By Elizabeth Betts Hickman
The Nashville Tennessean

"I've never lived in a new house," says Bill Powell of Nashville, Tenn., who loves architectural features from old houses. Such pieces can be incorporated into new construction, he says. The Tennessean/SHELLEY MAYS

In today's personalized, individualized world, more consumers are buying clothing with a monogram, ordering a sofa with the fabric they want or changing a floor plan to suit their needs.

And when it comes to their homes, they're looking for one-of-a-kind items that make their house different from everyone else's.

That might be why architectural antiques, or fragments of old buildings, are increasing in popularity. People who love country style might choose an old door, while fans of modernism might snap up an elegant piece of stained glass from the 1930s.

"They want things nobody else has," says Bill Powell, a custom builder and folk art dealer who has collected architectural antiques for decades and often incorporates them into new houses.

While not a new concept, the idea of using architectural antiques in a residential setting is becoming widespread.

"They are available and they are affordable," says Elizabeth Kramer, co-founder and producer of an annual antiques show in Nashville.

"The trend is to use architectural elements in the interiors," she says, noting that while some people will incorporate old pieces into new construction, others just want a piece of the past - literally. "People are hanging a door on a wall. They're viewing them as objects of art."

And they're looking for things for use outside - gates, pieces of ironwork, says Jeff Starnes, president of Gregg's Antiques on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine.

For indoors, people are looking for old doors and mantels, says Starnes, who said most of his inventory is from the Tristate.

Doors, mantels, chandeliers and stained glass are the most-requested salvage items at the Wooden Nickel, downtown and in Lebanon, says owner Michael Williams.

Powell doesn't like to throw things away, and as he puts it, "people are throwing things away that are very valuable."

In a sense, what he does is recycling, and since he majored in art, it's not a surprise that he approaches his work as an artist.

"In some respect, it's like an environmental artist or an assemblage artist," says the Huntsville, Ala., native. As a student at the University of North Alabama he met a man tearing down an old house and was intrigued.

"I loved old houses even then," recalls Powell, who began working for the man, who in turn paid him with materials.

"We went on to tear down a bunch of houses. He started with the last piece put on and worked back from there ...That's the biggest problem (with architectural antiques).

"People don't know how to dismantle and take things out, and it's an art."

These days, he notes, there is a lot more appreciation for old buildings, which might mean fewer architectural antiques in the future.

"Fortunately, they're not pulling down as many old structures as they used to," he says, noting that federal tax laws also have encouraged the renovation and reuse of old commercial buildings. Old houses have plenty of fans, too.

This demolition slowdown has affected the local supply of architectural salvage, as has the abundance of new pieces made to look old that can be found in numerous stores and catalogs, Williams says.

"Twenty years ago, when these things got hot, you had to find them at a salvage shop. Now, there is a lot of product out there."

These new pieces may look good, but they don't have the same character, he says.

Usually, pieces of architectural salvage are used to add interest to a newer house, or even to a single room.

Nevertheless, Powell advocates building a whole house from old materials.

"It's like living in an old house," he says. "Every door in my house is old, and it softens it up. It has a history. You think about the people. The material you get now is so cold, and antique material is so warm. It has a lot of character."

Architectural antiques

Widely available: Old doors (because there are always a lot of them), windows, mantels, baseboards, old wood for flooring, stained glass.

Not as available: Original stenciled or decorative painted boards.

Uses for architectural antiques: Build them into your new house during construction (have the piece on site before the framing stage, though) or hang pieces as art. Gates can become pot racks, railings for balconies or gates in a garden. Finials can become table bases, and windows can become mirrors.