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.

The comfortable house

Old House Journal

Infusing with Arts & Crafts • These textiles add softness, color, and interest to any house.

Burnished & Gleaming • Embracing the beauty and longevity of copper.

Bigger than a Bungalow • Arts & Crafts-era houses also come in bigger packages: Craftsman, Prairie, English Cottage & more.

TAKING A CHANCE ON AN OLD HOUSE • Three families go in on a renovation, gaining knowledge and finding success as they adopt preservation guidelines.

DESIGN

Interpreting Period Built-ins today • Bookcases, buffets, nooks, and benches—all up for reimagining with reference to the best 20th-century models.

BOOKCASES & shelves

SIDEBOARDS & cupboards

Built-Ins • restorat ion + design

BENCHES & inglenooks

Glass in the Mantel, 1911 • Illustration from Modern Mantels, a catalog and handbook from the Knoxville Furniture Company of Knoxville, Tennessee.

New Craftsman in a ’20s House • This generous modern kitchen is a perfect fit for the old house.

TILED FOUNTAINS

RESTORE

WINDOW SASH CLINC • Antique windows are one of the enchanting architectural elements that set an older home apart. While I’m an equal opportunity lover of all old windows, my expertise comes from restoring my 1886 Victorian, which has double-hung sash operated on ropes and pulleys.

Help for Dry Wood

SHOPTOUR:

Task Masters • Chip, strip, reglaze: then stow on a unique shelf system.

Caring For Your Antique Clock • Old clocks are a popular collectible; commonsense guidelines keep things ticking.

Myths & Clocks • our common myths about old clocks, and the truth behind each.

WHEN BUYING AN OLD CLOCK

A She Shed of Sashes • Made up of mismatched vintage windows, this shed is a sunny retreat.

Removing Stop Moulding • Those restoring or maintaining an old house will need to remove a moulding from time to time. A common example: Whenever you take out double-hung window sash (to repair ropes or chains, replace glass or reputty, or do a full window restoration), you have to remove the stop mouldings. These often are locked into the jamb with miter joints at both ends—necessitating that you bow the moulding just a bit to allow the nails to clear the wood. Most wood species do not bend sufficiently and consequently split or break. (You may have encountered “two-piece” stop mouldings, where a broken moulding has been forced together and nailed in place.) When you reinstall stop moulding, consider using trim head screws left flush to the surface, so the next homeowner will have it easier.

ASK OLD HOUSE JOURNAL

INSPIRE

THE ESSENCE OF HOME • WITH AN ARTIST’S EYE, CURA TED COLLECTIONS, AND A WHOLE NEW PALETTE FOR ROOMS INSIDE, GWEN JONES FINE-TUNES A HANDSOME 1916 BUNGALOW.

THE BUNGALOW, 1890–1930 • A BELOVED TYPE ALIGNED WITH AMERICAN ARTS & CRAFTS.

ROSEDALE • The Restoration of an Antebellum Villa

CONSERVATORS HIRED • By the time major restoration projects were done, Gene and Leigh had decided to bring the interiors back to their original, mid-19th-century grandeur. They engaged the architectural conservator George Fore, who developed a several-hundred-page historic-finishes analysis of Rosedale.

FLORID MID-VICTORIAN STYLES • GET TO KNOW ROCOCO AND RENAISSANCE, BEL TER & HER TER.

Victorian Rococo and Renaissance •...