Like so many people this past year, Kelly Jo moved back to her hometown to be closer to family. A single parent to a young son, she took it a step further by buying her grandparents’ ranch-style house, which was her mother’s childhood home. The house, in Pittsburgh, held sweet memories, but she wasn’t attached in the least to the actual interiors. Dark and dated, with a small kitchen, it was in dire need of a refresh. Kelly Jo’s idea was to move the tiny kitchen into the roomy and light-filled sunroom, an addition that her grandparents had put in…

There’s something somewhat transporting about the Instagram feed of Maine-based Evangeline Linens. Spend enough time scrolling through, as I frequently do, and you get the sense that you’re not in your apartment but wrapped in a wool blanket in a rustic cabin in the woods of Acadia National Park in northern Maine. Which is why it fits that the blanket company’s newly opened brick and mortar is housed in an equally atmospheric place: the second-oldest building in Portland, Maine, one of only a handful of buildings that somehow, by chance, was still standing after the Great Fire of 1866 destroyed…

Every now and then we get requests for specific 10 Easy Pieces features: this one is for our architect friend Jerome Buttrick, who is searching for a small round kitchen dining table. Here are our current favorites: Above: The De La Espada 018 Atlantico Round Table is available in three finishes; $1,885 at Hive. Above: The Faye Toogood Charcoal Roly Poly Dining Table is $15,000 at March. Above: The Vitra Gueridon Table, shown in Smoked Oak, is $2,860 at Design Design Store. Above: The Vico Magistretti Maui Round Table is available at Bello Spazio. Above: Designed by Ronan & Erwan…

Owners Johanne Landbo and Lukas Filip Fernandes of a 1927 townhouse in Copenhagen source most of their decor from vintage finds. “We always use the Danish vintage page called ‘The Blue Newspaper,’” says Johanne (it’s called DBA). “We spend a lot of time going on auctions and Facebook Marketplace and make sure that the things are just right for our place before we buy it. It is very rare that we buy items from new, as we like the personality the things get from aging. It feels more alive and adds history.” This is, of course, the best approach to achieve…

This article appeared in the Nov/Dec 2020 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. The No. 102 low-angle block plane that made its debut in the 1877 catalog of Stanley Rule & Level Co. was a 5 1/2-inch-long, all-steel tool designed to slice through tough end grain, such as butcher blocks. All About the No. 102 Low-Angle Block Plane But carpenters found that the palm-size No. 102 neatly fit in a tool belt, and put it to use trimming cabinet doors, shaving shingles, scribe-fitting baseboards, and fine-tuning miters. No. 102 Low Angle Block Plane,…

This article appeared in the Nov/Dec 2020 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. Stains and scratches can make marble countertops a challenge in the kitchen. You can still opt for marble in your home without the worry of maintaining it by including it as an accent. Read on for some ideas and inspiration for marble accents. Add just a splash (left) Spacecrafting Photography; (right) Levity Tomkinson Shown above, left: As a vertical surface, a marble backsplash sustains fewer spills and less wear and tear than a horizontal work top—like this showstopping mosaic set…