Old House Journal Old House Journal's Design Center Sourcebook Sixteenth Edition

I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT “PERIOD-INSPIRED” isn’t the same thing as traditional! It can be pretty wild, in fact. And as you’ll see in these pages, taking inspiration from the past certainly doesn’t mean “museum-like” or frozen in time. In revisiting the best from 300 years of housing and the decorative arts, the companies listed here offer imaginative possibilities that take you beyond the trends seen in today’s designer showrooms. Whether your house is vintage, a true antique, or new, you will find in this book a wealth of creative ideas. You hold in your hands a tangible resource that introduces period-design ideas to help you create a timeless home or interior. Contact information is given for every listing, so you can move on to makers’ websites. These sometimes hard-to-find…

IF YOURS IS AN OLD HOUSE, congratulations! You (and your designer) already have all sorts of cues and clues for its decoration and furnishing, courtesy of the date and style of the house. That’s not to say that your choices are limited—actually, the opposite is true. A period house will suggest styles and treatments far more creative, and far less trendy, than those found in a contemporary showroom. So allow yourself to be inspired by the past! Old-house interiors can be creative, interpretive, and personal. They need not be slavish reproductions. Once you know something about the styles that complement your Queen Anne or Bungalow, you’ll be armed to mix and match, or otherwise break the rules. If your old house is of indeterminate pedigree—or if it’s had its pedigree remodeled…

AS WE ALL KNOW, kitchens in older houses have rarely escaped remodeling. So how do you design a kitchen that will still look good and function well in twenty years? (1) Rely on such timeless materials as wood and stone. Downplay anachronistic contemporary materials by keeping design simple or by incorporating period conventions—trimming out laminate counters in wood, for example, or using honed rather than polished granite. (2) For cabinets and millwork, take design cues from your dining room, or from an old pantry in the house or the neighborhood. (3) Regarding period details and materials, try to use only those that are related to the date and style of the house. By looking to your old house for design cues, you will create a kitchen that “goes with the…

cabinets BARN FURNITURE MART barnfurniture.com (888) 302-2276 Since 1945, they’ve been handcrafting American-made, custom kitchen cabinetry in Arts & Crafts and Mission styles. D. R. DIMES & CO. LTD. td.drdimeskitchens.com (603) 942-8050 Furniture-quality, custom designed wood cabinets built for this generation and beyond. DURA SUPREME durasupreme.com (320) 543-3872 Manufacturers of custom and semi-custom cabinets for every room in your home in a wide variety of styles and finishes. FAIRMONT DESIGNS fairmontdesigns.com (714) 670-1171 Handcrafted bath furniture with coordinating granite/marble tops and matching pieces like mirrors and medicine cabinets. FIELDSTONE CABINETRY fieldstonecabinetry.com (800) 339-5369 Inset cabinetry is a timeless design for your kitchen and bath. Their cabinets are beautiful, affordable, and without the long production time. MITCHELL ANDRUS STUDIOS medicinecabinetmaker.com (908) 930-5583 Custom-made bathroom cabinets and medicine cabinets expertly crafted in Arts & Crafts and Mission styles. NATIVE TRAILS nativetrails.net (800) 786-0862 The Americana Collection of bathroom furniture is handcrafted of reclaimed wood, which pairs beautifully with their hand-hammered…

HANDMADE ART TILE is a unique, durable decorative effect for homes of all styles—and among the hottest decorative finishes being offered today. Choices include matte and glossy tiles in every color palette, slipglazed tiles in diverse and earthy field colors, and decorative (or “deco”) relief tiles that depict a motif. Revival tiles include De Morgan and Low style Victorian tiles, accurate reproductions of Arts & Crafts Batchelder tiles, boldly colored Moorish Revival deco tiles, and cuerda seca and tube-lined tiles. Geometric and encaustic tiles—those Victorian favorites for the floor in vestibules, kitchens, and conservatories—are hard-wearing, matte-finish tiles. The traditional encaustic method of building up the patterns by pouring different-colored slips into molds means that the colors don’t fade as the pattern wears down. They are still available through American distributors of…

art tile ANN SACKS TILE & STONE annsacks.com (800) 278-8453 From marble to one-of-a-kind art tiles. A division of Kohler; showrooms throughout U.S. BA SCHMIDT ARTS & ENTERPRISES baschmidtartstiles.com (847) 432-5679 Handmade dimensional porcelain tile inspired by the Arts & Crafts Movement and classic children’s illustrations. BOSETTI ART TILE bosettiarttile.com (919) 414-8950 Custom ceramic tile artist and designer Marina Bosett, creates bas-relief art tile murals using the ancient technique of cuerda seca. CRAFTSMAN TILES BY FEATURE TILE craftsmantiles.com (831) 475-4602 An art tile studio specializing in Arts & Crafts-inspired handmade ceramic tiles and murals, for kitchens, baths and fireplace surrounds or framed in quarter sawn oak. DERBY POTTERY & TILE derbypottery.com (504) 586-9003 Fine, handmade Victorian reproduction tile. Full line of decorative and field tile solutions for your fireplace and renovation projects. FAY JONES DAY fayjonesday.com (541) 424-3359 Art tile for fireplace, kitchen and bath, in Arts & Crafts styles with woodland and nature…