The Ourso Home: A Masterpiece of Reclaimed Wood Dreams In The Works
Oor Founder and Master Woodworker Richard Ourso, transforming the home he shares with his wife Julie has been a 26-year labor of love, one room – and reclaimed wood element – at a time.
Read on to learn how he has customized his home into a place that showcases everything that’s beautiful about eco-friendly reclaimed wood – and made it a ‘forever’ home in the process.
A Labor of Love – One Room at a Time
Richard and Julie personally hand-built their home in 1994 and moved in January 1995. Both working full-time, the couple moonlit as their own contractors, with help from Richard’s fellow woodworker brother and friends, while busy raising their two young sons, Kyle and Mark.
In the mid-2000s, Richard remembers spending hours in his sawdust-sprinkled ‘workshop’ – his carport – resawing reclaimed pieces for wood flooring, wood cabinetry, trim, molding, and baseboards. He’d take the pieces to the millwork shop he once worked at and had them reshape the wood pieces as needed. His millwork buddies helped him reshape each piece and ready it for installation.
Over the years, Richard and Julie have transformed the home area by area. Through big projects and small, they’ve added thoughtful reclaimed wood touches in each room that bring an effortless sense of classic rustic style to their nest.
The home features:
- Original handcrafted hardwood flooring
- Hand-built wood cabinetry
- Custom wood trim and framing around doorways
- A custom-built mantel, fireplace, and wall paneling
- 9-foot ceilings, a feature Richard says does not limit the potential of creating a beautiful space
The couple’s progress on their home has, in a way, paralleled Richard’s career and rise as a professional designer and gifted woodworker.
He went from working in a millwork company to a full-time woodworker building cabinetry for a local firm to designing interior spaces on the computer. Eventually, he ascended to management and leadership roles that didn’t require his beloved coveralls.
By 2000, he was a Certified Kitchen Designer through the National Kitchen and Bath Association and dreamed of opening his own design firm.
In 2002, Richard founded Ourso Designs, a full-service interior space planning and product selection firm.
And in 2012, he launched The Olde Mill, introducing his own conceptualized reclaimed engineered wood beams, mantels, and floating shelves. He jumped at the opportunity to get back into those coveralls in The Olde Mill workshop.
Along the way, progress on the Ourso home never stopped and it continues to be the couple’s once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece.
The Oursos’ Latest Reclaimed Wood Additions
This past year, Richard and Julie completed the addition of a series of reclaimed wood accents throughout multiple rooms of their home. Namely, they added handcrafted floating shelves to beautify and add minimalist accents to their space. They also added an eye-catching, hand-built, custom wood plank surround to their master bathtub.
The Joy of Making Their Home Their Own
Of the 26-year project, Richard says it’s an awesome feeling coming home to a place where you’ve worked tirelessly to customize it and really make it your own.
“Our kids are grown and we’re now able to focus more on our house and continue adding our touches to it,” he says.
There’s a deep personal comfort Richard says he and Julie both feel in knowing that this is their home and this is what they’ve built together.
“We have no intention of moving,” Richard says. “And it may not be the biggest and prettiest house, but we’re not chasing the rainbow.”
They’ve already got their rainbow.
We’ll Help You Add to Your Rainbow!
Whether it’s a big project or small in the home you love – or a custom project for a home you’re building – we’d love to work with you to add unique reclaimed wood touches to your space. With our years of experience and our love of woodworking, we strive to make your vision come to life.
Browse our products and our gallery for ideas and inspiration. Then, reach out to us anytime for a consultation. We’d love to be a player on your design team. We’re ready to partner with you to meet your project goals and create a beautiful space.
