One of the joys of buying an old fixer-upper is discovering all the wacky things that previous owners have done.  Humility of course tempers the pleasure, as a boy can’t help but wonder which of his design decisions will turn out to be the avocado fridge of 2013.  Sometimes, though, the universe is generous, delivering a detail so outrageous as to preclude introspection.

 

My colleague Evan recently bought a fantastic little Cape in Watertown, MA.  It’s a solid house in a great neighborhood, and just the right size to be manageable.  And it gave us all the gift of carpeted soffits.

Carpeted soffit in 1950s kitchen

 

Detail of carpeted kitchen soffit

 

But maybe the best detail was evidence of a previous layer of carpet.

Close-up of carpeted kitchen soffit