Old Boston

A splendid restoration of an 1860s Second-Empire home in Brookfield, Massachusetts. The plasterwork, woodwork, mantels, and light fixtures are simply exquisite!

c. 1864 Second Empire in Brookfield, MA - $589,000 Landmark Aaron Kimball house. Splendid elaborately detailed 1864 Second Empire just off Brookfield Common. Property offers 1.4 acres abutting 9 acre park. Only

The final reveal of our restoration of the 1830s empire dresser we began in early August!

Among several projects Old Boston has going on at the moment, our restoration of the 1830s New England dresser is drawing to a close. At 48” wide and 53” high, this piece is truly monumental! Once all the old shellac was removed, we realized the case and the drawer fronts were in remarkable condition; two centuries of thick shellac protected the dresser from surface scratches and sun-bleaching.

Some areas needed restoration: we had to create six veneer patches and fill some chipped edges, especially in the lower part of the case; one drawer runner needed to be reset, and another one needed filling in places; two corner blocks were missing, and we had to recreate them.

The original glass k***s are exquisite! Made by the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company between 1829-1840, they date the dresser to the mid-1830s, and possibly confirm its origin as being made in the workshop of a Massachusetts cabinet maker. One of the k***s was missing, and one was badly damaged. We scoured retailers nationwide, and sourced rate perfect matches. We also replaced the k**b bolts, which were all mismatched, with period-appropriate hardware.

We are excited to present the final reveal in a few days!

Excited about one of our new projects - the restoration of a large American empire bureau, built in New England (possibly in Massachusetts) and featuring rare opalescent glass k***s made in Sandwich, Mass.

Despite a few major scuffs to the crotch mahogany veneer on the drawer fronts, the original shellac has successfully protected the bureau for two centuries. Now completely alligatored, crumbling, and flaking, it will have to be completely removed. We’ll be doing this without any sanding. Most visible scratches are superficial, and the surface overall appears to be in remarkable condition.

One k**b is missing, and another one has broken into several pieces. We’ll put the broken one back together, and have already sourced two original matching ones in case the repair is not going to work.

We’ll post regular updates as the project unfolds!

Today’s restoration project in Somerville: a door in need of some love. Buried under layers and layers of paint was a lovely keyhole cover! The wood was worn out and the doork**b rosette had nothing to hold on to. We patched the missing wood, repainted the door, and reinstalled the beautiful Eastlake hardware. As Tom Johnson would say, “it looks pretty good.”

Atfer restoring the finish and replacing the pulls, which were not original to the dresser, we are now addressing the missing veneer. Here’s the first, most obvious spot in need of repair.

Project of the day: removing the worn out shellac and repairing the veneer on an 1830s Empire dresser! The flame mahogany on it is exquisite! Click on this link for a video of shellac removal: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/Xjy3sLjAM2Kxk3bj/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Detail of wheel-cut crystal goblet - Lobmeyr, Vienna, ca. 1840

Our work on the Empire-style footstool has come to an end.

Once the bare-wood surface of the mahogany veneer and trimwork was ready, we applied an red alcohol-based dye that we concocted to tint the wood. It made the mahogany stain we chose much warmer. After a generous coat of stain, we applied two coats of amber shellac to bring out the richness of the red and the beauty of the grain. We then French polished the entire base.

We created the cushion by using the luscious light-blue upholstery fabric that our client selected. The contrast between the fabric and the wood is truly striking; as they say, pictures don’t do justice.

The last step will be to apply a coat of beeswax polish to the base and buff it up, but only after the shellac dried properly.

*triple swoon*

More South-End and East-Boston door and fireplace restorations scheduled for the fall. In the meantime, we continue our work on the Empire footstool we began a few days ago. We cut the eight sections that make up the skirting, and applied the same veneer we used for the main structure. The client also chose a fabric, which is a stunning light-blue chenille upholstery textile.

Over the next few days, we’ll continue our work on the skirting, then dye and French Polish the entire piece, and create the cushion.

A wonderful opportunity to bring back the lovely shapes of the 1820s-1840s American Empire style in the recreation/reinterpretation of this fantastic original footstool. We began our work today, and already applied beautiful mahogany veneer over a poplar frame, along with one of the two beaded trims found around the top edge and between the top band and the decorative skirting.

Watch videos in comments!

A fun fall project at the Almon Danforth Hodges House (1875) in Roxbury. Hodges (1801-1878) developed four townhouses on the same block, and chose one of them as his late residence.

The mantels in the two reception rooms, overall in fair shape, needed a thorough cleaning and some restoration. Specifically, the settling of the building over the years compromised the stability of the two sections of marble at the bottom of the opening in the front reception room (see leaning summer cover in photo 1 - the two bottom marble sections no longer supporting it). The two pieces needed to be reset and stabilized. The ironwork, original to the house, was heavily rusted and in dire need of cleaning and painting. The owners are preservation-oriented, and were adamant that the two mantels be restored, rather than replaced or removed - a wish we were more than happy to grant!

As our Roxbury project came to an end yesterday, here are a few shots of the front doors at the James Johnson House. The hardware will be installed next week. A before/after comparison at the end!

Getting closer! Two more days of work, and the doors and door jamb at the James Johnson House in Roxbury will be finished! The interior has been faux grained to look like walnut (see photos for the different steps), and the glass has been installed. We also cleaned up the original house-number plate, which has been a feature of the doors since 1871. The final touch will be several coats of durable exterior varnish on both doors.

Beautify homes in Roxbury

A little weekend update on the Roxbury door restoration. As we continue our work, thinks are starting to shape up. We used the panel molding of the upper-right opening to create the missing trim on the middle panels. We then created a replica of the panel molding to fill the upper openings, for consistency. On Monday the frosted glass panes are ready; we’ll install them, and then finish the installation of the panel molding around them.

Next week, we’ll also begin the restoration of the door jamb. AND!! Stay tuned for the faux graining of the interior side!

Hard at work on the entryway of the James Johnson House in Roxbury. A sneak preview of the beautiful black-walnut doors with a first coat of stain, and a before/after of one of the hinges.

Absolutely beautiful black walnut in stunning condition: this is what we found on our first day of work on the James Johnson House, Roxbury, under one layer of dark-brown paint, several layers of exterior varnish (!) over some red paint, over many layers of shellac. Photo No. 4 for before/after comparison.

Lots of work ahead of us. But we are excited to begin this new project at the James Johnson House in historic Roxbury. Built in 1871 on a quaint side street, this once lovely home in the Second-Empire style was neglected for decades. Completely rehabilitated over the past two years, and preserving many interior and exterior details (a beautiful staircase and newel post, mantelpieces, plasterwork, oriel windows), it is now getting new front steps and portico, and a front-door makeover.

Our task is to remove all the paint from the simple but elegant walnut front doors, door jamb, and hinges (acorn tips, our favorite!!); replicate and install the missing panel molding; remove the metal grates; replace the glass panes; replace and repair missing/damaged veneer; repaint the door jamb; and stain and varnish the front doors and threshold.

Many more photos to come throughout the project!