Innehållsförteckning för January/February 2025 från Old House Journal

IT’S NOT A HOME INSPECTOR’S NIGHTMARE. It’s wallpaper. Actual paper to be pasted to walls to amp up that boho/urban-homesteader vibe. The product came across one of the social-media platforms; I saved the image to share with old-house friends who would appreciate the hilarious irony. (How many pages has OHJ devoted to diagnosing and repairing plaster cracks? How many hours have you spent?) Even among those who prefer restoration to remodeling, how much patina to save is an ongoing debate. Adding patina through distressing (or wallpaper!) takes the matter a step further. I remember a reader calling to ask how to remove white paint from her red-brick house: the paint was eroding and peeling unevenly and “looked messy.” The very same week, someone else asked what to use on a…

“This is your diamond in the rough!” My brother sent me a picture of this house with those words in a text. The little 1941 brick vernacular was in a great part of town and listed at a rock-bottom price. My husband (Brian Groh) and I were renters in Los Angeles for many years and had had enough of big-city living and small apartments. My sister warned me against placing an offer before seeing the house in person. She and my brother flew me out on their miles. I stepped inside; the kitchen was so bad I thought, “What am I going to do?” The amount of time, work, and money that would be required to fix everything was overwhelming. So I did what any other rational person would do:…

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Stripping wallpaper doesn’t require special skills—but you will need patience and a tolerance for making a mess. The right tools may vary depending on the type of wall covering, the adhesive, and the substrate. Experiment with several techniques: scoring, steaming, sponging with hot water, using scrapers, using proprietary strippers. Try this sequence first: Slowly pull paper off at loose seams. Scrape as much as you can from the wall, using a taping or putty knife or a window scraper—but be careful not to damage the plaster, because gouges and nicks will mean more tedious work ahead. Spray remaining paper with hot water to loosen it, let it soak in, and scrape again. If hot water isn’t working, use a Paper Tiger to perforate the paper, allowing water (or steam from a…

BRITISH TASTE English design is a perennial favorite of OHJ readers. Ben Pentreath is renowned as a designer of new-traditional buildings and country houses. This just-published book, the first to present his work it its entirety, comes on the 20th anniversary of the author’s London-based firm. Pentreath both wrote the text and took the photographs. Projects range from colorful and romantic cottages to buildings of sumptuous splendor, as well as townscale plans. All exhibit the respected designer’s sense of scale, proportion, craft, details, and appropriateness. Thirty case studies, large and small, are documented. Designs show his understanding of materials, texture, classical and vernacular detail, color, richness, and simplicity by turn. While being steeped in classicism, Pentreath’s work is celebrated by multiple generations, around the world. His approach is classical, often…

For bungalows, Craftsman houses, and Tudors that might have rather severe woodwork and furniture, textiles are a critical part of the decorative scheme. It was Gustav Stickley who created what we think of as American Arts & Crafts-style textiles: utilitarian goods that perfectly complement these nature-loving houses. Curtains filter the light and provide privacy from the suburban street; pillows cushion built-in benches and oak rockers; rugs warm the floorboards. Embellished with a stenciled design, appliqué, or embroidery, textiles add color accents to rooms that might otherwise be somber. TEXTURE IS AN IMPORTANT component of Craftsman textiles, which are often rough weaves in cotton (muslin, scrim) or linen. Delicate and fussy fabrics, including silk, were out of style in this post-Victorian era. Sturdiness, Gustav Stickley wrote, would keep textiles in character…

Kitchens of the Arts & Crafts Revival often are filled with quarter-sawn oak, art tile, and fancy fittings. That’s not so true of most of the utilitarian kitchens of the bungalow era. Cabinets were washable and renewable, often painted in white enamel. Appointments were simple, as the kitchen was a back-of-house room not seen by guests. That look is beautifully interpreted today for practical kitchens that feel appropriate. White subway tile and cabinets are timeless, relieved by a countertop in soapstone, wood, tile, or laminate. Stainless-steel appliances recall the nickel finishes of the period. In this bright, welcoming kitchen, color is introduced through a cheerful yellow liner tile, painted glass shades on light fixtures, and colorful dishware behind glass doors—as the butler’s pantry has moved into the kitchen proper. With…

“When we removed the bathroom wall cabinet, mismatched wires and cords exploding from the hole should have been a tipoff.” While we were painting our bathroom, we discovered a large hole behind a wall cabinet. It is crammed with cords and wires, a two-plug outlet—and an electrical box with a live wire. Yikes! The painter quickly defanged the live wire, then removed all the cords and plugs. We planned to plug a small dehumidifier into it, then rehang the cabinet… assuming the outlet is safe to use. —Mary Ellen & Jim Polson THE FIX Our electrician took one look at the photos I’d sent him and stated that the installation was illegal. The jumbled array of mismatched wires and cords exploding out of the wall opening should have tipped us…

The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of West and Central Africans who were enslaved and bought to the lower Atlantic states, from North Carolina to Florida, to work on the coastal rice, Sea Island cotton, and indigo plantations. Because their enslavement was on isolated coastal plantations, sea islands, and barrier islands, they were able to retain many of their African traditions, reflected still in their food, arts and crafts, and spiritual heritage. They also created a new language, Gullah Geechee, a creole language spoken nowhere else in the world, one with roots in both African and European languages. • The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor runs from Pender County, North Carolina, to St. John’s County, Florida. You’ll find parks, museums, and historic buildings within the Corridor. sites in the…

Copenhagen designer Hans Wegner created a series of lightweight chairs for Carl Hansen & Søn, from 1949 until 1968. The CH24 chair, popularly known as the Wishbone Chair, became an instant classic and has been in production since 1949. Balanced, small, and easy to move, it’s as gracious and elegant as it is comfortable and supportive. Though its arms are long enough to hold the forearms, the chair can be pushed in close to a table. The chair is 21.6" wide, 20" deep, and 29.9" high overall. Made in Denmark, the CH24 is available in many wood-species and color-finish options and is offered with an optional leather seat cushion. The design plays well with Shaker and Arts & Crafts furniture as well as in a Modern setting. Hive is an…

The mortar between individual bricks or stones begins to erode after many years. That might be attributed to rain and wind, leaky gutters, building settlement, or such chemical agents as de-icing salts. Open joints admit water, further compromising the watertightness and stability of the masonry wall. Don’t just mix up standard mortar and stuff it into the joints. Take the time to remove old, loose or cracked mortar to a depth of about ¾" to 1". This will be difficult if you use the wrong tools in preparation before repointing. Bricks have a relatively thin ceramic veneer that, if broken, reveals a much softer interior; deterioration will continue at a faster rate if the surface is broken. You need to remove mortar without damaging the bricks. WRONG WAY USING A…

1941 COTTAGE p.17 CABINET PAINT Essex Green Benjamin Moore benjaminmoore.com PULLS D. Lawless Hardware dlawlesshardware.com AUTOMOTIVE WRAPthrough amazon.com p. 19 WALLPAPER Sage ‘Pimpernel’ by William Morris, as peel-and-stick wallpaper Home Depot homedepot.com COFFEE TABLE West Elm westelm.com • Others secondhand or through ReStore DESIGN: TEXTILES FABRICS/FINISHED GOODS Applique Artistry facebook.com/appliqueartist Pillows etc. leaning lean toward Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts; in silks, dupioni, velvets Arts & Crafts Period Textiles (Studio of Dianne Ayres) textile studio.com Appliqued, stenciled & embroidered pillows, bedspreads, curtains, table scarves & kits; fabrics by the yard. Her bedding designs from Spoonflower spoonflower.com Bedeck Home bedeckhome.com William Morris designs for bedding & furnishing Blue Ice Textile blueice textileembroidery.com Machineembroidered pillows in Arts & Crafts designs Cindy Lindgren cindylindgren.com Arts & Crafts-& Art Nouveau-inspired designs for fabrics Cooper Lace cooperlace.com Madras-weave Aesthetic, Gothic, Arts & Crafts, Art Deco lace curtains Ehrman Tapestry ehrman tapestry.com Uzbek & Klimt designs for pillows Ford…