I finally caved into peer pressure and put some house pictures on my Flickr.com page - rather than pasting them here, you can view them at the link below:
Everything is so beautiful, I love how the home reflects your own personal style...like all the vintage kitchen appliances. I'm so jealous of the bathrooms, they're very simple, but super elegant!
You have no idea what it means to me to get your compliments on the kitchen and baths, because SO many people were mystified at best and antagonistic at worst about our intentions and design for these rooms.
We got huge warnings on how the resale value of our home will ultimately suffer since we weren't decorating for "modern" taste. All your comments endorse that there ARE people who appreciate vintage styling, and the fact that you all are people with a passion for style makes your comments especially valuable to me.
I got so frustrated working on the house because of well-meaning people who opposed our vision. Hello? The counters and floors are marble, everything that's old functions as new, some things that are old in style are actually the latest and greatest (like the tub - it looks old, but it has a REMOTE CONTROL, dammit) and the kitchen appliances that are concealed by cabinetry are all brand new.
By the way, speaking of appliances, the Fisher & Paykel dishwasher drawers absolutely ROCK, especially for us since there's only two people in our house and it would take a long time for us to fill up a conventional dishwasher. The F&P patent expired recently so I think GE or Maytag is now making a similar product, and it's so worth investigating. They are great on water and energy efficiency - so logical; it's like washing half a load.
Oh, AND: refurbishing old appliances is a very green thing to do, don't you think? There has to be people who would appreciate that, right?
Isn't it sad that if you slapped together some cheap Ikea cabinets and low end stainless steel appliances (no offense to anyone, Ikea is a great, affordable solution), your house would be more marketable? I like to go to open houses, and it enrages me how much they charge where I live for gut rehabs that take away all the charm and character for cookie-cutter Ikea kitchens with ugly and cheap "modern" light fixtures. Sorry, ranting a little.
Besides, my parents had this old refrigerator for extra storage in our laundry room for 30 years and it was a hand-me-down from my dad's parents. They never had issues with it. When they sold the house, they offered to leave it behind for the new owners, who gladly accepted it. They had a new house built with all new appliances 3 years ago and have already had to replace the fridge!
So many things are so disposable nowadays, I totally agree about refurbishing being "green".
Tell your friends they are nuts to give you crap about your vintage rooms! Many people are really excited to find a home that has vintage (real or new) items. Much more character than a typical white GE stove or a tub w/ a vinyl surround and fake tiles! Think Bathfitters - is that what people like to see?