Furniture, molding, and door stripping have been very popular. Today there is a heightened appreciation for quality woodworking that is rarely practiced. Those owners with older historic homes that have a lot of exposed ornamental woodworking and molding want to preserve this historical beauty. When the layers of paint have accumulated to where you barely notice the fluting in a door molding, it’s time to have the wood... more

Northwest Renovation recently caught up with Schoolhouse Electric’s owner and president, Brian Faherty and general manager, Michelle Steinback. Northwest Renovation’s purpose was to find out how this new period lighting store located on SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Oak Street in , Portland, OR was doing and to learn more about its unique stock. Schoolhouse Electric manufactures glass shades that have been out of production for 50 to 75 years. These glass fixtures were once... more

In the final installment of our three-part series, we will examine the revival of past historical styles. One hundred years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Americans were rediscovering the origins of their ever-expanding democracy. The nation’s first successful World’s Fair, Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition of 1876, was conceived to celebrate the future by remembering the past. While extolling modern American invention and ingenuity in the burgeoning industrial... more

My wife and I recently did what we told ourselves numerous times we would never do again: we hired an unlicensed contractor. While we knew the risks involved in hiring this guy, he was available, he talked a good game, and, best of all, he was cheap. Well, we got burned again. Early in the job, certain indicators revealed that the guy was not the “experienced carpenter” he claimed to be. First, he couldn’t... more

Tile these days is moving. It’s shifting away from the standard, functional floor and wall covering we’re all used to seeing, and towards becoming an art form in its own right. Out are the endless seas of tooth-white square tile of the past, and in its place have come pieces so striking that they’ve become a focal point all their own. Feel free to finally take down last decade’s framed prints of cappuccino mugs... more

One of the most common design features requested when planning a new kitchen, or updating an older one, is the kitchen island. As use of the kitchen space has evolved, from a meal preparation and cleanup room to the hub of family activity, dining, and entertaining, the overall square footage given to the room has increased. Instead of being an isolated spot created for the drudgery of cooking and cleaning, the modern kitchen... more

Most of us live in older homes that have various degrees of inadequate wiring. This is not to say that your current electrical system is unsafe or dangerous, but merely that it is not as convenient as you would like. There’s not a switch at the top or bottom of the stairs. You have a room with only a pull chain fixture for a light source. You’d like to turn on a table or floor lamp instead of the overhead light. Running wires to new switches, lights, or receptacles can solve all of these problems... more

I was out walking one day when I found a discarded chair beside a dumpster. The seat was sagging and the seat webbing was hanging loose. I immediately fell in love with the homeless chair and brought it home. My husband was less excited about my find. He was used to me bringing home homeless animals and plants and now furniture. The new find went to the basement to live out the winter as a cat chair. With the sagging bottom it proved to be a comfy kitty bed. Once again I was out for my walk... more