Age 28, Salem, ORThe son of missionaries, Erick Ellison was born and raised in Japan, and his initial interest in construction is tied to memories of Tokyo: “I would be biking down the road, and I’d stop to watch a building project,” recalls Ellison, who moved back to the United States as a teenager. Settling near extended family, his parents built a house in Minnesota, and Ellison worked on the project every chance he got, enjoying the tie with his heritage—his great-grandfather was a carpenter in Minnesota in the early 1900s. When he heard about the TOH casting call, he…

Insiders Have a Blast at the Brookline Wrap Party 4 × Thanks, This Old House Thanks, This Old House After buying a farmhouse in Manhattan, IL worthy of the magazine's "Save This Old House" column, Andrew and Marge Brettrager credited This Old House with giving them "the courage to say 'We can do this.'" Thirty-five years and one epic gut renovation later, "We are forever indebted to the TOH crew for showing us how to do it, and how to do it right," Andrew says. He and Marge were excited to meet host Kevin O'Connor—though Andrew admits that they do enjoy when…

Above: Square subway tile in The Designer Is In: An Optimist at Home in Notting Hill; photograph by Chris Tubbs. 4. The classic dimensions? That’s up for debate.What exactly is subway tile? It’s a bit tough to define—especially if you connote subway tile with a specific rectangular shape. While the classic subway tile measures three by six inches, the definition is expanding. Nowadays, tiles that are twice as long as they are wide are generally referred to as subway tile. And, it turns out, they aren’t always rectangular anymore: “Subway tiles can be square,” reveals Christine in Remodeling 101: White Tile Pattern Glossary.…

Color of the Month, March 2019: Eclipse 1 × A Deep, Mysterious Hue A Deep, Mysterious Hue Is it blue? Is it purple? Depends on how you look at our March 2019 Color of the Month, Pantone Eclipse. This enigmatic shade evokes a moonless night sky, but you may be surprised to find how many ways colors that match it can be used throughout the house. Keep reading to see different interpretations of this paint color in a variety of spaces. Left-right: Farrow & Ball Paean Black No. 294; Benjamin Moore Dark Lilac 2070-30; Sherwin-Williams Majestic Purple SW 6545 14 ×…