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OLD HOUSE JOURNAL
The best advice on fixing, building, designing and restoring old homes

18/08/2025

Step inside an 1886 Victorian Revival jewel box ✨ This galley kitchen makes the most of its space with high ceilings, detailed finishes, and cabinets that go to the top.

A partially glazed Queen Anne-style door brings light into a room. This one incorporates antique Addison glass, manufactured in Fostoria, Ohio, during the late Victorian era. Simply stunning.

See more of this stunning home: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/08/13/eastlake-galley

13/08/2025

From dairy barn to dream room ✨ This is an addition worth the attention!

With its 1767 original section and a substantial Greek Revival addition from the 1830s, this house boasted a façade of timeless symmetry that new owners Michael Carter and David Rousseau adored, but they wanted more: a lofty, light-filled gathering space.

The answer was hiding in plain sight—an abandoned dairy barn on the property. The structure was jacked up, put on rollers, and moved to its new place beside the old house.

The original timbers now serve as both structure and style, and a recessed ceiling creates the perfect stage for a dramatic hanging lantern. The result is a space that blends centuries of craftsmanship with a soaring sense of drama.

You won’t be disappointed by the full story of this project: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/08/05/brookside-evolved

06/08/2025

The homeowners of this 1870s home designed their kitchen as a showpiece in full Victorian high style, not as an unseen service room.

Custom cabinets with Eastlake or Victorian Gothic flourishes join fine finishes and hidden appliances. The island countertop has bloodwood, canary wood, maple, walnut, cherry, and wenge. Flooring is made of 16×16-inch travertine tiles cut to size and installed by the homeowner.

Inspired by the 19th-century Philadelphia Gothicist architect Frank Furness, the kitchen is furnished with walnut cabinetry and a decorative, pressed-metal wall covering.

The pressed metal in the kitchen is from W.F. Norman, an original maker of “tin ceiling” still in business. Finished in metallic paint, it makes for a tough and fireproof kitchen surface.

There’s plenty more to see in this stunning home: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/08/04/on-a-victorian-high

04/08/2025

This 1879 house was saved more than once before Jeanne Farewell and Monty Denneau ever called it home.

Originally built on land that would later be flooded for a reservoir, the house was relocated to higher ground in the late 1800s. Later, in the 1940s, additions were made—additions Jeanne believes only enhanced its Arts & Crafts character.

Lovingly preserved by its previous stewards, the home still boasts many original features. At its heart is a breathtaking Great Hall measuring 30 by 40 feet—an ideal space for Jeanne, an artist, art historian, and musician, to house her grand piano and host recitals.

Step inside and explore the home: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/04/01/english-arts-crafts-sensibility-at-rumford-hall

01/08/2025

Like everything else about style in this post-Victorian period, double-hung and casement Arts & Crafts windows were an unobtrusive yet radical break with tradition.

Rather than the tall, narrower windows seen on Victorian styles like Italianate or Stick, the typical Arts & Crafts window has a three-light upper sash over a single-light sash. Variations include multiples of three in the top sash: six, nine, or 12 lights.

For years, owners have settled for stock configurations, only to notice after the windows are replaced that the house looks dramatically different. Fortunately, computer capabilities now make it easier for a window manufacturer to customize new windows of different sizes to match the proportions of older ones.

Learn more about common windows to the Arts & Crafts era: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/05/29/windows-common-to-the-arts-crafts-era

30/07/2025

Library ladders aren’t just for libraries anymore.
From home offices and kitchens to walk-in closets and wine rooms, these statement-making ladders offer both form and function. Crafted for timeless beauty and built to last, they bring vintage charm to modern living.
Find yours at Van Dyke’s Restorers—your source for classic details that elevate every space. Visit vandykes.com

Sponsored by Van Dyke's Restorers.

28/07/2025

The Alameda Shade Shop, LLC produces handmade Roller Shades. Everything we do here is custom, from the size of the shade to its decorations. Our styles compliment Victorian, Craftsman, Italianate, Colonial, modern and anything in between. Follow the link to learn more! shadeshop.com

Sponsored by Alameda Shade Shop, LLC

24/07/2025

Get ready to paint your summer with these vibrant hues from Olde Century Colors! 🌺🩵 Don't miss out on the perfect color choices for a sunny season. What shade will you pick?

Follow the link for more paint products and stains! oldecenturycolors.com

16/07/2025

It’s all in the details. Would you believe the homeowners rediscovered this original mantel at a local antique store? And the cherry on top? The tiles are all original.

This 1892 Queen Anne/Stick Style home still boasts Eastlake-style woodwork, faux graining, and richly patterned finishes, including these striking hearth tiles.

There are plenty of intricate details seen in this beautiful home. Step inside: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/06/23/a-grand-rescue-on-the-coast

07/07/2025

Built in 1958, this Mid-century Modern home was recently renovated by Rill Architects of Bethesda, Maryland.

New, streamlined ductwork allowed the ceiling to be raised, liberating the views. Other changes include an expanded kitchen now integrated with the main living spaces.

Step into the project: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/06/25/natural-simplicity

02/07/2025

Most garden gates are decorative, their only purpose to welcome or to ornament. Even so, choosing a style may seem daunting.

Which scene is your favorite?

1️⃣ Behind an 1850s house in Savannah, the original iron gate is a portal through the vine-covered wall. Photo: William Wright

2️⃣ Framed by old lilacs, an arbor that had been added to the front entry of an 1809 Federal in Maine was relocated to accent the gate in the picket fence. Photo: Brian Vanden Brink

3️⃣ Victorian iron window grilles became gates in the garden of a Seattle Victorian. Photo: William Wright.

4️⃣ The black-stained moon gate is an Asian accent in the garden of a mid-century glass house. Photo: Kindra Clineff Archive

5️⃣ Set into landscape plantings, a custom-designed white gate marks the entry to a garden room beyond a flagstone path. Photo: Rob Cardillo

6️⃣ A school-bus door, with posts carved as pencils, creates an amusing gate. Photo: William Wright

🌸 Check out the full list of 21 garden gate design ideas: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/06/16/designing-the-perfect-garden-gate

27/06/2025

This impressive Swedish Arts and Crafts kitchen embraces the design, color, texture, patina, and craftsmanship of the late-19th century.

Architectural historian and designer Bo Sullivan worked with the homeowners to create a kitchen that would meet all functional requirements, respect the 1894 house, and draw on the wife’s Swedish heritage.

The result is an unpretentious room that is personally meaningful. Step inside: http://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/06/25/with-swedish-arts-crafts-precedent

📸 by Blackstone Edge Studios

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