Mary Ellen Polson

1 week ago | finehomebuilding.com | Mary Ellen Polson |Abby Cote

Architectural or builders’ hardware such as doorknobs, locks, latches, hinges, and window catches are among the most prized details in any vintage house. Over the decades, these functional pieces of house jewelry tend to take a beating. Rust, tarnish, multiple coats of paint, missing parts, and damage from missing or stripped screws compromise the integrity of these essential bits. Depending on the period and materials, vintage hardware may be better or lesser than what’s made today.

Dec 11, 2024 | finehomebuilding.com | Mary Ellen Polson

Adding depth and character to any room, wainscots are a practical and beautiful covering for plaster in high-traffic areas, protecting the lower wall from nicks, spills, and wear. Styles have historically evolved from simple horizontal planks to high-style raised paneling and to the homey, machine-produced material colloquially known as beadboard. Repairing, re-creating, or installing wainscoting may be a simple DIY project—and other times a challenge for a master carpenter.

Nov 18, 2024 | artsandcraftshomes.com | Mary Ellen Polson

When considering curb appeal and hardware or metalwork, it’s natural to focus on the front door’s entry hardware. What about other very visible hardware? Take a look at the garage and outbuildings, which make up a lot of the visual real estate. Window shutters, so prominently displayed on the façade, also need appropriate hinges and holdbacks. Don’t forget the front gate, a good place for hefty period-style strap hinges and latch. The garage doors are another opportunity.

Nov 6, 2024 | finehomebuilding.com | Mary Ellen Polson |Abby Cote

From single-bulb pendants to cast-metal confections adorned with hand-painted glass, lighting in the early years of electricity was all about invention. Beaux Arts lighting was on the high side of the style equation. Thanks to Edison and the electric light bulb, these new fixtures could direct light up or down or sideways. Easy-to-cast alloys led to incredibly ornate fixtures with intricate detail. Shades also evolved in shape, color, and translucency—and not only in glass.

Nov 6, 2024 | finehomebuilding.com | Mary Ellen Polson |Abby Cote

Before this Catskills town was a ski resort, it was a weekend destination for well-to-do New Yorkers who built grand “cottages” in styles from rustic to Neoclassical Revival. By the late 1930s, many of those weekenders were no longer wealthy. That was when Brooklyn textile-mill owner Jack Rogers came into possession of the house with the flamboyant Beaux Arts interior. His granddaughter would later christen it Clovesend.