Indholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2023 i Old House Journal

one minor complaint shows up in my inbox and on reader surveys, over the years since the OHJ newsletter became a magazine: “Too many of the houses you show are for the super-wealthy.” Or, “please include articles about how to fix up/decorate on a modest income.” I think this issue might please those readers. For one thing, there’s plenty of DIY: homeowners doing the work not only to save money but also to have it done right. See the new bathroom designed and largely built by owners fixing up their Foursquare (p. 14), and OHJ contributor Gina Bellous’s tried-and-true method for refinishing some outstanding antique doors (p. 44.) Our two featured visits reveal impeccable restoration in houses that couldn’t be called mansions. (Both got a lot of engagement on social…

1. MODERN SUSPENSION Introduced in 1968, the Gyrofocus suspended fireplace is now available in an LG or a propane-gas version. The odorless, zero-particle-emission fireplace has a viewable opening of 46 ½" wide x 8" high. It pivots 100 degrees. $29,225 and up. European Home, (781) 324-8383, europeanhome.com 2. BUILT TO LAST Each Jamestown bellows is hand-carved out of alder wood finished in cherry, then trimmed with cowhide leather. Designed for years of use, the bellows measure 20" long x 7 ½" wide x 3" deep. $193. Northline Express, (866) 667-8454, northlineexpress.com 3. FORGED IN IRON Requiring many different blacksmithing techniques to build, these Ring andirons are a fusion of twists, rings, tapers, flares, and scrolls. The hand-forged andirons measure 19" high x 11 ½" wide x 20" deep. $1,265. Ponderosa…

Staircases, mantels, wainscots, inglenooks…not to mention casings and trim: a quick review of some outstanding examples shows that historic woodwork is a treasuretrove of design ideas. the STYLE variants Wainscots and chair rails date to Colonial times, though floor-to-ceiling wall paneling was the main event in houses of the Georgian era, especially on fireplace walls and in entry halls. Raised panels became popular around 1750. Formal raised-panel wainscoting consists of floating wood panels held in place between vertical stiles and horizontal rails. Beveling the panel’s edges creates a three-dimensional surface with visual depth. A variation, the flat-panel wainscot, is probably a Shaker invention. In the Adam style that followed (Federal period in the U.S.), wall paneling receded to a low wainscot, over which wallpaper might be hung. This is the look…

This Georgia kitchen was published, in 2017, in our sister publication Early Homes. We get a huge response every time we rerun the photos on our website or on social media. What’s not to love about a nostalgic farmhouse kitchen with salvaged elements and authenticity? The original house, built in the 1950s, had been a modest lake cabin. The remodeling kept the original layout of the main living space, including a fireplace next to the kitchen. Today’s kitchen is nicely laid out with zones for storage, food prep, and cleanup. The apothecary piece is a pine drugstore counter from the early 1920s. Each drawer was individually made and numbered. Underneath, what had been space for cola-mix equipment now holds a wine rack. Large drawers hold equipment for cooking and grilling;…

So slowly it’s almost imperceptible, a slender 10 x 3-foot slab moves through a gleaming machine about the length of a football field. Veining is being impregnated into the material called Dekton. Cosentino’s latest surfacing product starts out as perhaps 20 different kinds of stone, which undergo a process called sintering: At a particulate level, the minerals are made to bond with each other while machines like this one apply pressure equal to the weight of two and a half Eiffel Towers. Dekton looks and acts like stone but is impervious to stains, scratches, or heat—perfect for a countertop or a bathroom wall. Cosentino’s vast production facility makes Dekton and Silestone, two quartz-based surfacing products. The company started in 1940, when Eduarda and Eduardo Cosentino, parents of the current owners, moved…

WRONG WAY WINGING IT The amount of time that we have available often dictates the process we choose and the prep work we undertake. But, if sufficient time is not set aside, installation with a basic concrete mix will result in a disappointing appearance that doesn’t perform well over the long term. RIGHT WAY USE A TEMPLATE Using a profile gauge or heavy card stock, trace the profile of the steps. Transfer this measured profile to a piece of thin sheet metal. (Aluminum is readily available but it’s soft, so it has a short lifespan.) Cut out the profile with snips and use fine files to smooth the edges. Mount this metal template to a wood block to keep it rigid. After installing the patching material—tinted to match the existing…

ROBERT WINTER’S LAST BOOK Historian Robert Winter was fascinated with the history of architecture in Southern California, where he arrived in 1956 to teach social history at UCLA. For 30 years a professor at Occidental College, he would become a champion of the Arts & Crafts movement and its revival; the owner and steward of the home of tilemaker Ernest Batchelder; and author of books about American bungalows as well as architectural guidebooks. Winter died in 2019, at the age of 94; his last book had not been published. Photographer Alexander Vertikoff has seen to it that the book is now available. Illustrated with photos by Vertikoff, the guide offers Winter’s personal recommendations of what to visit in Los Angeles. Some sites are well known, others a surprise. It’s a…

From New Jersey to Arizona, people know this iconic American chair as a Boston Rocker—though, yes, it probably was introduced around 1825 in Connecticut. The best-known maker was Lambert Hitchcock of that state; we understand why Hitchcock Chair, the 205-year-old company, calls their classic version the Connecticut Rocking Chair. The most popular rocker from 1830 to 1890, revived multiple times since, this type has a high spindle back, curving seat and arms, and a top panel often decorated with stenciled fruit and flowers. It is most often painted black. (Shown is the Black and Harvest finish.) Hitchcock offers classic Colonial Revival pieces as well as tavern signs and a restoration service for old Hitchcock furniture. The Hitchcock Chair Co., (860) 738-9958, hitchcockchair.com…

A door of Douglas fir does not take stain very well, especially after it’s been subjected to six to eight coats of paint over a century or so. I’d already spent months (years, actually) hand-stripping millwork and the existing five-panel doors in my Queen Anne when I developed a passion for Eastlake doors. I began to collect them, with an eye toward placing these beauties in key locations that lacked doors, especially in the primary suite upstairs. I learned the hard way to remove every bit of paint and shellac from a door before moving to the next step. Old shellac and stain, hardened into crevices, will show if it isn’t removed. It’s especially tedious to pick out, but I use a contour scraper with sharp, pointed head to remove it.…

OLDHOUSE JOURNAL READER FAVORITE DIY PRESERVATION 2023 FORMAL ENTRY HALL The hall features quarter-sawn oak, which the owner stripped of filthy varnish. The Stickley carpet runner design was inspired by Dard Hunter’s 1906 stained-glass windows at the historic Roycroft Inn (East Aurora, N.Y.). THE LIVING ROOM The original fireplace and gas-and-electric chandelier grace the front parlor, painted in Sherwin–Williams Latte with a Bradbury & Bradbury pendant frieze. The lounge chair and Mission settee and table are from today’s Stickley. WHEN JIM MILES was looking for a vintage house in St. Louis, in 1992, this transitional Victorian fit the bill. Built in 1897 in the historic Tower Grove East neighborhood, its location was perfect: five minutes from downtown shopping and the sports stadium, across the street from the Missouri Botanical Garden…

In many parts of the country, the off-season lasts for five or six months. A great garden never slumbers, though. Verticality, wood fences and stone walls, plants with a winter habit, and pops of color maintain depth and perspective on the greyest days. The lushness of summer fades in the dormant garden, but botanical interest carries through if you plant accordingly. Place evergreens to define contours. You’ll look out to see boxwood in the snow and think: That’s where my garden is. Get a psychological boost knowing the landscape is there, waiting. Consider planting trees that have unusual bark: river birch, stewartia, paperbark maple, and Amur chokeberry. Shrubs such as red-twig dogwood, curly willows, the thorny hardy orange, and Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick have either colorful stems or “architectural” branches…

ESTATE BATH DESIGNER Sarah Blank Design Studio sarahblankdesignstudio.com FARMHOUSE KITCHEN ARCHITECT Norris Broyles Architects, Atalanta: norrisbroyles.com SALVAGE Scott Antique Market, Atlanta: scottantiquemarket.com LIGHTING Hudson Valley husonvalleylighting.com • Circa Lighting ciracalighting.com RESTORE AIC Millworks aicmillworks.com Wainscot kits in Wood, PVC, MDF American Beadboard americanbeadboard.com Beadboard, shiplap, more American Planking americanplanking.com Shiplap & paneling Architectural Components architecturalcomponentsinc.com Custom wall paneling Architectural Depot architecturaldepot.com Moulding, millwork, paneling Baird Brothers Fine Hard-woods bairdbrothers.com Wainscot in fine hardwoods Bear Creek Lumber bearcreeklumber.com Cedar, mahogany, fir, redwood, etc. Classic Mouldings classicmouldings.com Panel mouldings Craftsman Lumber craftsmanlumber.com Oak & pine paneling, wainscot Design the Space designthespace.com Beadboard, raised & flat panel, trim Driwood Moulding driwood.com Paneling & embossed mouldings Elite Mouldings elitemouldings.com Wainscot systems, beadboard planks & sheets Hullworks hullworks.com Custom millwork, paneling Mad River Woodworks madriverwoodworks.com Stock & custom millwork McCoy Millwork mccoymillwork.com Beadboard wainscot Mouldings One mouldingsone.com Hardwood trim moulding, all styles Nantucket Beadboard beadboard.com Paneling, beadboard wainscot New England Classic newenglandclassic.com Paneling systems St. Charles Hardwoods stcharleshardwoods.com Raisedpanel, tongue+groove hardwood paneling Wainscoting America wainscotingamerica.com Wainscots…

OLD HOUSE JOURNAL READER FAVORITE 2023 This classy, estate-style bath by Sarah Blank Design Studio evokes the understated opulence of English country houses, ocean liners, and fine hotels. Serene and reserved, the room has been detailed with the utmost consideration. “It was our mission to create a well-appointed oasis to allow quiet time in the morning,” says designer Sarah Blank. “In the evening, it’s a peaceful place to wind down. We designed it, too, as a private spa for weekend pampering.” With allusions to the 1920s, the room’s design would be appropriate for many older homes, from Greek Revival and Neoclassical to post-Arts & Crafts. (Blank is a classically trained designer who is also involved with the Greenwich [Ct.] Historical Society.) Dark wood, raised panels, and nickel appointments continue in…

I came across this old Victorian settee and I just could not resist it. A beautiful antique, it is ebonized and inlaid with mother-of-pearl and brass stringing. It has a row of Minton transferware tiles designed by Moyr Smith … they depict Arthurian scenes from Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King.” Can you blame me? a plan I had the frame tightened and glued. We added a hardwood brace at seat center to keep front and back rails from bowing under the pressure of springs and seated guests. Working with Castillo’s Upholstery [castillosupholstery.com], we devised an elaborate scheme befitting a Gilded Age piece. The centerpiece would be an 1880s mohair table cover found on eBay. Outlined with crewelwork and metallic embroidery, it was just large enough to cover the seat, arms,…