Old House Journal - May - June 2023

FORMAL ORNAMENTAL DESIGNS

EARLY GARDEN TYPES AGAIN IN FASHION.

at River Road Farm

Uncultivated land around an 18th-century farmhouse slowly became a series of garden rooms, formal but not overly structured.

MOTIFS OF THE COLONIAL STYLES

DESIGN CONVENTIONS FOR EARLY & REVIVAL HOMES.

A NEW KITCHEN WITH A PRESERVATION ETHIC

Before 1994, when she fell in love with and bought this house, Sarah Blank hadn't heard of Royal Barry Wills. Then she learned that the Cape, built in 1957, in New Canaan, Connecticut, was typical of the work of the famous Colonial Revival architect who was a prolific designer as well as America's best-selling architectural writer. A Massachusetts native who opened his Boston firm in 1925, Wills loved New England's small, historic houses and made a specialty of designing updated yet authentically proportioned versions of Capes, saltboxes, and garrison colonials. Hundreds of his houses stand, including the 1500-square-foot Cape that Blank proceeded to enlarge.

The House that APOTTERY BUILT

William Day Gates, founder of an important terra-cotta tile and pottery company, built his retirement home in 1927. Decades later, it would take a knowledgeable Arts & Crafts collector to save the abandoned house in Illinois. Chicago architect John Eifler helped guide the restoration: \"The house is a terra cotta and pottery catalog!\" he says.

Carpeting the Stairs

A staircase runner adds comfort and safety, color, pattern, and a period touch.

comeback FLOORS

Floors hand-cut or milled from old-growth woods can withstand decades of abuse. Over the arc of time, however, settling and subsidence, careless repairs, and damage from water or pets create challenges for even these hardy survivors.

Arts & Crafts Design, Built In

A modern kitchen has the appeal of an Arts & Crafts living room.

original period built-ins PERMANENT FURNITURE FOR EVERY ERA

Bookcases and buffets, inglenooks and china cabinets, window benches & more: original builtin furniture from any period inspires new work today.

A DEFT REFURBISHMENT

With features missing or unsalvageable, the house needed a facelift-in keeping with the architecture.