Classic-Yet-Crisp Gothic
Who says you have to live amid velvet drapes and gingerbread moldings just because you bought a Victorian house? Not architect Melody Emerick of Emerick Architects P.C. or builder Tom Corvi of the Right Angle Company. Take a look at how the two teamed up on the whole-house remodel of an 1894 Gothic Victorian that added a garage under the house, a rebuilt porch and deck to its facade, and a family-friendly floorplan that revolves around a light-filled kitchen that overlooks the backyard. A cool mix of antiques and contemporary furnishings makes the old house period-perfect for modern life with two young boys.

The Modernist and the Arts & Crafts Home
Ten years ago, architect Donna Wax and her husband, Jeff Jones, bought a 4,000-square-foot Arts and Crafts home on a double lot with an interesting provenance: The father of noted English cottage architect Wade Pipes commissioned the house, known as the Pipes Family House, in 1910; Wade designed a library addition in 1912, which he used as his office. Check out how Wax, a modernist at heart, has upgraded the historic home in an opposite-of-house-museum way.

Trade Secrets: 9 Tips for Fireplaces and Firescreens
Are you poking the logs in the hearth of your spendy fireplace with a pair of barbecue tongs? Interior designers and firescreen makers offer room-making advice.

Design Matters: Architectural Trimmings
Repainting the walls in a room is a great way to beef up a well-loved but tired space, but if the paint job fails to dazzle, turn your discerning eye to the architectural details (or lack thereof). Check out how design pros suggest you use the right trimmings (think moldings, picture rails, doorknobs and ceiling medallions) to take a humdrum room from “Eh” to “Amazing!”

Home Front
True tales from around the house: She hated that bramble of blackberry bushes, until she and her new-to- Oregon sister started making their own jam . . . What’s a newlywed to do when she discovers that the African fertility doll her anxious-tobe- a-grandmother mom gave her is covered with mold?—and more!