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FURNISHING A MIDWEST FOURSQUARE

Old House Journal

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Renovation Lookbook 2025

With well-proportioned rooms and period details, a familiar house type shines again.

- Patricia Poore

FURNISHING A MIDWEST FOURSQUARE

Pam and Kevin Johnson followed their pas-sion when they bought this transitional 1901 house that has late-Victorian and Arts & Crafts elements, undertaking a substantial restoration of the exterior and rooms inside.

The dining room retained its built-in china hutch and wainscoting. But the rest of the woodwork had been slathered in multiple coats of caked white enamel, so the oak woodwork was removed from walls to be stripped off site, then reinstalled. Wallpapers by Morris & Co., Trustworth Studios, and Bradbury & Bradbury bring color and pattern to generously sized rooms.

The new siding was painted in Middlebury Brown, with trim in Welcome White and accents in Marblehead Gold (Benjamin Moore). Missing balusters were replaced; storm windows from Marvin protect the original stained-glass windows. Pam and Kevin Johnson followed their pas-sion when they bought this transitional 1901 house that has late-Victorian and Arts & Crafts elements, undertaking a substantial restoration of the exterior and rooms inside.

The dining room retained its built-in china hutch and wainscoting. But the rest of the woodwork had been slathered in multiple coats of caked white enamel, so the oak woodwork was removed from walls to be stripped off site, then reinstalled. Wallpapers by Morris & Co., Trustworth Studios, and Bradbury & Bradbury bring color and pattern to generously sized rooms.

The new siding was painted in Middlebury Brown, with trim in Welcome White and accents in Marblehead Gold (Benjamin Moore). Missing balusters were replaced; storm windows from Marvin protect the original stained-glass windows.

image1. ARTS & CRAFTS AESTHETIC

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