Get Victorian Style with Authentic Lace Curtains, Part 2

When searching for an artist to create an Eastlake lace pattern, Dan Cooper of Cooper’s Cottage Lace went immediately to … Continue reading →

Get Victorian Style with Authentic Lace Curtains, Part 1

There was something missing in the lives of those enamored with the Victorian style of 1870-1890 homes–a lace curtain pattern … Continue reading →

Home Restoration: DIY Wooden Window Repair Guide

Your Victorian home’s original windows are more than just a noteworthy aesthetic feature—they’re also a vulnerable but important part of … Continue reading →

Once part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, Woodlawn was nearly destroyed by an 1896 hurricane—but not this time. Carefully maintained by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Woodlawn suffered only minor landscape damage due to Hurricane Sandy. (Photo: Woodlawn in 2003 by William Thornton, image public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Victorian Home Restoration: Why Keep Wooden Windows

Contractor Hank Handler was finishing up “routine maintenance” on the original windows at Woodlawn, an 1805 home in Alexandria, Virginia, … Continue reading →

In spite of the Union's scorched-earth tactics, these 1800s slave cabins at Evergreen Plantation have survived more or less in-tact. (Photo: Richard Sexton)

Exploring Victorian Neighborhoods: Louisiana’s River Road, Part 2

For the Creole architecture and Victorian neighborhoods of Louisiana’s River Road, the Civil War was the beginning of the end. … Continue reading →

The carved stone of a Catholic crucifix still stands amidst the metal and machinery of a petrochemical plant, long after the church has moved on. (Photo: Richard Sexton)

Exploring Victorian Neighborhoods: Louisiana’s River Road, Part 1

Once flooded by seasonal waters and sugar profits, today the stretch of the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton … Continue reading →

They purchased the stonework, from an 18th-century French church, from one of their favorite antique stores in Carmel, California.

Restoring Turn-of-the-Century L.A., Part 3

After Barbara and Andy Thornberg spent 35 years restoring their Eastlake-style Victorian home in Los Angeles, California, Barbara’s favorite room … Continue reading →

Barbara’s husband bought her this modern art piece by Gerry McMillan,
a California artist. She likes juxtaposing the
contemporary pieces with the antiques.

Restoring Turn-of-the-Century L.A., Part 2

After 35 years of hard work and restoration, Barbara Thornberg is still in love—with her husband and her Victorian home … Continue reading →

The exterior of the house is painted in a deep green, high-gloss oil paint because the California sunshine will fade the color within a few years. The Thornbergs used Victorian colors; the brick-red color highlights the architectural details of the wood trims.

Restoring Turn-of-the-Century L.A., Part 1

Echo Park wasn’t the best part of Los Angeles in 1975 when a young couple moved to their Angelino Heights … Continue reading →

Painting of Victoria, Princess Royal, the year after her 16th birthday. By
Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1857. Image in the public domain in the UK and US. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

A Victorian Village in 3D: A Conversation with Brian May, Part 3

As Brian May researched T. R. Williams’ stereoscopic photos of a Victorian English village for his book A Village Lost and … Continue reading →