Vintage House from the 1980s

This charming-if-slightly-spooky little bungalow sits in the countryside of Venango County.  I had this place to myself for the week of Halloween and absolutely loved it.

The best thing about this place is that it hasn't been remodeled since at least the 1980s, maybe earlier.  From the layout of the house to the decor, it felt like stepping back into my Generation X childhood.

We often lived in ghostly, nondescript ranch houses with three bedrooms and wood-paneled walls that backed up onto the woods--just like this place.  When I was staying here, I hung a sheet over this sliding glass door at night.  It just made me feel less exposed...

See the pond out the window, with a late maple tree all abloom on the opposite bank.  And here, inside this kitchen, which also serves as the dining room, there's an old coffee mug tree with vintage cups, and a small built-in hutch with Norman Rockwell plates on display, not to mention the cupboards and chairs.

Also, the kitchen is the front room.  I spent Tuesday through Friday here last week, trying to catch up on some writing.  The place belongs to a friend of my wife who rents it out on airbnb.

The glass doors off the living room look into these dark woods, already bare.  I was here over a very rainy, windy Halloween night, when a large tree split and came crashing down while I was sleeping.

Oh, and before I forget, this is the pattern in the Formica kitchen counters!  So innocent, so whimsical, playful and sweet, like a snapshot into the imagination of a former age.

Here's the wallpaper in the entry hall.  I think they were going for that colonial revival look of the 1970s and 80s.  I remember it well.

The living room has a working fireplace.  It was the perfect place to spend a rainy fall day, working on my computer.  I discovered that little instant fire-logs can be purchased at the Family Dollar in nearby Clintonville for $3 apiece.

The bathroom is a gem of 20th century styling.  Check out the floral design around the bowl of the sink and the faux-marble pattern in the counter top.  

The dark wood paneling, the louvered doors, the old shaded lamp protruding from the wall like a sconce--it's all so nostalgic.

Eagles?  Yes, we decorate with eagles!

This place belonged to the postmaster in town, who ran a print shop out of an outbuilding after he retired.  He grew old and moved in with his daughter, allowing most of the furniture and dishes and trinkets to be sold with the house.

Like I said, eagles are our thing.

You can actually rent this place on airbnb.  At $79 a night for the whole house, it's a steal.