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.

Old-house lessons

SIDE NOTES

Old House Journal • VOLUME LI, ISSUE 2

Farmhouse Kitchen • Nostalgic yet practical items create a warm mood.

World of Metallics • From textiles to tableware, outfit with details that shimmer and glow.

Real Farmhouses • Varying by region, style, and age, true farm houses remain in every state.

HOPE AFTER THE FIRE • The preservation-minded owners of this 1899 Queen Anne house were determined to restore it.

DESIGN

Problem Solvers in Kitchen & Bath Design • WHAT’S BEHIND A SUCCESSFUL ROOM

UNIVERSAL DESIGN: WHY NOT?

The Well-appointed Kitchen, 1911 • From “Mott’s Modern Plumbing” catalog of the J. L. Mott Iron Works.

SPIRAL STAIRCASES

A Spanish Revival Bath • A recently tiled bath fits the period house so well, it looks original.

RESTORE

POSTWAR REVIVAL KITCHENS & BATHS EDITION

triage FOR OLD CABINETS

When Nothing Can Be Saved

SAVE IT if you can! • Reusing the kitchen cabinets that came with your Mid-century Modern home can save tens of thousands of dollars over replacements, even compared to modestly priced, semi-stock cabinets from a home-improvement store. The same goes for vintage bath fixtures and fittings, appliances, and windows and doors.

WHAT (OFTEN) can’t be saved • The hardest working surfaces are countertops and floors. After 60 years, even the most durable laminate countertop might be beyond saving because of burns, nicks, and the pattern layer wearing away with use and cleaning.

SHOPTOUR: MAKE IT MID-CENTURY • Susan Halla has always been a handy person. In 2017, she turned her aptitude for precision sawing and custom-layering of sparkly laminates into the company Make it Mid-Century, a supplier of mid-century-specific finishes. “I lived in a mid-century house and there were products I couldn’t find,” she says. “I thought if I was having a hard time, other people might be having a hard time, too.”

A Cleaner Outdoors • This spring, go electric and low tech in the garden.

My Periwinkle Pearl • Layered with upgrades and period touches, this bathroom was made over, transforming the space.

From Wash Bowl to Sink • Given the right preparation, patience, and light pressure, the diamond-saw blade made a clean cut on both sides of my new vessel sink.

A Truck Bed Met a Vintage Buffet • Unrelated bits make up a kitchen worktable.

When Planing Sash or Shutters • If you’re installing a restored window sash or shutters that have some new parts—or if you are fitting salvaged sash—the bottom edge may require some tailoring to the windowsill. Sills are built to shed water by slanting away from the building at an angle, usually from five to 10 degrees. Ideally, the lower portion of the window or shutter should contact the sill close to that angle to discourage blown rainwater, snow, dust, or even air from entering. Accomplish this by adding a bevel to the bottom rail. This lower edge has the end grain from two stiles and edge grain from the rail. When planing the bevel, treat the end grain separately by using a block plane to plane toward the center of the rail. The rail can then be planed, with the grain, without going beyond the stiles.

STUFF A HOMEOWNER SCREWED UP

INSPIRE

a chicken in the KITCHEN AND OTHER MARKS OF CHARACTER • tONY ELLIOTT WAS WORRIED ABOUT CONTINUITY. How would he deal with renovating a hodgepodge agglomeration of...