A teeny tiny upgrade making a huge difference!! Nostalgic Warehouse traditional switch plates

A teeny tiny upgrade making a huge difference!! Nostalgic Warehouse traditional switch plates

• 2.21.2019

I'm currently deep in the process of updating our dining room. I'm thinking of it as my own (very drawn-out) One Room Challenge... I bought new table and chairs a while back, but it's taken me a while to get my act together and finish the room which involved finding a perfect piece of furniture, perfect light fixture, and wrapping up final details.

One of the details I just checked off the list are four tiny, about 3"x5", pieces on the wall... and they are making a HUGE difference!!


Thanks to Nostalgic Warehouse for providing the products for this post!

Can you guess which part of this photo is exciting me the most right now!?

When we moved in, this room was painted two different shades of aqua, and had very modern switch plates with hidden screws (same as the ones in the kitchen). It had the original light fixture and some very dusty curtains hung real low. Here's the "before"! (See the full before tour of this home HERE.)

We painted the walls and ceiling white (Alabaster by Sherwin Williams); got new chairs, table, and rug; hung a beautiful curtain rod and clips; hung curtains (still need to replace them with some that are the right length); got my dream light fixture; hung this gallery wall; and made progress on my desk lighting in the corner. I also found a sideboard on Craigslist and am painting it!

What else was missing?? The details! (And the curtain length, but that's in the works.) Those weird modern white and grey plastic switch plates were just so off!! You can see the one looking into the kitchen here, from this post.

When we interviewed Nostalgic Warehouse for episode 52 of the Your Home Story podcast, it got me thinking. They make high quality reproduction door hardware in any finish and style you could want--Victorian, Art Deco, craftsman... but they also make accents like switch plates and cabinet knobs. Almost all of the door knobs in our home are original!, so we don't need to change out many of thise, but most of the switch plates are not. We had a mishmash of white/grey, ivory, black, painted terra cotta tile (literally), chrome original, and brass original when we moved in. Now, you definitely don't need every switch plate in your home to match!!, but that was too many--and none of the new ones fit my style. I'm keeping the original ones and wanted to match them as much as I can with some reproductions to replace that thick white plastic!

So I chose the New York toggle switch plate in antique brass. (I ordered new switches and outlets as well, and went with basic white since we'll do white in the kitchen when we redo it.)

Just wow--replacing that modern white/grey chunky thing with this switch plate has made me so much more excited about this room!! It feels like a combination of quality elements now, not just some pieces I like added to a funky space.

I also replaced both of the outlets. See first the pretty one under the gallery wall. (This will be in shadow under the sideboard once I've painted it.) This is the New York outlet cover, antique brass. (You can see all the options the New York collection comes in here.)

And here's the #reallife version, on the opposite wall--that extension cord goes to my computer. Ah, cords, facts of life. Oh, and the other outlet has a clear plastic baby-proofing plug on it. Also a necessary evil/piece of plastic right now.

To compare, here's one of the original switch plates. It is probably unlacquered brass but it's 80 years old, so I didn't want to get something super shiny that was technically the same finish but had a lot of patina-ing catching up to do.

(We also have black switches in some of the rooms, so I'm not sure if they were all black once??, but lots of them are off-white now.)

Pretty good match, huh?! If you have a historic home or just want to add some character to your home, I highly recommend considering updating hardware like knobs and switch plates in a style that works with your home! Maybe it's a bathroom you want to fancy up with some clear glass or pretty chrome knobs, or a dark-walled space that just doesn't look right with modern white switch plates. Nostalgic Warehouse has a ton of options. Check out their website for a look at all their product lines, and visit their Amazon store HERE to browse and shop.

You can also see a ton of other inspiration projects using their products on their Instagram, @nostalgicwarehouse. I love seeing what other homeowners and bloggers have done with their gorgeous door hardware! Here's one of my favorites. I also LOVE this exterior update.

I am so excited about finishing this room and love this little but impactful change!!

Thanks again to Nostalgic Warehouse for providing the products for this post!