Window to the Past
The craftsmen of KARP Associates took great care to restore the original six-over-six paned windows at the front of the house, and getting just the right window parts was essential.
Director of Design and Residential Construction Robin Carroll explains, “To receive approval for the project, the Historic District Commission mandated that we restore the original elevations visible from the street. This included the historic exterior decorative trim and windows on the front and left-side facade. As part of that process, we removed eight double-hung, two fan, and six frieze windows from the original structure, completely stripped the lead paint, removed the original glazing, restored rotted parts, and reassembled the sashes and frames. The final touch was installing fully functional reproduction chains, pulleys, and weights.“
A Little Hardware History
Double-hung windows operate through a system that’s simple enough: The sash is counterbalanced with a chain and a pulley connected to steel weights. The weights create the proper counterbalance for each window sash, allowing for smooth operation. The hardware in the Idea House’s original windows was rusted beyond repair; replacing the hardware with authentic reproductions was critical to the authenticity of the project.
Window hardware wasn’t always a mere afterthought. As Peter Jensen wrote in This Old House Magazine, “The locks and lifts needed to secure, raise, and lower windows once celebrated both mechanical innovation and eye-appealing craftsmanship. By the Victorian age, plain loop or hook shapes had evolved into richly embossed reflections of the style of the times.”
Back to Life
“Bringing these windows back to life was a labor of love, taking our master carpenters Gilbert Violette and Henry Nusser hundreds of hours,” says Carroll. “The salvation of the original framing, fenestration, and trim preserved the character of the house on Main Street and supports the preservation of the historic district in New Canaan.”
Read on for other ways period-perfect hardware was incorporated throughout the house.
On a similar window restoration project, This Old House contractor Riley noted that the craftsmanship in original sashes is nearly impossible to replicate today: “Super impressive, the woodworking, honestly. They’re all through-tenons here with pins, through-tenon, mortise here with a pin. Still solid. I mean, this is 100 years old, and that is rugged. Serious time went into this. So it’d be a shame to throw that out and start new.”
Appeal Starts at the Curb
Walking up to the TOH 2019 Idea House, visitors are greeted by a decorative, period-authentic post-mount mailbox made of durable, rustproof aluminum; the matte black finish complements the black shutters and front door to create a stately scene.
A Dashing Doorbell
A decorative aged-bronze doorbell is a clean, classic design statement. Made of solid brass, it features beveled edges and a lighted button for enhanced visibility.
It’s a detail that’s easy to overlook—until you don’t. When homeowner Edith Doan renovated her family’s Cape Cod in New Hope, Pennsylvania, she told This Old House Magazine, “We joked it was the only thing we wouldn’t touch. But one thing led to another, and before we knew it, even the doorbell went.” She ultimately chose a clean-lined bell button to complement her new handle and lockset—exactly the kind of finishing touch that ties an entry together.
Attention to Detail
With its simple design, smooth disposition, and aged bronze finish, the house number welcomes guests in classic style.
Pocket Perfection
Rustic yet refined bronze hardware was the finishing touch on these solid-oak pocket doors that afford privacy to the home office. The hand-applied finish ages gracefully, with frequently-touched areas exposing the natural shades of the bronze, while other areas will oxidize further.
Pro Tip: Hardware can make or break a pocket door installation. As This Old House general contractor Tom Silva notes, poor hardware has long been the Achilles’ heel of pocket doors: “Often, a screw falls out or the door comes off the track. You get all kinds of grinding and scraping noises, if you can move it at all.” Modern nylon-wheeled trucks have largely solved those issues, allowing heavy solid-wood doors to glide smoothly for decades.
Hardworking Hooks
In the spacious mudroom, bold, hand-forged iron hooks are designed to hold even the heaviest outerwear.
Hooks for outerwear had their heyday in the Victorian era, when highly ornamented styles adorned elaborate hall trees and entryways. Before the advent of the wire clothes hanger in 1904, these hooks also kept order inside closets and wardrobes at home, while simpler utilitarian styles were arrayed in rows along wood rails in schools, churches, and workplaces. With today’s doorway drop zones receiving more attention, hat and coat hooks are enjoying a renaissance.
Stylish Door Sets
Downstairs, the KARP team opted for Colonial-inspired tile flooring and sand-casted bronze lever door sets. The hand-applied finish on these levers ages gracefully, with frequently touched areas exposing the natural shades of the bronze, while other areas oxidize further. The result? An elegant and timeless display of contrasting color variations.
House of Antique Hardware is proud to sponsor the TOH 2019 Idea House.
For period-perfect reproductions, or a fresh take on timeless traditions, visit houseofantiquehardware.com.
