Old House Journal

The Original Restoration Magazine for people who are passionate about old houses to repair, rehabilitate, update, and decorate their homes; covering all classic American architectural styles,—from the earliest Colonial-era buildings to grand Victorians of every variety to Arts & Crafts bungalows and mid-century ranches.

Old House Journal

in this book

design today: ENJOY DIVERSE INFLUENCES PAST & PRESENT • THE BEST HOMES ARE COMFORTABLE, PERSONAL, UNIQUE. TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY CO-EXIST—AND, FOR MANY OWNERS, PERIOD DESIGN MAY PROVIDE INSPIRATION.

Style matters

kitchens &revival baths

5 tips for TIMELESS COUNTERS • Aim for materials that suit the style of your house and the era when it was built. The older the house, the more sensitivity required. For those of us with 20th-century homes, options abound.

VERMONT SOAPSTONE • Remarkably, Vermont Soapstone has been in continuous operation for 165 years, which is about how long their countertops and can last, with reasonable care. Work is done in the shop and on site.

ENGLISH SENSIBILITY • These rooms are part of a radical solution for a small, dark basement kitchen.

ADDITIONAL LISTINGS

Elmira Stove Works • Not long ago, Tony Dowling took us on a Zoom tour of Elmira Stove Works, where employees assemble, finish, and trim out the various designs for the company’s antique- and retro-style refrigerators, ranges, cookstoves, and other appliances.

ADDITIONAL LISTINGS • The classic bath—white tile, console sink—is a perennial favorite, and a good choice for old houses. Consider, too, colorful 1930s–50s tile and fixtures.

wall & floor tiles

Motawi Tileworks • In Ann Arbor, Motawi Tileworks produces a dizzying range of tile, for both architectural installations and as collectible art. Styles range from Arts & Crafts to Mid-century Modern, with many special collections, and new work continually added.

furniture & decorative accessorie

Zito Schmitt Design • Their website modestly lists “furniture, interiors, public art.” Beyond their replica and interpretive furniture creations, Debey Zito and Terry Schmitt design and build entire bespoke environments.

Good Furniture is Worth It

the context is ORGANIC & CASUAL • A predilection for Mid-Century Modern style leads to a forever home.

ADDITIONAL LISTINGS • “Buy from living artists” is an exhortation to keep creativity and traditional crafts alive. So many talented, skilled people are at work today, in all mediums.

curtains to carpets

Morris & Co./Sanderson Design Group • Join our tour of Morris & Co.—the direct descendant of the company founded by English designer, philosopher, and political activist William Morris, in 1861. We started west of London and then traveled northwest to Lancaster.

lighting + hardware

HIGHLIGHTS TODAY • Ambient • Task • Decorative • Accent Modern task and accent lights are small and discreet, unobtrusively adding light to a room with antique fixtures and lamps.

Acorn Manufacturing • Door & cabinet hardware, historical nails, and baseboar-dradiator covers may not sound related, but at Acorn Manufacturing, they are all part of the history-minded company long known for its forged builders’ hardware.

walls & ceilings

Anything But White? • Colors and their placement bring out the architectural logic of classic older homes.

ADDITIONAL LISTINGS

Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers • For decades, Bradbury & Bradbury has been the ne plus ultra of Victorian roomset wallpapers, dating to its beginnings in the 1970s. English and American Arts & Crafts papers soon followed.

house & garden details

Driwood Mouldings • For a companyr that...