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.

End-of-year Favorites

SIDE NOTES

Old House Journal

Holiday Home • Any of these would be a welcome gift for an old-house friend or for an artful home . . . including your own.

Diamonds! • An eternal motif for objects around the house.

Endangered Ones • Houses in distress—every style, pretty cheap—and worthy of restoration, as long as the right buyer comes along in time.

MANTELS in a Holiday Mood • Pretty things from nature are always in style.

DESIGN

How BIG should it be? RUG, CHANDELIER, MANTEL, ISLAND • Absolute size is important: Will it fit and be functional? Equally important are scale and proportion. Oddy enough, people often purchase rugs and chandeliers too small for the space … while mantels and kitchen islands may be designed too big. Manufacturers and designers can offer guidelines, but each situation is unique: a large room with a low ceiling has a smaller volume than standard; one chandelier takes up more visual space than another, affecting ideal diameter and hanging height. Best bet: painter’s tape and cardboard! Mark out a proposed rug on the floor. Mock up an island with boxes and work around it for a few days.

FAUX BAMBOO

Transitional Built-ins & Trim • From the 1917 “Woodwork” catalog of Curtis Lumber & Millwork

Simple Craftsman Roots Revived • A “clean but sterile” 1914 kitchen is treated to bungalow-era design.

A Surprisingly Authentic Bath • The replicated, late-Victorian master bathroom is in an 1892 brick manse in St. Louis, Missouri.

RESTORE

MOVING toward • Changing energy markets and evolving technology make it possible to heat, cool, and ventilate homes of any age with (mostly) clean, all-electric power—and less of it. Heating home water, formerly an energy hog, is turning into an energy sipper, too.

New Ducts IN AN OLD HOUSE

Caring for Silverplate • Whether the design is Rococo, Aesthetic, or Art Deco, silverplate is collectible—and needs care.

A Furnished Bath • This elegant bathroom has fixture panels fabricated from parts of a Victorian armoire.

Leather Care and Cleaning • Expert advice on how to keep leather furniture looking its best.

Resurfacing Spalled Brick • Older (softer) bricks may be damaged if repointed with Portland cement-based mortar. Water vapor can’t pass through modern mortar, so moisture passes through the brick. Spalling (fragments of brick falling off) happens when the vapor condenses to liquid water and then freezes. Or, as it evaporates, it may leave behind crystallizing salts that can crack the brick surface. Spalling also occurs when brickwork is painted with oil-based or heavy “masonry” paints that aren’t permeable. Finally, older bricks scoured by wind and rain may develop surface cavities once the outer “fireskin” has worn away. A contractor sandblasting brick to remove paint accelerates the process.

ASK OLD HOUSE JOURNAL

INSPIRE

A HOME FULL OF CHARACTER • Smaller homes like this 1920s Dutch Colonial so often get overlooked as worthy of restoration. Owners don’t think they’re special . . . or they add on or remodel until the original is unrecognizable. This owner saw the potential.

DUTCH COLONIAL REVIVAL • NOSTALGIC AND BELOVED, THE STYLE EVOLVED BETWEEN THE 1880S AND 1940.

The Rescue of Portland’s FIREHOUSE 17 • IN WHAT BECAME THE PROJECT OF LIFETIME, THE REHABILITATION OF A 1912 FIREHOUSE IS ADAPTIVE REUSE WITH HEART AND SOUL....