12 Surprisingly Valuable Things You Should Never Demo in an Old Home

Walls are the backdrop to every room, and an even better one when they're crowned with textural period moldings. If you're lucky enough to be in a home that already has them, definitely consider embracing their subtle grandeur. If you want to add character, on the other hand, you can add custom or pre-made millwork. Catherine Kwong made these upper wall and ceiling moldings pop with gold leaf paint.

Much like wall moldings, these carvings—sometimes delicate and wispy borders and other times central coin-shaped accents—add interest and draw the eye up, spotlighting statement fixtures and original details. Bria Hammel Interiors painted the ceiling medallion in this historic home white for a fresh look.

Exposed beams, brick, and stone all bring a lovely rustic comfort that asserts a sense of home. If you want to brighten up the space without eliminating that old-school cozy atmosphere, add a coat of white paint atop the exposed pieces instead of covering them completely.

This massive fireplace in the famous Cottonland Castle designed by Chip and Joanna Gaines is original to the home. The unique character of these pieces, hewn from materials like carved wood or stone, is enough to carry an entire room. Even if the fireplace is no longer functional, it can be worth keeping for its beauty alone. If you do decide to replace yours, consider repurposing the stone or word for another custom piece or remove it carefully so you can resell it. Because they're heavy, try listing yours on Facebook Marketplace for local pickup.

Designed by Tom Callaway, this dining nook is all about the gorgeous vaulted ceiling and soft archways. A custom ceiling mural makes the room feel storied and even more special. If you peel back layers of paint or wallpaper and come across a beauty like this, consider preserving it, but updating the things around it for a nice mix of old and new world glamor. You could also replicate the look by using old paint and dye techniques.

Built in downtown Manhattan in 1890 as a manufacturing facility, this loft still has its original cast iron columns intact. At the behest of the owner, Ferguson & Shamamian architects and decorator Elizabeth Lawrence of Bunny Williams Interior Design coated it in white paint and added streamlined furnishings to make it “feel comfy and cloudlike.”

If you live in a historic home, the unique period features are of course dependent on the period it was built. So, in a midcentury home, you might encounter wood paneling, like the breathtaking mahogany in this Frank Lloyd Wright-designed prefab home lovingly restored by designer Sarah Magness. Magness kept the original sunken living room and outfitted it with a blend of period furniture and modern materials.

In this Palm Beach home designed by Ellen Kavanaugh, archways add drama and character to the living room. The designer also kept the original terracotta floor tiles, which are both visually warm and durable. The support columns propping up the archways are carved of natural stone, which can be worth a lot, too.

Heating is complex, but some designers stick with existing radiators as they can be energy-efficient. That age-old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" rings true in this case. If you don't love the bulky look, or yours looks a little worse for the wear, consider repainting it the same color as the walls, or a bold contrasting hue. yours a bold color. Designed by Nicole Dohmen of Atelier ND Interior, the old radiator gets a second life with a modern, unexpected shade of dark purple paint.

This home by McLaren.Excell was formerly a cattle barn, and the firm worked hard to work with existing materials. The floorboards were repurposed into a coffee table, for example, and the brick exterior was power washed. But nothing was quite as labor-intensive as the cast-iron louvered window restoration process! They had to extract, wire-brush, and file the metal, and then refit, repaint, and grease every single one. Now back to its original glory and better insulated, it was well worth the extra work.

There's something majestic about abstract or figural stained glass, which lets light in and offers privacy as well as colorful expression. If you don't personally want to keep them in your house, you could still work with a specialist to remove them and then look into re-selling them with an antique dealer. Perhaps this cool L.A. bungalow designed by Another Human will convince you to keep your stained glass and even let it inspire the color scheme and vibe.

Custom and handmade doors can be well worth keeping—not least of all because older doors are typically solid wood, unlike hollow or composite successors. This charming old door in the historic Kingsford Manor is a prime example. If you need to replace an old door, consider working with local craftsmen who can help you source the same wood species as was true to the period of the home and work with them to mimic the patina of the original piece.