Old House Journal 2020

“FOREVER HOME” is a familiar term, and one long-used in our family of magazines. Never has the term had such resonance, never has it been more spot-on. The homes featured in this issue of New Old House are truly forever homes—timeless architecture designed and built with a sense of permanence, beauty, and with room to grow and gather. They are authentic, traditional houses that provide space to create family memories and offer a sense of place. And “forever home” has another, essential meaning in today’s world, a poignant meaning as we say goodbye to 2020—the year of the pandemic. Virtually overnight, last March, our homes also became our offices, schoolrooms, entertainment venues, and exercise studios. Our kitchens served us around the clock as we fed our families. As we found ourselves…

INTERIOR ARCHITECT Suzanne Lovell’s signature touch—light-filled and happy; contemporary with references to history—already graced the entry foyer, family room, living room, and dining room of a 1929 Tudor-style house in Scarsdale, New York. Then the homeowners asked for her input on a mudroom, a transitional space between the back door and the kitchen. Anyone who has remodeled a house in increments can guess what happened next. “The mudroom needed help, and suddenly we were in the kitchen,” says Chicago-based Lovell, who had worked with the family—parents and their adult children—on five other homes. “Working on the mudroom drove the renovation of the kitchen.” The intention was to transform an outdated, all-beige kitchen into a clean, modern space with a classic appeal that honors the original architecture of the home. Equally important was…