Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Old House Journal

In this end-of-year issue, we publish stories juried by editors, then picked for publication according to the volume of engagement, on Facebook and Instagram, over the course of the year. See which bathroom and kitchen from our archives were best loved: People like cozy, nostalgic cottage kitchens, apparently, and they voted for an ethereal California bathroom with antiques and Deco allusions. Up front in the issue, we’ve included practical, beautiful, unique, and fun things that might make a nice gift for friends—or for your own house. Our DESIGN article chronicles, in a series of pithy takeaways, one interior designer’s project “unmuddling” (or de-remodeling) an awkward part of the house. It’s her own home, and she had plenty of time to plan exactly what she wanted for her family. A boot…

1. MISSION INCENSE This Fair Trade incense burner modeled on the San Juan Pueblo mission church, built in 1598, can double as holiday decoration. Handmade in New Mexico, it measures 4" x 4" x 2 ¾". It arrives with a 36-count bag of cedar and piñon incense: $39.95. ClearLight, (505) 501-7566, clearlightnm.com 2. ART FROM NATURE The Desert Tree table lamp combines a hand-blown art-glass base by Lindsay Fine Art Glass and an art mica shade with impressed natural leaves. Overall it measures 23" tall x 21" wide and takes three 75-watt (or equivalent) bulbs. Sue Johnson Custom Lamps, (510) 527-2623, suejohnsonlamps.com 3. TAILORED COMFORT A collaboration between craftspeople in Maine and New Zealand, the stool’s coal-shovel seat is hand-shaped from cherry or walnut. With turned ash legs. it’s sold…

Doreen Hampton says it all started with a chatty vendor. At an antiques-show booth in 1993, she was lingering over a pair of Christmas-tree ornaments when the seller turned her into a collector. “I caught the bug,” Doreen admits. Two years later, she attended the Golden Glow of Christmas Past annual July convention, and has been in over her head ever since. How many ornaments has she collected? “I can’t even guess!” Although she could decorate to the hilt her 1954 Colonial-style house in Litchfield, Connecticut, that’s not her style. She concentrates on two stunning trees, large and tabletop, framing them in white space: fresh and clean colors in walls and upholstery. Timing herself one year, she clocked nine hours to dress the main tree with lights and hundreds of…

Even if the house has 200-amp service, that does not meaning all the wiring in the house is up to code. In real-estate speak, many older houses have “mixed” wiring, from ungrounded knob-and-tube that predates World War II to aluminum wiring installed in the 1970s. If the inspection indicates that the wiring is a safety hazard, you are looking at a big-ticket repair, perhaps $20,000 or more to rewire the whole house. | When the “mixed” term is applied to plumbing, that means you’ll likely find everything from cast-iron waste or vent pipes and copper delivery lines to galvanized pipes and modern PVC. Low water pressure may be a sign that some of the older iron or galvanized pipes are corroded or blocked. While they may eventually need replacing, this…

Flood-insurance rates are projected to rise in the next few years, so check the flood-zone status of any house under consideration. Some flood-prone areas include flood-zone status as part of real-estate disclosure information—but many don’t. FEMA flood-zone maps, detailed down to the individual parcel, are usually available online (look under the .gov for your town or county, then search tax parcel information). If you’d like to add on in a flood zone, you may be forced to raise the house above the base flood elevation. Raising even a small house costs $20,000 or more.…

Her peacock was more like a white elephant, the seller admitted. The two-foot-tall vase, painted white, was just taking up space. But when one buyer saw it online, he knew its history right away: This was actually a somewhat rare bit of 19th-century English pottery. Designed in the 1880s by none other than Christopher Dresser, for William Ault Pottery of Swadlincote, Derbyshire, the moon flask-shaped vase is punctuated with holes along the top for the display of a fan of peacock feathers. So Aesthetic Movement! bringing it back 1. SOAKING THE PAINT OFF The piece was unrecognizable, its shiny majolica glaze obscured under a thick coat of dirty white paint. Paint removal depends on the type of paint and the original glaze. A well-applied and fired glaze will stand up…

The vernacular English Queen Anne was met in this country by a tradition of wood-frame construction and the abundance of affordable, machine-turned and -sawn ornament. Queen Anne often is called “the first national style,” because pattern books, advertising, and railroads allowed them to be built from coast to coast. The English Queen Anne movement was familiar to architects and builders in the U.S., through magazine articles. Interest in this more vernacular and nostalgic architecture led to the development of the Queen Anne, Shingle Style, and Tudor and Elizabethan Revivals in this country. Of all these, the Queen Anne was most popular. Who can’t identify these late Victorian confections, capacious and comfortable, the quintessential “old house with nooks and crannies,” towers and bays? ROBUST BUT LIGHTHEARTED exteriors, with their sprawling façades,…

At the turn of the 20th century, St. Louis, Missouri, was the nation’s fourth largest city. Mansions lined the streets; the opulent train station, filled with stained glass and decorated tiles, was said to be the busiest in the country. The city was abuzz over the upcoming 1904 World’s Fair. Lewis Dozier caught the spirit of celebration. A prominent soda-cracker manufacturer (his company later would become Nabisco), Dozier built, in 1896, a 12,000-square-foot mansion in the florid, academic Beaux Arts style. Set in the fashionable Westmoreland Place neighborhood, the location of the house was ideal: just across from Forest Park, the site of the upcoming Fair. Dozier, who was on the Fair’s Steering Committee, designed his home with the event in mind. The second and third floors were devoted to…

SEASONAL DECORATING Westwood Lighting & Salvage Co. westwoodlightingandsalvage.com Antique-style electric Christmas wreath candle light UNMUDDLED DESIGNER Amy Mitchell, Home Glow Design homeglowdesign.com WINDOWS Architect Series Pella pella.com WOOD FLOORS t&g heart pine finished by Olde Tyme Craftsmen nhwoodfloors.com CABINETS custom LKM Design lkm-design.com COUNTERS Olympian White Select Vermont Danby Marble vermontdanbymarble.com RANGE ‘Elise’ in Midnight Blue AGA aga-ranges.com FIRECLAY SINK Shaws Original by Rohl rohlhome.com SOAP DISPENSERS Urban Ember urbanember.com PENDANT LIGHTS Hector Finch hectorfinch.com LIGHTING Dandelion chandelier & sink fixture Hudson Valley Lighting hudson-valleylighting. hvlgroup.com KITCHEN HARDWARE House of Antique Hardware houseofantiquehardware.com WOOD STOVE Pacific Energy pacificenergy.net LAMPSHADE Cruel Mountain Designs etsy.com/shop/CruelMountain BLUE COFFEE TABLE Gat Creek gatcreek.com WALLPAPER ‘Baxter’ from Anna French Small Scale Collection through Thibaut Design thibautdesign.com COTTAGE KITCHEN DESIGNER Susan Booth, Vintage Kitchens, Concord, NH: vintagekitchens.com…

KITCHEN THINK A guide to design and construction: that’s the promise of this brains-on and handson book from accomplished woodworker Nancy Hiller. She explains what true custom cabinetry means, not so much as a luxury but often an affordable necessity. She shares her own efficient, hybrid method for building and installing cabinets. She covers how to build an island and a plate rack, dos and don’ts for storage at inside corners, scribing a countertop in an awkward space. Later chapters visit finished and period-inspired kitchens. This book is helpful to old-house owners; it was written, too, for woodworkers and designers. “I see no reason to replicate the many [good books and videos on cabinetmaking],” Hiller writes, “instead, [I offer] a perspective on kitchen remodeling as a driver of often wasteful…

1. DOME PLANTER In an intense red-orange, the mid-century-inspired Dome Pot may be used indoors or out. Resting on the included stand, it’s 23" tall by 14 ¼" wide. The planter does not have a drainage hole, keeping it safe for floors and furniture: $400. Bauer Pottery, (888) 213-0800, bauerpottery.com 2. KNOT FOR ETERNITY The two-toned, iridescent Trinity Knot tile from the Celtic collection represents the interrelatedness of life, death, and rebirth. Individually hand-pressed in stoneware, the 6" x 6" tile has slight glaze variations typical of hand work. Each, $125. Pewabic Pottery, (313) 626-2000, pewabic.org 3. VICTORIAN FINERY The Victorian Jewel knob and pull are shown here in Brite Nickel crowned with natural green aventurine stones. (Other stones and finishes available.) The pull is 3 7/8" x 1 ¼"…

Good planning: I’m an interior designer, but I still needed a team. Vermont’s Sandra Vitzthum, much-published in OHJ, was my consulting architect. It was she who saw that “reimposing the historic structure,” by reclaiming the old summer kitchen as today’s kitchen, would inform the rest of the project. Kitchen designer Lisa Muskat of LKM Design was invaluable in designing the implied fireplace alcove for the stove, and other custom details. (Lisa, too, owns a 1790 house, so she gets it.) General contractor Jim Duval, of JD Construction in Bow, N.H., understood my vision and was invaluable in carrying it out. Creating a focal point This vintage-style, blue-enameled range in an alcove is the single most critical piece of the kitchen, after the raised ceiling and additional windows. The alcove is…

Putty Versatile The 1" flexible high-carbon steel putty knife may be the most versatile tool in the house. Use it to apply joint compound, spackle and fill holes in walls, pry up carpet staples, and of course, to putty a window. $3.79. Hyde Tools, (888) 211-8621, hydesstore.com Tighten Up Consider that Phillips-head screws didn’t appear until 1933. (Flat-head screws were invented in 1744.) That’s reason enough to buy a 6-in-1 reversible screwdriver. This model includes two sizes of flat and Phillips bits, plus two nut drivers. $7.95. HTS Hobby Tool Supply, through Amazon, (888) 280-4331, amazon.com Measure Anything Measuring tapes come in many sizes, but the pros depend on 25' locking tapes. The PowerLock 25 makes it easy to measure, lock the Mylar-coated blade, and get an accurate measurement. The…

As you approach the house for the first time, take a look at the porch and eaves. Is the wood sound, or are their signs of rot or deterioration, such as peeling paint, dirt, or mold? All are signs that the owner has let things go. Then look at the siding: have the shingles or clapboards been stained or painted recently? If the paint is peeling, blistering, or faded, that’s a sign of deferred maintenance. Look further: if the wood trim on the porch and under the eaves still appears to be mostly sound, and the clapboards do, too, the house is probably sound. • If the house is brick, check the mortar joints. Brick lasts practically forever, but mortar can deteriorate and usually needs repointing (a method of refilling…

If it’s important to you that the chimney and fireplace be safe enough to use, hire an accredited chimneysweep to perform an inspection before the closing. (It usually isn’t part of the building inspection checklist.) The older the house, the more likely the chimney is to need work. Failed liners and flues blocked with rubble or bird’s nests are real fire hazards. Additionally, the firebox may lack firebrick, designed to withstand the repeated heating cycles in a fireplace. While all of these conditions can be remedied, sometimes they can’t be, at least without rebuilding the entire chimney. You may have to settle for gas logs, or accept that the fireplace is now merely decorative.…

Aesthetic yet functional, curtains or drapery at the door or in the doorway act as privacy screens while adding color, pattern, and texture. Doorway drapery reached its height of popularity with the Victorians, but continued to be used in houses during the Arts & Crafts and Colonial Revival periods. David E. Berman of Trustworth Studios, and Dianne Ayres of Arts & Crafts Period Textiles, offer guidance here on how to hang period curtains, and various types of hanging hardware. EXTERIOR GLAZED DOORS Old-house entry doors often feature glazing (a glass window or windows) as well as sidelights, compromising privacy and light control. “If the door is opened a lot, it’s best to place a rod at the top and bottom of the glazed area or the door,” says Dianne Ayres.…

When you’re rehabilitating an old house, things don’t always go as planned. It’s late one evening, after a long day of work, and you’re determined to finish painting the dining room’s crown moulding before your weekend guests arrive. Yes, you’ve dutifully dragged the drop cloth under each work area as you applied the final coat above. The end is in sight! You should move the drop cloth and the ladder for the last 18 inches. But it’s so late, and you’re tired. You decide to go for it, reaching toward the final corner with a paint-laden brush. And it happens: a paint drip, which leaves a nickel-size splat on the oriental rug. Don’t follow your first instinct, which probably is to jump off the ladder, grab a wet rag, and…

• IRREGULAR MASSING The plan is neither classical nor symmetrical. Bays, porches, extra gables, balconies, and even turrets break the box. Roofs and footprint are often complex. • TEXTURE Bold and decorated surfaces are broken by a change from stone or clapboard to shingles, the latter often with fancy-cut butts. Belt courses, brackets, and balustrades keep the eye moving. • MULTI-LIGHT WINDOWS The so-called Queen Anne window has a border of small, square lights (panes) around a clear center light. Transoms and unusual muntin patterns are not uncommon. • WOOD TRIM Sawn, chamfered, carved, lathe-turned, and applied motifs can be found on porches, gables, cornices, and storey breaks. Porches and gables, especially, are opportunities to add wood ornament. • TOWER OR TURRET Not all but many houses have a corner…

STEP 1 Spray the wire frame with paint or lacquer. When dry, wrap the wire (except for the ring at top) with seam binding. You’ll need a length 1 ½ times the length of each section to be wrapped. To start, fold the binding over the wire and wrap it (tightly) like a candy cane over the starting edge. Work in sections of the frame, finishing each with a dab of Aleene’s Tacky Glue (aleenes.com) on the end of the binding, sticking it to itself. STEP 2 Now pin your lining to the wrapped frame. (Silk is traditional but polyester charmeuse won’t rot.) Stretching the fabric, start with one pin at the top and then the bottom, one side and then the other, to anchor. STEP 3 Then pin every…

1. LIGHTING CLASSIC The E.F. Chapman leaf-and-arrow pendant chandelier is defined by such classic elements as candle-mounted lights, a spherical center, and arrows. Shown in a bronze finish with antique-brass accents, it measures 15 ½" x 14" high; $828. Visual Comfort, (866) 344-3875, visualcomfort.com 2. SILVER FEET The naturalistic Root tree stand in cast aluminum becomes an organic part of your holiday tree. Stain-resistant and sturdy, it fits trunks up to 4 ½" dia. In silver, white, or black with solid-brass screws: $249. In gold: $699. Boxhill Design, (520) 909-6109, shopboxhill.com 3. NATURALLY CHERRY Timeless in design, the Audrey dining suite is crafted in Vermont. It is offered in cherry or walnut in three widths, with table extension options up to 9', $4,071 and up. The Ingrid side chair starts…

A clay chimney pot mortared to the chimney top not only adds period style, but also increases performance. The pot extends the height of the chimney, protecting the roof from embers and offering better draw. Superior Clay offers more than 60 standard designs, and the company can match an antique or create a new design. Pots are appropriate for firebox appliances and for fireplaces 24 to 72 inches. Size is dependent on the top opening in relation to the fireplace opening, and base dimensions in relation to the flue. (Find technical help on the website.) Rain guards are also sold. Superior Clay Corporation’s plant has been in continuous operation for over 100 years. Products also include Rumford fireplace components, herringbone fireboxes, and brick bread ovens. Dealers are nationwide. Superior Clay…

“This is the last piece in our collection,” the film-director owner remembers thinking when the family first toured the house. For years they had been collecting Monterey, Stickley, and Arts & Crafts furniture; American pottery and Grueby tiles; and native art including Navajo rugs. The aging bungalow, built during the 1910s, was designed by famed architect Myron Hunt. The client was the Midwest industrialist Edward Drummond Libbey (Libbey Glass Co.), who used the place as a hunting lodge. Built of redwood, with board-and-batten construction inside and out, it boasts a front door and beams embellished with Chumash Indian motifs, a massive stone fireplace, and many original fixtures. The room once known as Mrs. Libbey’s suite is now the master suite. With approval from the Ojai Historical Commission, the owners reconfigured…

The older the house, the more likely it is that at least one door will bind, scrape the floor, or refuse to fully close. Causes for binding and sticking include paint buildup, seasonal expansion and contraction, loose hinges, or loosening of the joints between stiles and rails. Like other historic elements in the house, treat the door with respect. Resist the urge to cut or plane any portion of the door, and make repairs that are both strong and that permit the door to continue to shrink and swell with seasonal changes. To figure out why the door won’t operate properly, open and close it a few times. Ideally, there should be a consistent gap of about 1/16 to ⅓ of an inch between the door and jamb on all…

THEY NEVER CONSIDERED buying a new house. Nor did Janet and Bob Smith ever think they’d furnish an old house with contemporary pieces. “We love old things!” is their mantra, and their answer when they’re asked why they bought such a dilapidated 19th-century house as this one in Westfield, New Jersey. • They had to see beyond its present state, of course, not just love old things. When they bought the house, it had asbestos siding, and the once-gracious porches wrapping the front and sides were gone. A concrete patio pitched towards the structure, channeling water into the house. Tree roots had grown into the basement. Raccoons and squirrels lived in the attic. A handsome, four-storey corner tower had been razed, down even to its foundation. THE TOWER QUESTION An…