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.

Lighting Over Time

Illumination for interiors: 18th century to the present.

What's on the Floor

Finishes for the hardest working surface in the house.

Earthy Colors, New Layout

Textured tile and quarter-sawn oak make it a handsome revival kitchen.

Deep Clean to Save Big

After we got a $50,000 estimate to gut and renovate the bathroom in our 1946 modernist house, I figured I’d tackle the 8' x 8' room myself.

Fancy Painted Floors

Borders and checkerboard designs are DIY favorites; you might also try your hand at stenciling or faux effects.

And Now, The Kitchen

Using original bits and vintage pieces, making the kitchen functional was a high priority.

new KITCHEN for an old house

THE WALLPAPER’S AESTHETIC MOVEMENT OR BRITISH ARTS & CRAFTS PATTERN IDEALLY SUITS THIS 1903 AMERICAN QUEEN ANNE HOUSE.

right ON!

Leaving aside shag carpeting and copper-tone appliances, a couple embrace the best of the decade for a splendid period house grounded in nature.

reclaiming the attic

Is your house bursting at the seams? Do you long for private office space, a guest retreat, or a kids’ bonus room? The solution might be right over your head: no need to leave the neighborhood, or even put on an addition.

displaying collections ARRANGE TO INSPIRE

Ideas, inspiration, and tidbits on the beautiful and safe arrangement and display of collectibles both traditional and eccentric.

A Home Full of Character

Smaller homes like this 1920s Dutch Colonial so often get overlooked as worthy of restoration. Owners don’t think they’re special . . . or they add on or remodel until the original is unrecognizable. This owner saw the potential.

A Furnished Bath

This elegant bathroom has fixture panels fabricated from parts of a Victorian armoire.

Holiday Home

Any of these would be a welcome gift for an old-house friend or for an artful home . . . including your own.

Simple Craftsman Roots Revived

A “clean but sterile” 1914 kitchen is treated to bungalow-era design.

MOVING toward

Changing energy markets and evolving technology make it possible to heat, cool, and ventilate homes of any age with (mostly) clean, all-electric power—and less of it. Heating home water, formerly an energy hog, is turning into an energy sipper, too.

The Rescue of Portland's FIREHOUSE 17

IN WHAT BECAME THE PROJECT OF A LIFETIME, THE REHABILITATION OF A 1912 FIREHOUSE IS ADAPTIVE REUSE WITH HEART AND SOUL. DECOMMISSIONED IN 1968, ALLOWED TO DETERIORATE AND LATER REMODELED, THE OLD FIREHOUSE HAD BEEN BUILT DURING THE DAYS OF HORSE-DRAWN ENGINES. THE PROJECT WAS SPEARHEADED BY RESTORAT ION CONSULTANT KARLA PEARLSTEIN, IN PORTLAND, OREGON. SHE NOW CALLS THE FIREHOUSE HOME.

Caring for Silverplate

Whether the design is Rococo, Aesthetic, or Art Deco, silverplate is collectible—and needs care.

MANTELS in a Holiday Mood

Pretty things from nature are always in style.

Diamonds!

An eternal motif for objects around the house.

A Surprisingly Authentic Bath

The replicated, late-Victorian master bathroom is in an 1892 brick manse in St. Louis, Missouri.