Old House Journal

The Original Restoration Magazine for people who are passionate about old houses to repair, rehabilitate, update, and decorate their homes; covering all classic American architectural styles,—from the earliest Colonial-era buildings to grand Victorians of every variety to Arts & Crafts bungalows and mid-century ranches.

Surprising, whimsical, unpredictable

SIDE NOTES

Old House Journal • VOLUME XLVIII, ISSUE 1

Ah-mbiance! • Setting a mood with lighting.

Statement Lights • These make stunning focal points.

To the Task • Light where you need it most.

Fixer Uppers • Why settle for any old house that “needs work,” when you can have a genuine historic house for your trouble? These five come with provenance.

ARTS & CRAFTS FOR 100 YEARS • The bungalow retained its original integrity, so our upgrades had to follow suit, and last.

DESIGN

considering the MANTEL • Like the staircase, a mantel is a prominent millwork element that may define the style of the house, if not its date. If yours is original and fits the house, wonderful! Be respectful in any upgrading. If your house is missing a mantel (or several), or you’re planning to add a fireplace, consider how proportions, materials, and styles changed over time. For every period, multiple design options exist.

STYLES by era • The progression of styles is fluid, with overlaps and time delays outside of urban areas. Colonial (Georgian) raised-panel fireplace wall treatments appear in houses built as late as 1840. A prefab mantel ordered from a catalog may not be in sync with other elements of a 1920s house.

SIZING IT UP

FIREPLACE SURROUNDS

Anatomy of a Fireplace

mantel SCAPES • Bring out the inherent (or preferred) style of your bungalow or Colonial Revival house with a well-dressed hearth and mantel.

MANTEL beauty • Antique, vintage, and reproduction fireplace mantels and accessories are available for your new construction or to enhance an existing fireplace.

Color & Stencils in a 1910 Bedroom • From Your Home and its Decoration, Sherwin–Williams paint company.

Prairie Bath Suite for a Sears House • Redundant small bedrooms were reconfigured to create a functional bath suite—without adding on.

HISTORIC PENDLETON BLANKETS

RESTORE

on repairs to STAIRS • Tread and riser, baluster and handrail: a staircase can be merely utilitarian or a stunning work of art. There are many ways to build a staircase—box or spiral, dogleg or winding—and infinitely more ways for these complex structures to develop creaks, sags, or leans. Given the three-dimensional geometry, it’s sometimes hard to know whether a repair will be simple or a complicated puzzle.

LANGUAGE of the Staircase

SHOPTOUR: • Tremont Nail has been making square-cut nails in Massachusetts for more than 200 years, far longer than any other U.S. nail maker. There are 29 different types of nails in their catalog, from common, masonry, and clinch roseheads to the fine finishing nails used in flooring and stair repair.

Clean, Warm, Beautiful • Make your fireplace a focal point this winter.

Keeping the Chimney Well-equipped and Safe • Liners, dampers, fire brick, and chimney caps all play protective roles in fireplace safety and comfort.

Home-Built Indoor Scaffolds • Safety courses are given on proper use of scaffolding, Inside, though, using a low platform is often safer than a ladder.

STUFF THE LAST OWNER SCREWED UP

Recessed Medicine Cabinet • —with a salvaged mirror as a door.

Hinge Secrets

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Repairing Plaster Crown Moulding

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