Hartford Preservation Alliance Awards Event

The Hartford Preservation Alliance will be holding their annual Awards Event on Thursday, May 13th, at 5:30, at the Design Center in Parkville (1429 Park St, Hartford). There are 12 Awardees this year, including a number of projects that loyal readers will recognize. The event is open to all, and tickets are $25 – hope to see you there! In addition to their annual Awards Event, the Hartford Preservation Alliance works throughout the year as

It's Like Magic

Every once in a while renovation projects take a giant leap forward, completely transforming in a single day. The kitchen project made a leap last week, and then made another one yesterday. They’re exciting – really exciting – because they are obvious progress, and because they look so good. But let me back up a little bit. The team had been methodically working to get the space put back together for a while. Plumbing, electrical,

Designing a Kitchen

We thought that designing a new kitchen would be relatively straightforward. Really, how hard could it be? Pick a cabinet design, choose the appliances, then the finish details, and away we’d go. We already had a good idea of what we wanted in a kitchen, so we thought the design part would be easy. As it turned out, there were a number of challenges that we did not foresee. The shape of the room was

Saving a West End Home: Project Round-Up

Note: This post continues the Saving a West End Home Series. The West End Home has a round turret as its front, left corner. Although round turrets are not uncommon in the neighborhood, the feature gives the property a little something extra – something special. From the outside, the conical roofline immediately draws the eye. For me, the effect is to mask the true size of the building. It makes the home feel more intimate

Saving a West End Home: Living History

Note: This post continues the Saving a West End Home Series. Homes in the West End have seen multiple generations come and go. They have been the backdrop for many stories as the neighborhood evolved through different historical eras. Some of the properties have been passed down within a family for multiple generations. Others have been converted from one use to another, like turning a large single family home in to a rooming house. Basic