Mary Ellen Polson

Products of the Week

ATLANTA 4X6 POST CAP - WHITE PYRAMID TOP

American owned and operated manufacturer of deck and fence post caps.

Bring beauty and value your home with heirloom-quality REAL wood doors by Vintage Doors. Meticulously handmade by expert craftsmen in your exact size and style—to be loved and respected for generations, just like the olden days. Hand-crafted wood product line includes: screen doors, storm doors, Dutch doors, French doors, louver doors, pantry doors, interior doors, exterior doors, entrance units, three season porch enclosures, pet doors, arch top doors, round top doors, custom doors and more.

Kitchen Appliances

Cast-iron, nickel-trimmed Victorian cookstoves with the convenience of the 21st century.

The patriotic Little Corner Store represents a more recent period: rationing during World War II.

Northeastern Historic Sites

This living history museum is the heart of Portsmouth, New Hampshire's historic city center.

Simple thumb latches and an H-L hinge look just as authentic as the ancient stairs on this Colonial house.

Hardware & Metalwork

The forms of reproduction hardware may look familiar, but the techniques used to make these pieces have changed dramatically.

A quintessential colonial revival entrance hall is complete with a raised-panel wainscot and bold moldings.

Wainscoting, Paneling & Trim

Bare but for a thin skin of paint, modern walls are a stylistic aberration. For most of our history, the lower wall has been decently dressed in decorative paneling and various wainscoting styles.

A custom replication of an 1890 design by Al Bar-Wilmette Platers.

Hardware Guides

What makes one brand of door hardware better than another—especially if they’re all but identical in style?

Despite the amount of glass, these triple-glazed french doors from JELD-WEN could qualify for Federal energy tax credits.

Windows, Doors & Shutters

Looking to cut your energy costs and perhaps score a tax credit? Plenty of period-friendly windows and doors meet the new standards.

Low bell lights add atmosphere and safety to terraced steps. Photo: Chris Considine

Exterior Lighting

Light the way—and your home’s architectural details—with well-placed landscape lighting.

Digital

E-newsletters

Inspired by a billiard fixture, the ‘North’ from Rejuvenation is casual yet period over a kitchen counter.

Interior Lighting

Whether your taste runs to colonial wire-arm chandeliers or hammered copper with mica shades, period-inspired lighting is easy to love. But are reproductions really functional in this age of halogen lamps and organic LEDs?

Minimize the impact of a built-in dishwasher by hiding it behind a panel matching the rest of the cabinets.

Kitchen Furnishings & Appliances

Hiding the appliances was standard practice for period-inspired kitchens, but that’s no longer the case. Market innovations allow you to choose among multiple approaches in your design.

A wainscot of painted blind-nailed planks dates to the 1700s.

Wainscoting, Paneling & Trim

Plank walls, paneling, dadoes, batten paneling and beadboard—we delve into five old-house wainscot & wall paneling styles.

Another task on the Selenys' kitchen to-do list is to re-chrome their vintage Chambers stove.

Kitchen Furnishings & Appliances

Find someone near you who can restore your vintage stove or refrigerator with this state-by-state directory.

A linoleum floor with a confetti pattern and a simple border is a cheerful complement to this 1940s kitchen.

Kitchen Furnishings & Appliances

The hardest-working surface in the house deserves good cover.

Bathroom Furnishings & Fixtures

Clear glass may not do the trick in a bathroom. But you shouldn’t sacrifice light, ventilation, or beauty in the quest for seclusion—not when so many period-friendly options await.

Furniture

The definition of “Americana” has shifted since a first wave of interest ca. 1820, but nostalgic collecting has always been diverse and tied to our enjoyment of artifact.

Flooring takes the brunt of surface wear and tear, but woodwork gets its share of abuse as well. (Photo: Fotolia.com/Ruggiero Scardigno)

Repairs & How To

Old-growth wood trim and flooring may last practically forever, but finishes are ephemeral. They need refreshing when they begin to look worn and dirty.

Repairs & How To

Want a safe, efficient fireplace? Make sure the chimney is in tiptop condition.

Brick is a stalwart, almost always appropriate for use around an old house.

Porches

Wood columns, balustrades, and even fretwork can last decades provided they’re cut from long-lived, dimensionally stable wood with a low moisture content.

Restoration Projects

Porch season is in full swing—a perfect reason to refresh your garden structures and outdoor railings.

A six-panel door on a colonial-era house is topped with a transom of bullseye glass.

Interiors & Decor

Whether welcoming guests at the entry or hiding the contents of a closet, traditional doors are a key element of period millwork.

Doors & Windows

Three DIY ways to give your front door a new look.

In the original great room of an Arts & Crafts house, very plain lamps on industrial arms throw light toward the beautifully stenciled ceiling. Antique lamps add ambiance.

Interior Lighting

High-tech lighting illuminates places that period lamps don’t reach.

On new wide-plank pine boards in a ca. 1700 house, the edges were beveled down to make the floor look old.

Flooring

Original wood floors are a prized feature—when they have survived. For those looking to approximate one, our experts explain what an authentic floor should look like.