Tabla de contenidos para July/August 2023 en Old House Journal

BACKYARDS EVOLVE, just as houses do, even during the course of one family’s tenancy. The swing set comes down and a big swath of lawn is reserved for badminton. During the busy years of careers and kids, overly ambitious plantings devolve into scraggly bushes tarted up with pots of annuals. Nobody bothers with the weed-whacker. This year, our 120-year-old willow, which has been a massive presence on the main road but was weeping toward the street at a dangerous angle, had to be removed. We felt so sad—only to find that the tree’s absence delivers sunshine over an area of what had been deeply shaded crabgrass. Now the space will support flowers and a raised bed of vegetables. Once again, I’m ready to think about my yard as a design…

1. VENETIAN MAGIC Made in Italy by the legendary silk-maker Fortuny, the Scudo Saraceno glass pendant is inspired by designs on medieval Saracen shields. It’s decorated with intricate Turkish–Venetian patterns and available in five colors. The medium size is 25 ½" in diameter. $3,290. Lightology, (866) 954-4489, lightology.com 2. OLD-WORLD SINK The Renaissance console sink with a drop-in basin is carved from a single block of honed marble. Paired with aged-brass console legs, the sink measures 42" wide x 22 ½" deep x 36" high. Console alone: $3,332. Legs: $3,661.60. Stone Forest, (505) 986-8883, stoneforest.com 3. VELVET AND LACE Indian Flock Velvet in Russet and Mulberry is based on a block-printed wallpaper from the William Morris archives. The sumptuous Rouen velvet is paired with Pure Net Ceiling Appliqué in Barley,…

Window woes get our attention: not only problems with old windows that need maintenance but also with new windows that fail too soon, featuring finger-joints that fall apart, nonhistoric proportions, and poor reveals. Some windows, however, actually fix design dilemmas. While new windows are often the bad actors of the remodeling industry—as when original, proportional, still-serviceable and ever-fixable wood windows are sacrificed for ill-fitting replacements with a projected life of eight to 20 years—the right new window may improve the aesthetics and solve functional issues. Windows can make or break a renova-tion. When windows need refurbishment, it can be tempting to just start over with new ones. I faced the Big Fix in 1998 so most of my windows are fine. Now, just two 1910 double-hungs need restoration; Window Woman…

The neglected, Craftsman-era semibungalow in Santa Monica needed an overhaul. The vacation cottage was so outdated it was unrealistic for a family to live here. The owners called on Los Angeles-based architect Erik K. Evens, a partner at KAA Design Group, and interior designer Alana Homesley (who has since launched her own firm). While many Victorian and Craftsman houses in this area have been torn down, Evens explains that this one was almost original, if forlorn: “dark and dreary, with substandard baths and kitchen." The exterior was restored; inside, original beamed ceilings, built-in cabinets, and bungalow-era trim remain. The client wanted it to feel like a beach house. Interiors by Homesley are in a quiet palette of white, charcoal, and blue-greys. This sunny, gracious primary bathroom, outfitted for two, has…

When updating an old house, homeowners face myriad challenges. Top of the list is updating kitchens and bathrooms while remaining sensitive to the architectural style. Concealing modern heating and air-conditioning ductwork comes in at a close second. Roofing material, though, is usually an afterthought, if it is considered at all. Consider that asphalt shingles were introduced in 1903 and were commonplace a decade later. Truth be told, even 19thcentury houses that originally had wood roof shingles generally wear their new asphalt shingles well. A special case There are exceptions. Enter Storybook Style homes. Storybook homes, in a style that blossomed in Hollywood in the early 1920s, are a whimsical adaptation of Old World homes—their “olde” roofs are sheathed in slate, thatch, sawn wood shingles, or shakes (thick shingles split from straight-grained…

As wooden windows age, the sashes may become loose-fitting, making them rattle in their jambs when the breeze picks up. For the same reasons, they may become hard to open and close. No, you don’t have to replace the windows with aluminum or vinyl; those replacements also age and fail and cannot be repaired. Instead, take measures to fix your eminently repairable wood windows, increasing their efficiency at the same time. • In most cases, installation of weather stripping is all that’s needed to restore a tight seal. Types such as traditional, V-style bronze weather strip are springy to hold the sash in place while preventing air infiltration. DON’T JUST FIX THE SYMPTOM To reduce the noisy rattling, people have relied upon methods that also made the sash hard to…

Steep staircases, creaky floorboards, and things that go bump in the night are status quo for 90-year-old Deb Richards, who says she’s always lived with one foot in the past. Deb grew up in a historic house with parents who collected all the accoutrements to create a period interior. After she married, she raised her children in a 1737 Connecticut house. After her husband’s death 35 years ago, Richards didn’t think twice about moving to the coast in northern New England. She wanted to live in a historic district. Torn between this and another First Period house, she made a practical decision. The three-storey house that she refers to as “not-exactly-center-chimney” offered ample parking and boasted two driveways and a garage. Most importantly, it was not a fixer-upper. In fact,…

MANSION LOVE Our intrepid West Coast editor Brian Coleman has completed book #27, a romp through six historic houses, from the Berkshires to Bayou Lafourche, restored and styled by Hunt Slonem. In the Preface, the American Neo-Expressionist painter writes: “My homes are my life’s work—making old houses into a new form of my art.” While the houses and interiors are museum worthy, Slonem uses bold colors and collectibles to create “an idiosyncratic, maximalist interior design style.” Antiques and objets mix with Slonem’s own art. Coleman gives a capsule summary of each building and offers anecdotes to bring rooms to life. The extraordinary photographs are by John Neitzel. The Foreword is by Whoopi Goldberg. The Spirited Homes of HUNT SLONEM by Brian D. Coleman (Gibbs Smith, Sept. 2023); 304 pages, $75 TALK…

Early issues of Old-House Journal were full of glossaries. It was necessary to define architecture-related words not in common use during the reign of Modernism. We can’t talk about something without a vocabulary—nor will we care enough to save it. This page excerpts a four-pager published in OHJ’s April 1982 issue. Illustrations are by Leo Blackman, who was then a preservation-studies student at Columbia. BAY WINDOW One that projects from the surface of an exterior wall and extends to the ground. CASEMENT WINDOW A singleor double-sash window made to open by pivoting on hinges attached to its vertical edge. A very early type of movable window, it’s often found in European Revival styles such as Tudor. CLERESTORY A row of windows mounted high in a wall. Often referring towindowshigh above the nave…

Over several decades, I’d been storing a five-foot-long glass transom window. With a classic design of the period—an etched center panel surrounded by multi-colored sidelights—it transitioned between Victorian and Arts & Crafts and was simply too nice to discard. Finally, as I was working on renovating my English-basement kitchen last year, the transom came to mind. Framed in white oak, it would make a perfect pocket door to close the kitchen off from the rest of the unfinished basement. prepping the transom The antique transom window was examined carefully to ensure that no old nails or hardware remained. To fit its new frame, it was trimmed down one inch on each side (on a table saw) with care taken not to cut too much or use rough handling. Rabbet joints…

MID-CENTURY RANCH p. 15 DESIGN/BUILD Anne De Wolf, Arciform arciform.com DOOR CARVING Tom Cramer tomcramerart.com METAL ARTIST Alisa Looney, Portland: alisalooney.com • facebook.com/AlisaLooneySculptorEnamelist/ CEILINGS (soffits, LR, BR) fir tongue-and-groove p. 16 TEXTURED WALL Wall Décor 3D walldecor3d.com FLOATING FIREPLACE French Gyrofocus design 1968 Focus Fireplaces focus-fireplaces.com PENDANT LIGHT ‘Saucer’ by George Nelson, available at Design Within Reach dwr.com p. 17 CABINETS/SCREEN Versatile Wood Products versatilewp.com BATH FLOOR TILE Q-stone by Provenza via Stone Source stonesource.com SHOWER PEBBLES Cotton Flat 2x12 Pebbles Florida Tile floridatile.com BATH WALL TILE satin dimensional tile in Bianco Wave arcsurfaces.com (not avail.) Related Resources FLOORING Forbo Flooring forboflooringna.com Marmoleum linoleum in sheets, panels, square tiles & click system DESIGN WINDOWS p. 22 GENERAL CONTRACTOR Scott Lightfoot, Lightfoot Studios, Pasadena: lightfootstudios.com p. 23 QUEEN ANNE WINDOWS triple-glazed Andersen Windows andersenwindows.com p. 24 DESIGN Donald Lococo Architects…

1. THE BREEZE ENHANCER The Bianca directional ceiling fan in brushed copper tucks into such compact spaces as a covered or screened porch. The fan head can be positioned to allow movement in a 180-degree arc. Rated for outdoor use, it has a 13" blade span. $1,129.50 through dealers. Matthews Fan Co., (847) 680-9043, matthewsfanco.com 2. TROPICAL DECKING Refresh a worn out or damaged covered porch with tongue-and-groove planks in ipe. The 1x4 tropical hardwood planks are available in lengths up to 20' long. Rainscreen and anti-slip treatments are also options. $4.98 per linear foot and up. Advantage Lumber, (877) 232-3915, advantagelumber.com 3. SCULPTURAL COOKER The Phoenix outdoor grill is as much sculpture as it is outdoor fireplace and grill. Made of Core-ten steel that weathers naturally, the grill chimney…

What a lyrical name for sundials that represent the terrestrial globe in the celestial sphere! This decorated, solidbronze armillary sundial, from Avant Garden Bronzes, is modeled on the armillary globes invented nearly 2,000 years ago by the Greeks. Once used to make mathematical calculations, an armillary’s most basic function is to indicate the hour based on the position of the sun as it crosses the garden. Some versions also follow the signs of the Zodiac and equinoctial dates. • Place one in a sunny area on a flat, horizontal surface, preferably on a pedestal. The gnomen—the arrow-shape bar at center—should face true north and cast no shadow at precisely 12 noon. Check the position throughout the year for greatest accuracy. The rust-and corrosion-free armillary measures about 19" tall x…

1. WEIGHT LIFTERS The C700 sawhorses in heavy-gauge steel can be adjusted to nine different heights from 25" to 32 ¼". Each horse measures 35 ¼" long x 3" wide. Just add plywood for a worktable capable of supporting 2,600 lbs. $70 each. ToughBuilt, (800) 288-4695, toughbuilt.com 2. EVERYDAY CARRY Keep phone, tools, flashlight, and more at the ready with the Easy-Slide with Large Flex in full-grain leather. Equipped with three accessory sleeves, the holster slides onto any sturdy belt (1 ½" or less). There’s room for keys and a wallet, too. $49.99. EDC 1791, (888) 988-1791, 1791edc.com 3. VICTORIAN SPLENDOR Outfit a window with period-correct casement trim … or rebuild an elaborate Queen Anne porch draped in fretwork using millwork components from this specialist in Victorian millwork. Now under…

Rain and snowmelt cause trouble when wood stays wet. Rot begins, seams separate, and then the insects come. Good carpenters know how to build elements and construct joints that shed and release moisture. Beyond that, keep things caulked and painted. Some elements can benefit from caps or flashing, too—a story for another time. • From OHJ’s archive, here are some time-tested details for traditional design and construction of wooden stoops, rails, and stair treads. A WOOD STOOP Like porches in general, wood stoops are a maintenance challenge. Horizontal surfaces trap water. Wood is in proximity to the damp ground. A lot of water-wicking end grain may be exposed.• “Build it like a ship.” The structure must shed water and release water vapor. It must be water repellent but not necessarily…