Going Postal
When family doctor and design junkie Sarah Belhasen decided to move back to the town she grew up in, she wanted a house with character. For the history buff, Americana collector, and Paintsville, Kentucky, native, the town's former post office was a perfect-if out-of-the-ordinary-fit. Take a tour of her post-office-turned-home here.
Kitchen
The Post Office's old mail-sorting area now serves as a kitchen. The massive 20-foot by 20-foot kitchen sports a large island in its center, as well as a pricey Wolf range. A state-of-the-art Sub-Zero refrigerator is hidden behind the wooden cabinets, modeled on a vintage Oak icebox. See how the money-order office turned into a dining room.
Great Room
A limestone fireplace now burns in the building's old stamp window, and the iron grille once used to separate the lobby from the office section now allows light to stream in from the entrance way to the house's "Great Room." See the home's beautiful gardening and potting room.
Bathroom
The house's bathroom used to be the Post Office's men's room, and not much has changed. While Belhasen gave the bathroom a modern look by adding a vanity area with updated sinks, most parts of the bathroom-including the shower, replete with a vintage Kohler shower head-stayed put.
Home Office
Sometimes, it's best not to mess with perfection. The postmaster's office remains largely intact, including its standout door with pebbled glass window, stenciled "The Postmaster" in vintage block lettering.
See floorplans and the rest of this adaptive reuse house project at thisoldhouse.com.
