Old House Links

What we are reading this week about decorating and renovating old houses:

This bathroom transformation started out with the kind of very small, mid-20th century, really ugly old bathroom that is so common in Victorian row houses in Brooklyn (although this one is located in Canada). House and Home editor Mandy Milks ripped everything out and changed the window and the floor plan. She used Hexagonal Bluestone marble tiles on the floor and honed Statuario Perla marble subway tile on the wall. The tub is new, with an outside painted matte black and feet plated in patinated brass. The shower and fixtures are brass, and the shower curtain is linen. Click through to the story to read about every detail in the captions. 
Mandy Milks’ Bathroom Makeover [House and Home]

We would love to see more of this makeover of a row house on the Bushwick-Ridgewood border, but homeowner Jason Gibbs gives us just a glimpse. We wouldn’t normally advise  painting brick, but it looks like the brick had already been painted. Notice how the door and cornice pops against the otherwise monochromatic gray paint. Gibbs has a great photo blog, too, focusing on architecture and streets in New York City and nearby.
Brooklyn Townhouse (2009-2012) [Jason N. Gibbs]
Photo by Jason N. Gibbs

Manhattan Nest tries out a new product, removable wallpaper, and papers an accent wall in his rental apartment. Love this shot with the bright striped textile hanging on the hall wall.
Lisa Congdon Is in My Kitchen! [Manhattan Nest]
Photo by Daniel Kanter