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Old House Journal
DESIGNING for outdoor spaces SITE PLANNING AND THE ARCHITECTURE
Site planning and a consistent architectural vision made sense of this unique double lot near the sea in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Architect Frank Shirley “integrated two properties and made this a special place to be,” the homeowner says. Outbuildings, two of them newly designed and built, are critical to the overall design, providing not only additional space but also protection from the street. New porches, formal elements of hardscape, and plantings tie it together.
3 min |
June 2020
Old House Journal
Reproducing HISTORIC Wallpapers
Wallpaper remains the quintessential room decoration. If you’re looking for a historic or specific pattern, be encouraged.
10+ min |
June 2020
Old House Journal
Exotic Comforts in a Master Suite
If the bedroom in your 1882 Queen Anne Victorian has a gilded ceiling, what is the bathroom like?
2 min |
June 2020
Old House Journal
The Siding Question
To refresh siding on your house, look for materials close to the original in cut, grain, dimension, and appearance.
3 min |
June 2020
Old House Journal
Collecting Enchantment
What if you bought a Victorian farmhouse and, endeavoring to learn about the period, became entranced? You might design Aesthetic and Rococo parlors, a Sheraton Revivaldining room, and a kitchen with Anglo–Japanese notes.
5 min |
June 2020
Old House Journal
Avondale Farm AN IMAGINATIVE REBIRTH
The ca. 1735 house was disassembled and rebuilt on a new foundation, a rescued 1742 banquet hall appended to it, an addition in Greek Revival style built for the kitchen, and a Maine barn added to the property.
2 min |
June 2020
Old House Journal
Chairs Become Dog Beds
A dog-loving couple create unique pet furniture.
2 min |
June 2020
Old House Journal
An Artful Approach FOR A 1755 COLONIAL
Attracting the right owners through subsequent generations, this Connecticut house remains true to its period.
4 min |
June 2020
Old House Journal
A UNIQUE RESCUE
This couple refurbished an “obsolete” duplex dwelling, built-in 1899 as factory-worker housing.
1 min |
June 2020
Old House Journal
REMEDIES FOR STAINLESS STEEL
The best approach to refreshing a scratched stainless steel surface is to clean and polish the entire sink, using the least abrasive methods possible, plus a lot of elbow grease.
3 min |
May 2020
Old House Journal
TUDOR ARTS & CRAFTS HOUSES
THE MELDING OF TWO STYLES WITH SIMILAR ROOTS, 1890–1920. By Patricia Poore
4 min |
May 2020
Old House Journal
TRANSITIONAL TUDOR
A UNIQUE MIX OF TUDOR REVIVAL AND ARTS & CRAFTS DESIGN, THIS 1912 HOUSE IN PORTLAND, OREGON, REMAINED REMARKABLY INTACT.
4 min |
May 2020
Old House Journal
RESILIENTS BOUNCING BACK
These floors continue to evolve, adapting recycled and natural materials for flooring that looks better and lasts longer.
4 min |
May 2020
Old House Journal
A TRIO OF MODERN MASTERS
COLLECTING BRUTALIST AND MODERN PIECES 1950–1970.
2 min |
May 2020
Old House Journal
Happy Kitchen for a Postwar Home
Most homebuyers would tear out a 1940s kitchen; this owner went in the opposite direction.
2 min |
May 2020
Old House Journal
BENCH with a Secret
Found beadboard covers an HVAC return, providing seating and future access.
2 min |
May 2020
Old House Journal
Bell Roof in Lanaudière
Two generations have contributed their talents to this picturesque house, built in 1920 and filled with old-fashioned charm: heavy beams, the ceilings, and a fieldstone fireplace.
3 min |
May 2020
Old House Journal
A Modern House of stone+glass
DEFT UPDATES TO THIS 1951 SEATTLE HOUSE BROUGHT OUT ITS BEST ORIGINAL FEATURES: WALLS OF GLASS, BURNISHED WOODWORK AND BUILT-INS, CURVING GLASS BLOCK, AND MODERN ELEGANCE.
3 min |
May 2020
Old House Journal
A CASE FOR PRESERVATION
A post-Civil war house in a historic district enjoys a dramatic reversal of fortune.
2 min |
May 2020
Old House Journal
A Bathroom – Art Deco & Barrier Free
Kathy Adamson had very specific ideas about what she wanted for her octogenarian mother’s bathroom.
2 min |
March - April 2020
Old House Journal
THE RESTORATION OF ancient Oaks
COMING HOME: OLD FAMILY STORIES AND LETTERS GUIDED THIS COUPLE AS THEY TOOK ON THE REFURBISHMENT OF A GRAND GREEK REVIVAL HOUSE BUILT IN 1856—BY HER THREE-TIMES GREAT-GRANDFATHER.
3 min |
March - April 2020
Old House Journal
the UNIVERSAL HOME
For many old houses, it would be difficult and prohibitively expensive to create accessibility throughout. That doesn’t mean we should ignore the commonsense principles of Universal Design when adding on or renovating—especially when it comes to the entry, kitchen, and bath.
3 min |
March - April 2020
Old House Journal
making their mark
LIVING IN AN OLD KENTUCKY HOUSE WITH A STORIED PAST.
4 min |
March - April 2020
Old House Journal
Lights, Going Up!
Industrial-chic, oversize wall sconces can be made from repurposed elevator indicator lights.
2 min |
March - April 2020
Old House Journal
FROM AWKWARD TO STYLISH
A bump-up in rear roof height, a new kitchen, and upgraded interior trim turned our charm-deficient house into a livable home.
2 min |
March - April 2020
Old House Journal
ARTS & CRAFTS FOR 100 YEARS
The bungalow retained its original integrity, so our upgrades had to follow suit, and last.
2 min |
January - February 2020
Old House Journal
AN AMERICAN HOUSE The Essence of Traditional Wills in Vermont
Nothing captures American tradition like the respectfully modest, perfectly proportioned houses of Royal Barry Wills, the mid-century New England firm that specialized in Colonial Revival homes and reintroduced Cape Cod style.
3 min |
January - February 2020
Old House Journal
Keeping the Chimney Well-equipped and Safe
Liners, dampers, fire brick, and chimney caps all play protective roles in fireplace safety and comfort.
3 min |
January - February 2020
Old House Journal
A NEIGHBORHOOD FOURSQUARE
Despite good bones, the house built in 1900“was in very poor condition,” says Aaron Pempel, who’d long wanted to restore a rundown house. “The first floor had been used as commercial office space without a kitchen or bath; the second floor was residential.”Indeed, the interior was a forlorn mash-up, made worse by the building sitting vacant. The Nike executive had discovered the abandoned house in the same Northwest Portland (Oregon) neighborhood where he and his wife, Kristen, and their son live.
3 min |
January - February 2020
Old House Journal
Radical Restoration
After a 1960s remodeling that succeeded in changing its very style, the Craftsman house in Portland, Oregon, was virtually unrecognizable. Then the right family came along.
3 min |