I love all the telltale signs of past inhabitants a building can carry. Taking a close look at the details, you can begin to see the story of how things used to be.  Sometimes it can be charming and informative; sometimes it’s a “what the heck were they THINKING?” moment.

The building that houses our Portland store has been configured and reconfigured so many times, it’s filled with doors to nowhere and beams that don’t reinforce much.  My favorite is easy to miss: the markings on the wall in our salvage department from where there once were stairs.  (You can just barely see the STAIRWAY sign that’s still up there for sentiment’s sake.)

Our customers have made their mark to our showroom over the years, too.  The floor is lovingly worn right in front of our hardware boards.  It’s clearly been the spot of much contemplation!

The house I live in was built in the 1890s and has seen many changes.  At some point the kitchen was reconfigured so that there was a floor register venting hot air right against the wall.  Someone had the clever idea to make a built-in pantry right above it… with a foot or so of clearance for the hot air to escape.

I call this space “The Kitty Condo,” because my cats pretty much live there all winter.  (As you can see, they move their food bowl to ready snacking.)

Does your home bear the marks of the past, good or bad?