Old House Journal

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

24/06/2025

Over time, many of the 1890s brick-and-brownstone row houses ringing downtown Minneapolis were demolished to make way for freeways and urban development. This one survived, despite a 1979 renovation that divided the building into condominiums and stripped out the original woodwork. Take a look at these transformation photos:

The paneled door opens to an entrance hall in common with the neighboring unit below. The antique glass ceiling fixture came from Des Moines.

The bathroom is in the same location as before but with all new treatments and fixtures. The “before” picture shows that the 1979 conversion was done on the cheap.

There is plenty more to see from this home. Take a look inside: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/05/15/art-space

📸 by Scott Amundson

17/06/2025

Our all-new “bookazine” features hundreds of hard-to-find items for every style & era ⬇️

Inside you’ll fine marvelous offerings of artisans and manufacturers—goods of high quality, inspired by long tradition, and often hard to find today.

Get it here: https://artsandcraftshomes.com/magazine/ohjs-renovation-look-book-2024

16/06/2025

Blending Queen Anne, Free Classic, and Shingle style details, this Victorian home sits on seven acres in Elka Park, a former 19th-century summer retreat in New York.

While the home is full of charming old-house character, it’s also relaxed and welcoming. Inside, you’ll find wood-paneled wainscoting, beaded-board walls, and a stone fireplace that feels right at home in a mountain getaway. Just past the entry, a sweeping curved staircase invites you in.

Step inside: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/05/19/a-summer-retreat-preserved-in-the-catskill-mountains

📸 John Neitzel

02/06/2025

This home at the top of a San Francisco row house is a kaleidoscope of colors and textures. Every piece has a story to tell. Take a look inside.

A.J. Johari and his husband, Graham, love their 110-year-old house, which they found and purchased a few years ago, more for its artful bones than for its architectural integrity. Like many other houses in San Francisco, it was clad in stucco at some point after the 1906 earthquake and fires.

A.J.’s vivid collections fill rooms that are unstudied yet artful, stimulating but friendly. Step inside this inspiring home: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/05/15/the-unabashed-maximalist

28/05/2025

Old houses need renovation and system upgrades, which aren’t cheap. When it comes to renovating on a budget, take your time, and do your research. ⁠
⁠
One piece of advice that pops up year after year: Live in the house, preferably through all seasons, before you start planning big changes. These include knocking down walls, moving plumbing lines, gutting the kitchen, and adding on.⁠
⁠
During that year, as you note how you actually use the rooms, you will almost certainly change your mind about early assumptions and preconceptions. Have a master plan—then decide where you will save or splurge⁠.

Happy Historic Preservation Month! Thank you to our sponsors Crown Point Cabinetry and Allied Windows!
⁠
If you're looking for tips on saving money during a renovation: https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2025/04/03/10-budget-savvy-renovation-tips
⁠

27/05/2025

Our all-new “bookazine” features hundreds of hard-to-find items for every style & era, PLUS editorial extras: shop tours, renovation advice, inspiring house tours, plus kitchens and baths. Available now!

Old House Journal's all-new “bookazine” features hundreds of hard-to-find items for every style & era, PLUS editorial extras: shop tours, renovation advice, inspiring house tours, plus kitchens and baths.

20/05/2025

Victorian designer Walter Crane created the charming Deer & Rabbit Frieze in 1887, and it lives on today as a customer favorite at Bradbury & Bradbury. Deer & Rabbit Frieze is available in two colorways, and the collection includes a variety of companion wall fils and ceiling design elements -- everything you need to create a rich and beautiful time capsule of your own. Printed on pre-trimmed, easy-to-install, eco-friendly paper.
https://bradbury.com/product-category/wallpaper/deer-rabbit/

Sponsored by Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers

15/05/2025

Explore the wide range of colorful glazed handcrafted terra-cotta tiles that Clay Squared to Infinity makes. Since 1996, Clay Squared to Infinity has been making tiles for kitchens, floors, bathrooms, fireplaces, and entryways. We offer over 25 colors and dozens of shapes and sizes. Our handcrafted tiles are perfect for historic Arts & Crafts Bungalow, Prairie, Mission Revival, and Foursquare homes. Order your sample pack to see the beauty of colorful handmade tiles. claysquared.com