Looking for that classic / nostalgic look...

[Laredo]

I've done a bunch of searches, but still looking for more ideas / photos of nostalgic garage interiors (wood walls, classic cabinets/benches etc). I am in the planning stages of my retro style garage to match my newly purchased home 1910 home. I am torn between the carriage house exterior with the functionality of modern bright & white interior, or........the comfortable "classic" look and feel of early 20th century simplicity.

Thoughts and/or photos??

 

[Stuart in MN]

Well, most houses that old didn't have garages when they were new... They may have had a stables or carriage houses that got converted, or nothing at all, but I don't think garages became very common until the 1930s or so. I live in an older neighborhood myself (my house was built in 1913, most houses around here date from 1905-1915.) The bigger houses have carriage houses, while most of the rest have garages that were built in the 1930s or 1940s. The interiors of the carriage houses tended to have beadboard on the walls and ceilings, and maybe a simple workbench in the corner but that was about it. The carriage houses at the really big mansions do have upstairs apartments where the chauffeur lived, but they generally were finished simply...the rich people back then didn't waste a lot of money on the hired help. The garages were pretty much unfinished, just bare studs.

I did replace the 1940s era single car garage in my back yard with a new one that's 24x40. The exterior is sided and trimmed to match the house, but the interior is still unfinished. One of these years when I finally get around to it I'd like to use beadboard, or more likely 4x8 sheets of plywood milled to resemble beadboard, but I'll probably paint it white. My neighbor's old garage still has the original beadboard walls and ceilings, and while it looks very nice the wood is so dark from age it's kind of like a black hole in there when trying to work on a car.

You may want to look at pictures of kitchens from that time period to get ideas for wall treatments and cabinets/countertops - I think a lot of the style components would work well and it would fit the time period.

I posted these pictures here a long time ago, but I'll post them again. These are plans for a carriage house from one of my dad's college architectural drafting textbooks; if I remember correctly the book has a copyright date of 1927.

 

[Laredo]

I posted these pictures here a long time ago, but I'll post them again. These are plans for a carriage house from one of my dad's college architectural drafting textbooks; if I remember correctly the book has a copyright date of 1927.

Wow...these are great. Thanks!!

 

[Laredo]

.... My neighbor's old garage still has the original beadboard walls and ceilings, and while it looks very nice the wood is so dark from age it's kind of like a black hole in there when trying to work on a car.......

That's what I am concerned about with the darker walls. Trying to decide if I can overcome the darker walls with LOTS of lights.

 

[PAToyota]

Search out Nimrod's shop on this board if you want nostalgia...

 

[Laredo]

Search out Nimrod's shop on this board if you want nostalgia...

Wow!! That is friggin' awesome! I think if you were to look up "nostalgia" in the dictionary - there would be a picture of this garage:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5322

You've got the idea of what I'm after, but maybe not QUITE too that extreme. I'm looking into the beadboard that Stuart mentioned but will probably have to go with the imitation panels rather that actual board (too $$$$).

 

[Stuart in MN]

I just noticed you live in Stillwater...it doesn't get much more nostalgic than that.
(for those people reading this who are not from Minnesota, Stillwater is one of the oldest towns in the state.)

 

[Laredo]

I just noticed you live in Stillwater...it doesn't get much more nostalgic than that.
(for those people reading this who are not from Minnesota, Stillwater is one of the oldest towns in the state.)

We're newbies there from the Pacific Northwest, but from what I am hearing, it is THE oldest town in the state...."Birthplace of Minnesota" and all that. Very cool city with an interesting history, a lot of historical homes built in the mid 1800s nicely restored.

After owning a number of newer homes in the "burbs" over the last 20 years, we decided to try something different this time with an older home. One of the previous owners (a carpenter) did a REALLY nice job restoring this one. The garage is another story (see avatar) - leaning, single car with a sagging roof and a dirt floor. New replacement is first priority....

 

[stricht8]

Well, I'm fixing up my garage. When it's all done I'll post some pics. It has wooden walls, wooden ceiling and floors. It'll certainly have that nostalgia feel to it.

 

[Laredo]

Well, I'm fixing up my garage. When it's all done I'll post some pics. It has wooden walls, wooden ceiling and floors. It'll certainly have that nostalgia feel to it.

Ecxellent!! Can't to see what it looks like. What is your time frame?

 

[Bib Overalls]

I think I would use beadboard as a wainscoat and drywall everything else. And then I would paint the wainscoat a light grey and use wite on the drywall. That will give you a classic look with good light reflection.

 

[Laredo]

Well, I'm fixing up my garage.....It has wooden walls, wooden ceiling and floors. It'll certainly have that nostalgia feel to it.

What kind of "wood" are you going with?

 

[Laredo]

I think I would use beadboard as a wainscoat and drywall everything else. And then I would paint the wainscoat a light grey and use wite on the drywall. That will give you a classic look with good light reflection.

I can imgaine this look as a good compromise between classic feel and modern function - great tip, thanks!

 

[stricht8]

Well, some of the walls were already covered with horizontal tongue and groove pine boards which are very old (100-150 yrs). I then insulated the unfinished walls and covered them with 5/8'' sheetrock followed by 1x10'' rough sawn shiplap pine boards oriented horizontally. I chose rough sawn because the garage is the ground floor of a barn and I figured that this would be most appropriate. Some walls are covered floor to ceiling with wood and others just the lower portion (wainscoting). I'm leaving the pine unfinished and unstained. Since it is light as it is new it will have some reflective ability. The top half of the walls with drywall only I am painting white.

What kind of "wood" are you going with?