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.

Attention to details

SIDE NOTES

Old House Journal • VOLUME XLIX, ISSUE 5

Arts & Crafts Mode • To complement Bungalows, Foursquares, Tudors & more.

On the Outside • Hardware essentials from front door to garden gate.

Cute, Historic, Cheap • We scoured the country for historic houses priced under $200,000. And yes, some of these need more work than others.

CORRECTING PIECEMEAL ADD-ONS • Hidden by overgrown lattice and fencing, its interior filled with odd little rooms and level changes, the Greco–Gothic house retained its charm, but needed rethinking.

DESIGN

What’s on the walls? PAINT, WALLPAPER, DADO & FRIEZE • Powder rooms are a favorite place to find a creative use of wallpaper today. People aren’t afraid of pattern and color, it seems, when creating a jewel-box in a small space. In other rooms, they’re using paper (peel-and-stick?) or a bold color on just one wall. It’s a start! • My own 1904 house has shellacked beadboard, Arts & Crafts paper friezes in bedrooms, and pigmented plaster in the dining room. Nevertheless, it’s downright conventional compared to many of the homes I’ve toured and the options still available. I can’t help but see white walls as primed for a finish.

WALLS vocabulary

THE HISTORY IS RICH • Traditions survive, but you can find precedent for anything you might want to do. Color and pattern have been intense since Pompeii; early American houses wore Prussian blue and salmon, and used wallpaper borders we find almost garish today. Muted tone-on-tone patterns always have been an alternative to more colorful schemes. Paper has migrated to ceilings, and been cut and decoupaged. Mural papers are a reminder that a similar but unique treatment may be done with freehand painting.

wall PAPER

the painted wall

COPPER & MICA LAMPS

Entitled “A Living Room,” 1912 • This room scheme was designed by the L. & J.G. Stickley company for a decorating book

New Kitchen in Vintage Clothing • Custom finishes and cabinetwork make the design fit seamlessly into the 1900 farmhouse.

RESTORE

the LED DILEMMA • The old joke about how many people it takes to change a light bulb takes on new meaning as lighting technology continues to evolve. Happily, you can beat the blues and buzz.

the right Kelvin

WHAT’S A CRI RATING?

SPOTS: SMALLER & PRETTIER

SHOPTOUR: OLD CALIFORNIA LIGHTING • In early 2020, Craig Richard bought Old California Lighting from his father, who is company founder Tom Richard. Weeks later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Business could have taken a disastrous turn. Instead, “I found myself completely overwhelmed with orders,” says Craig, who formerly managed day-to-day operations for OCL. “Broke every record in the book.”

unplanned obsolescence?

Get a Grip • From adhesives to a vise: products to mend, join, or repair.

A Handle on Hardware • Tips for choosing cabinet hardware for the kitchen, if you’re into authenticity.

The Singer Vanity • Nostalgia for her mom’s old treadle sewing machine led to a creative reuse.

Wallpaper Wrap-up • Here’s a quick tutorial about wallpapering: what are your options; how to hang it; handling corners; adhesives to use.

Painting Assembled Elements

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INSPIRE

unexpected INHERITANCE • Finding themselves in possession of a large, important, whimsical, and historic house...