In their hometown of Moulton, Texas, Diana and Harvey Kloesel bought a 1903 Queen Anne Victorian house. Like most old-house owners, they made necessary upgrades and improvements over time. One big project was the renovation of the kitchen.
“The old kitchen was divided up, so there was very little space,” Diana says. “At holiday meals, we couldn’t all fit around the table.” At 15 by 20 feet, the room was big enough, but an awkwardly placed pantry (which gobbled up one window) made the layout choppy. A brick chimney, vestige of days when the house was heated by a wood stove, took up valuable real estate. A two-level island was too big, yet lacked storage. Appliances and countertops were outdated and unsightly, and the floor was covered with uninspiring sheet vinyl.
This story is from the January - February 2022 edition of Old House Journal.
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This story is from the January - February 2022 edition of Old House Journal.
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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.
Stacey Abrams: The two-time gubernatorial candidate on data leaks, electoral shenanigans, writing suspense novels, and her future in politics
I wrote my first attempt at a novel when I was 12. It was called The Diary of Angst. I was a very, very obnoxious 12-year-old who was just assailed by all the travails of the world
When She Was "It" – The 60s
You could find the "It" girls... at the Peppermint Lounge as teenagers before they moved on to the Scene a couple of years later, shopping for minidresses at Paraphernalia and Betsey Bunky Nini, getting up with Obetral and down with Valium, rooming at the Barbizon Hotel, popping in to see Andy Warhol at the Factory on 47th Street, pearing at the vintage racks of Limbo, buying their makeup at Cambridge Chemists, attending Be-Ins in Central Park, slopping for a 2 a.m. omelet or shrimp-and-lobster salad at the Brasserie on Park Avenue.
PRETTY CAMILLA DISSES DIANA!
Hires dead rival's designer to craft coronation gown
The Diana Only I Knew
SARAH \"FERGIE\" FERGUSON IS LOOKING BACK ON HER CLOSE AND COMPLICATED FRIENDSHIP WITH THE LATE PRINCESS DIANA.
Τimes of the Sign
The Hollywood sign began its life, fittingly enough, as a flashy billboard no more permanent than a film set. In the 100 years since. it has been rebuilt, rebranded, and reborn as a beacon for aspiring stars from around the world and a reminder of just how few dreams of fame and fortune come true.
Diana's LONG LOST LETTERS FOUND
As emotional notes written by Princess Di are unearthed,King Charles faces a new crisis
\"Finally...I can breathe easy again!\"
For years, Diana Packard’s inability to breathe through her nose left her exhausted and struggling with sleep apnea...until a state-of-the-art and noninvasive procedure changed everything!
\"Peppermint oil eased my pain!\"
For more than four years, the slightest touch to the side of Diana Crabb's face felt like electric shocks. Medication didn't help and nerve surgery terrified her. Then a Christmas phone call to a friend led to the amazing gift of relief!
SUBMARINE TRAITORS ARE TOAST!
Caged for decades after peddling Navy secrets in sandwich
Found 25 years after Paris tragedy - PROOF ROYALS BURIED DIANA MURDER EVIDENCE!
Hid damning document from French lawmen probing death crash