops, but I’d love to add a concrete-topped coffee table or dining table, as well. Mixing wood with concrete is a foolproof way to achieve that clean, old modern house look.

After the wood, neutrals, and concrete tones, I like to accent with blues & greens. This adds some color, while still maintaining the “zen earth tone” color scheme I so love.

Old Modern House Style in Summary

All in all, I tend to take a less-is-more approach to decor and colors. The way our old modern house is right now, it can definitely feel “blah” at times. However, I chalk this up to it simply being unfinished. (And quite far from finished, at that.) When we’re further along in the remodel, I can’t wait to start adding more color & texture to our old modern house in the form of minimalist photo galleries, throw pillows, and tabletop decor galore!

Disclaimer: We’re not professionals or experts on this topic, so all we can do is share our own personal experience in hopes that it helps you in your journey! We always recommend consulting with the pros directly.