Selecting a kitchen sink while trying to achieve the appropriate look for a period kitchen can be a huge challenge. There is just so much misinformation and misleading marketing out there. It is often very difficult for homeowners to know what is correct for their specific period. Many of the ads, images, and plumbing stores insist that clay-fired farm sinks (also referred to as apron front sinks) are “historic.” Though they are indeed historic, this is an English style of kitchen sink rather... more

When we think of a kitchen renovation we usually see lots of dollar signs … And often these projects are big-ticket items ranging anywhere from $50,000 and up. There are times when kitchens need to be gutted to the studs. But often with old houses such heavy-handed approaches are not necessary. With old houses, sometimes less is more when it comes to making changes. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

The dishwasher, we take it pretty much for granted. When looking at a home, the dishwasher is a convenience that we have come to expect. We use it to store dirty dishes, and sometimes clean dishes as well. But how did the dishwasher come to be? It’s an interesting story. The first patent for a dishwasher was granted to Joel Houghton in 1850. It had a wooden paddle that splashed water onto the dishes, but it was fairly ineffective at actually cleaning them. L.A. Alexander picked up the concept again... more

To the untrained eye, a scramble of period styles in an historic building may not be problematic. The general approach of just installing what is easiest, or what the current owner thinks looks good tends to be the fate of many historic homes and buildings. Figure 1 This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

If you’ve ever noticed two louvered vents stacked on the exterior of an old house, they were probably vents to a California cooler. These nifty architectural details are often associated with Craftsman Bungalow kitchens, but actually were quite common in kitchens of many different architectural styles built mostly between the early 1900s and the 1930s. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

The dazzling patterns and colors of old-fashioned Formica grabs attention. And in a world run amok with granite countertops, this has never been truer. Formica (laminate) used in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Gorden house at the Oregon Gardens in Silverton, OR. This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →

Is your bathroom in the pink? If so, consider yourself fortunate indeed! Vintage bathrooms often sported a wide array of colored bathroom fixtures. The adventure into color began in the 1920s. Changes in technology brought opportunities to experiment with glazes on porcelain fixtures. This facilitated a shift away from the white on white approach common during the Sanitary Movement that held sway during the early 1900s. Also, emerging technology brought changes to printing. The ability to create... more

Most people will agree that a period house looks best with a period kitchen, and that a period kitchen looks best with period stoves. With that in mind, homeowners who are considering vintage stoves usually still have a few basic questions about them, “Are vintage stoves practical?” “Will a vintage appliance have enough capacity?” and “Who will service vintage appliances, can parts be found, and are old appliances safe?” This is just a preview...Read the rest... Read More →