It’s one thing to love an old house, another to take one on. Restoration can be intimidating; still, the rare sort of homeowner thrives on the work, typically describing their characterful money pit as “a fun project.”
Plaster in a historic building is like a family album. The handwriting of the artisans, the taste of the original occupants, and the evolving styles of decoration are embodied in the fabric of the building. From modest farmhouses to great buildings, regardless of the ethnic origins of the occupants, plaster has traditionally been used to finish interior walls.
After a 1960s remodeling that succeeded in changing its very style, the Craftsman house in Portland, Oregon, was virtually unrecognizable. Then the right family came along.
Architect John Ike looks to the repertoire of the Arts and Crafts movement during the restoration of a Shingle Style house in upstate New York.
Our popular annual edition is here! New Old House showcases period-inspired homes designed by the country’s top residential architects working in the classical, traditional, and period-inspired fields.
Renovation DIY and old-house restoration, traditional styles, period kitchens, historical decorating, period gardens, from colonial and Victorian through Arts & Crafts and Mid-century Modern: all from Old-House Journal magazine and special-interest titles Old-House Interiors, New Old House, and Early Homes.
Crown Point Cabinetry offers custom cabinets for period style kitchens, baths, offices, laundry rooms, home bars and more. Styles include Shaker, Arts & Crafts, Early American, Victorian and Transitional.
Allied Window offers a beautiful, affordable and invisible solution for your bent glass and shaped windows. Allied Window's specialty is creating insulating storm windows that disappear into your shaped openings - matching the shape exactly - from bent glass to odd shapes, sizes and thicknesses – disappearing into your window opening.
A showcase of unique and hard-to-find handcrafted furnishing and decor from Old House Journal's buying guides.
Our popular annual edition is here! New Old House showcases period-inspired homes designed by the country’s top residential architects working in the classical, traditional, and period-inspired fields.
Architect John Ike looks to the repertoire of the Arts and Crafts movement during the restoration of a Shingle Style house in upstate New York.
Re-imagining traditional New England Colonial style, architect Patrick Ahearn has created a home that is welcoming and snug—and that offers a true sense of place—for a family west of Boston.
An unkempt Craftsman-era house in a Santa Monica enclave gets a modern overhaul for a growing family—with careful preservation of the past.
With a desire for a house that was traditional on the outside yet contemporary inside, this family of four turned to architect Wade Weissmann, and wrote their own chapter in the evolving architectural story of Lake Forest, Illinois.
Designed with a casual attitude in mind, this island family home is all about rest and relaxation.
Jones & Boer Architects designs a pared-down new-old farmhouse for a Maryland family.
See wallpaper prints that work well in new-old houses.
Architect John Ike looks to the repertoire of the Arts and Crafts movement during the restoration of a Shingle Style house in upstate New York.
Re-imagining traditional New England Colonial style, architect Patrick Ahearn has created a home that is welcoming and snug—and that offers a true sense of place—for a family west of Boston.
An unkempt Craftsman-era house in a Santa Monica enclave gets a modern overhaul for a growing family—with careful preservation of the past.
With a desire for a house that was traditional on the outside yet contemporary inside, this family of four turned to architect Wade Weissmann, and wrote their own chapter in the evolving architectural story of Lake Forest, Illinois.
Designed with a casual attitude in mind, this island family home is all about rest and relaxation.
Jones & Boer Architects designs a pared-down new-old farmhouse for a Maryland family.
Now a rambling country retreat, this family compound in Alabama started as a tin-roofed cabin. With a sleeping porch and bunk house, it retains a down-home charm.
A 1930 development house with good bones but little detail is transformed, by Period Architecture, into a much larger dwelling with new amenities and period appeal.
There’s no need for massive renovations to bring your classic home up to speed.
It’s one thing to love an old house, another to take one on. Restoration can be intimidating; still, the rare sort of homeowner thrives on the work, typically describing their characterful money pit as “a fun project.”
Not every old house is destined for restoration in full period style. But more can be saved from demolition if tax credits are used to justify rehabilitation costs.
American industrial ingenuity yields a couple of unique seating ideas.
Five very specific fixes can make life more comfortable this winter.
Innovations in home energy technologies make it easier to find better comfort while saving money on fuel costs.
Converting a 1910 Shingle Style house with no air conditioning to one with a whole-house system was not something I took lightly. I have spent my life restoring old houses. If HVAC was in my future it had better be efficient and virtually invisible.
Copper-clad wood window sashes from an iconic building find new uses.
