This article appeared in the Fall 2021 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. Project details Skill 1 out of 5 Easy Cost About $160 Estimated Time 6 hours Why do we build? For me, the motivation is often practical: I see a piece of furniture that I love, but can’t abide the hefty price. Take this console cabinet, for example. I spotted a similar one online for $325. I loved its striking black color and cane door and drawer- front details. So I snapped a photo and did some research. My penny-pinching instincts…

This article appeared in the Fall 2021 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. Shown: Architect Andrew Sidford’s design for the renovated house marries the 1880s Cape with a modern extension that features high ceilings and walls of windows. New spaces will deliver more light, air, and access to the natural attractions in the back of the property. Every time Megan and I come here, we’re reminded that this is definitely where we want to raise our family,” says Lincoln Pasquina of the 1880s Cape Cod–style house in Concord, MA. One reason is the…

The song that looped in my head while admiring this California project was The Mamas and the Papas’ “Twelve Thirty.” That was inspired by LA’s Laurel Canyon in the 1960s, and this redone bungalow is in Topanga, but still: Both evoke for me laid-back, retro California summer. The bungalow is the work of LA-based designer Tamar Barnoon, whom we’ve gotten to know over the past few years as a stylist, a set designer for film, and, most recently, a designer of furniture and objects (see her work via Made in California: A Curated Collection of Handmade Furniture from Honeyed Figs).…

In an industrial estate in Barking, East London, Lola Lely and Yesenia Thibault-Picazo are busy reinventing the medieval craft of chandlery. “We are very proud to bring manufacturing back to an area that once had a strong heritage of producing everyday goods for London,” explains Lola. “Wicker baskets, matches, soap, pencils, paint tins and toys were all made here … It’s a strong heritage that has since vanished from the area. Through our project, we are bringing back this activity to the area.” Above: Wax Atelier’s green tea tapered candles. The project is Wax Atelier. Founded in 2018, the studio…