Arts & Crafts Restoration

Restoration of a 1912 Arts & Crafts Residence

This house had been built in Victoria B.C. in 1912 by Charles King, a Pasadena architect familiar with the work of Greene and Greene. Over the years it had been neglected, and renovations and changes had been made out of keeping with the rest of the house.

Stuart Stark was hired to oversee the restoration of the house, and the refurbishment, furnishing and decoration of the interior to be appropriate to the architecture of the residence.

The exterior of the house had lost its original colouring, being covered in an all-over brown paint. Analysis of the original colours produced two original colours for the beams and the window trim. The analysis of the shingle cladding showed that it had been originally left as a natural cedar finish. As the shingles could not be stripped of paint without causing extensive damage, and replacement was not desirable, a green shingle colour was chosen from original 1912 shingle samples in Stuart Stark’s collection and applied to the building.

On the interior, light fixtures and colour schemes that were inappropriate to the Arts & Crafts period were replaced with antique or replica brass fixtures, and wallpapers and paint colours suited to the style of the house were applied throughout the residence.

The owners’ furniture was edited and paired with new antique furniture throughout the house. Several pieces of furniture were specially designed for the rooms, and other furniture was purchased. New cabinets were built to match originals in the house and period hardware was sourced to match existing. Artwork was chosen and hung and accessories were sourced and supplied.

This project was featured in Old House Interiors magazine.